Learn Italian with Babbel — fast, easy, fun courses!

Why Learn Italian?

Italian is famous as a language of music, art, and culture. From Dante’s Inferno to the works of Michelangelo, Italy’s cultural exports have made a particularly strong impact on Western civilisation. While we can’t promise learning the language will make you the next Leonardo da Vinci, it will certainly open you up to a whole new world and allow you to make connections with those you couldn’t before.

Italian is the official language of Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, and Vatican City, making it a valuable skill for travel and communication. Italy is renowned for its breathtaking landscapes, historic cities, and delicious cuisine, and speaking the language will enhance your travel experiences. Engaging with locals in their native tongue fosters authentic connections and opens doors to unique cultural exchanges.

If you’re more career-focussed, Italian is one way you can set yourself apart from other candidates. Many prestigious Italian brands, like Gucci, Ferrari, and Barilla, seek employees who can communicate effectively in Italian, making bilingual candidates more competitive in the job market. And as businesses increasingly operate on a global scale, the ability to speak Italian can facilitate communication with clients and partners in Italy and other Italian-speaking regions.

Ready to join the over 65 million people who speak Italian? You can get started right away with a free Babbel lesson. If you need a little more preparation, read on for an introduction to learning Italian.

A Brief Intro To The Italian Language

Italian is a Romantic language, and is by many measures the most direct descendant of Latin. That makes sense, given where Rome is located. English, by contrast, is Germanic, so you might think the two don’t have much in common. In practice, though, learning Italian is not too hard for an English speaker, and we’ve listed it as one of the easiest options. There are still differences, though, which are worth knowing about in advance.

The first obvious difference between English and Italian is grammar. Every noun in Italian is either masculine or feminine, and while there are some general rules you can learn, there’s no perfect way to predict the gender of a word based on how it sounds. Another challenge is learning Italian verb conjugations, which are a bit more complicated than English ones. For each verb ending (-are, -ire, -ere) you’ll need to learn how to conjugate depending on who is performing the action and when it’s being done, and that’s not even getting started on irregular verbs. It may seem imposing at first, but with regular practice you’ll get the hang of Italian grammar in no time.

Pronunciation is also a big difference between English and Italian, but don’t worry: Italian pronunciation is a bit easier than English is. That’s because every word is pronounced exactly how it’s written. Once you learn the basic rules, you should have no problem saying any word that comes your way.

There’s one more important thing to note about Italian: it’s a language made up of many dialects. That’s true of every language, but it is particularly notable in Italy, where a few dozen kilometers can separate very distinct varieties of Italian. You’ll probably learn Standard Italian to start, but there’s so much more you can explore and discover as you go around the Italian-speaking world.

Choosing The Right Italian Lessons And Courses

Never before has there been so many options to learn a language. With one as popular as Italian, you can go pick up a textbook, find a nearby class, stream a show in the language, listen to a podcast, and much, much more. This is a great thing, but it can also make getting started difficult. Where is the best place to start? There’s no one answer that will work for everybody — and in the end, a mixture of methods is best — but having a structured tool like Babbel to guide you along is a way to learn more quickly and efficiently.

One advantage to the Babbel self-study app is that if you’re not starting from scratch, you can take a placement test that will decide which level to place you in. Plus, the first lesson in every level is free, so you can see how Babbel handles more advanced topics before you commit.

Also, Babbel has a huge number of resources for every kind of language learner. Beyond the self-study app, you can take Babbel Live courses either one-on-one or in a small group, each led by one of our expert teachers. Or, you could try one of our free resources like podcasts or magazine articles, which provide listening practice, vocab lists, grammar explanations and more!

Tips To Learn Italian Quickly

Learning Italian takes a commitment, but there are methods you can use to learn more efficiently. Here’s what our experts say are the best steps you can take for learning Italian.

• Practice a little every day. When starting something new, your first instinct might be to jump in head first, spending hours and hours on it. While that’s great, you want to make sure that this motivation will last beyond the initial burst of energy. Doing just a couple of Babbel’s 5- to 10-minute lessons a day will lead to better long-term results than studying a bunch for a weekend and then forgetting about it for a few months.

• Start speaking right away. Italian pronunciation is pretty straight forward, but you’ll still want to practice as much as possible. Babbel’s lessons include words and sentences voiced by native speakers so you can really understand the pronunciation, and then you can try it out on your own with our AI-powered speech recognition.

• Learn Italian vocab with their articles. As we said before, every noun in Italian is male or female. The best way to keep these straight is by learning each word with its article (il for male and la for female), rather than just hoping you can figure out the grammatical gender later.

• “Immerse” yourself, even at home. You may not be able to relocate to Italy for a few years, but that doesn’t mean you can’t surround yourself with the language. Watching TV in the language, reading Italian news, and even just changing your phone’s language will give you a little more exposure to the language in your life.
  

Learn Italian With The Babbel App

Getting started with Babbel to learn Italian is a fantastic choice for anyone looking to embark on a rewarding journey. With a structured curriculum that incorporates cultural insights, you'll not only learn the language but also gain a deeper appreciation for Italian culture. The flexibility of Babbel allows you to learn at your own pace, fitting seamlessly into your busy lifestyle.

Whether you’re looking for something new to add to your resume or planning out your trip to Tuscany, Babbel will be there to help you along the way. What are you waiting for? Start your Italian language adventure with Babbel today, and unlock a world of opportunities!