If you want to learn Italian online, you should know that there are some excellent learning tools out there on the World Wide Web that will be of great use to your linguistic adventure. We are going to tell you a little bit about the best 10 online resources for learning Italian so that you can have a great start.

There are a few things that we would like to tell you about beforehand so that you can get the most out of your experience. Learning Italian will have to be a long-term project if you want to reach palpable results. Therefore, you will need a thorough plan for your lessons. Take a look at our suggestions!

How To Plan Your Italian Adventure

Learning a new language online comes with some significant advantages over enrolling in a traditional course. Take a look at the most important ones!

• You can plan your lessons whenever you wish because the internet is available 24/7.
• You can save quite a lot of money by opting for the online version of a class.
• You can learn at your own pace. You can pause the content whenever you need to and you can repeat whichever parts you find most difficult.
• You can miss class if you truly need to without having to struggle to reschedule the lesson.

If you want your Italian hobby to turn into a long-term passion, you will have to plan some key aspects about its development. We recommend that you opt for a two-step program, as follows:

Step 1: The Trial Phase

It doesn’t take long to fall in love with the unique poise and playfulness of the Italian language. But speaking it requires quite a bit of hard work, especially if your native language is not of Latin origins. This is precisely why we advise you to include a trial phase in your plan. Here are the main things that you need to include in it:

Decide Upon a Fixed Schedule

Even if you are not obligated to sign an attendance sheet for your online Italian courses, you will need to have structure. Choose a minimum amount of hours that you want to allocate to this hobby every week and try to include it in your agenda for the following weeks.

Choose at Least Two Learning Resources

More diversity in the learning process will make the entire course more accessible. Choose one website focused on grammar and one that specializes in speaking and vocabulary. Alternate them to build your curiosity for the following lessons.

Add Some Entertainment to the Process

No matter how excited you are about learning Italian, the process could prove tedious at times. And it is crucial that you include some entertaining educational tools as well because these are excellent at keeping you focused on your ultimate goal of speaking Italian. Here are a few ideas!

Apps

Apps are incredibly useful learning tools because you can use them whenever you have a few minutes to spare. Furthermore, they offer attractive content, so you won’t regard the time you spend on them as studying, but more as a form of entertainment. Take a look at our top ten to get a few ideas!

Films

Italian cinematography is a true delight. Include a few of the classics, such as “Cinema Paradiso”, “La Dolce Vita” or “Life is Beautiful” in your trial period to give you a bit of perspective. And you can even count these as learning experiences because Italian sounds best when spoken by natives.

Music

Put some Italian music on your iPod to get some very entertaining language practice. Try singing along if you can because the results will be truly impressive. Singing in a foreign language is sometimes much easier than speaking, so try using music to practice your pronunciation.

Set Some Clear Objectives

Choose two or three objectives regarding what you want to achieve during your trial phase. Most online courses come with tests after a few lessons. These are an excellent way of assessing your performance at the end of Step 1. You can make the objects of the tests your objectives and then analyze the results.

Allow yourself three to four weeks to get used to your Italian lessons. At the end of this period, you will need to analyze your progress, as well as your experience and make a few decisions regarding the rest of your plan.

• One possibility that you need to take into consideration is that you will not enjoy speaking the language as much as you love hearing from native speakers in films and music. If this is the case, you will know that you have tried your hardest, but that Italian simply isn’t the language for you.
• Another situation you might be faced with is enjoying to learn Italian, but not from the resources you have chosen. In this case, you can simply change the online course you have enrolled in with one that better suites your needs.
• The best possible outcome is being thrilled with both the learning process and the results. In this case, you can continue with Step 2 directly and get on your way to becoming a skilled Italian speaker.

Step 2 – The Long Run

If you have chosen to continue learning Italian online after Step I, it means that you are actually in it for the long run and therefore, you can extend your plan for the following months. You can keep the pattern you used for the trial phase and make a long-term plan. You can change some of the courses you follow or you can add new ones that can improve your experience.

The 10 Best Online Resources for Leaning Italian

We have reviewed the most popular learning tools and we have selected 10 websites and apps that are truly helpful for learning Italian. We are not going to list them in any particular order, as each of them is useful in its own way. Take a look!

1. Italianpod101

This is one of our favorite websites because it offers a wide range of learning materials that you can use to learn to speak Italian. It is ideal for beginners because it offers audio and video lessons, as well as PDF lesson notes. Their flashcards can really come in handy for language practice and if you experience any issues with the lessons, you can communicate with your peers on the Italianpod.101 forum.

2. BBC’s La Mappa Misteriosa

If you are a beginner, then this 12-step online course is the best way to learn Italian online. It is an educational video series that includes 12 episodes meant to teach you the basic words and phrases in the Italian language. The videos are centered on a quest that the two main characters, Renata and Marco , have to complete. As a bonus, you even get to decide the ending.

3. BBC.co.uk/italian

“La Mappa Misteriosa” is only one of the many free learning tools you are going to find on bbc.co.uk/italian. Take a look to find some interesting Italian news, TV and radio broadcasts to include in the entertainment section of your plan. They even offer a Facebook page that enables you to practice your Italian via social media.

4. The Duolingo App

If you want to learn Italian online, then the Duolingo app is an absolute must-have. In the classic Duolingo way, you will get to learn the basics of the language by playing some amusing games. This app is perfect for your ride to work or your coffee break, so make sure you include it in your list.

5. The MindSnacks App

This is yet another wonderful app that you can use to learn Italian online in your free time. Its delightfully witty games and exercises will make language practice incredibly entertaining. So how about replacing Angry Birds with something that will help you achieve your language goals?

6. Rosetta Stone

If your goal is to learn Italian fast, then Rosetta Stone’s Learn Italian website is something you should definitely include in your schedule. The language course requires you to pay a subscription but it promises to take you from beginner level to intermediate in record time.

7. Cyberitalian

This is one of the most diverse online resources that you can use for your language practice because it offers a wide range of programs that you can choose from:

• Self Study
• Tutored Courses
• Private Lessons
• Coaching Programs

Take a look at their website to find the right one for you! They do require you to pay a subscription, but there is a free test trial that you can enroll in.

8. Rocketlanguages

Rocket Languages offers a diverse learning pack that includes some amazing interactive audio lessons that are perfect for beginners, as well as language and culture units. They also provide a learning app that you can use on your phone or tablet, and a wide range of practice tools, such as flashcards and pronunciation practice exercises. Sign up for the free trial version and find out if this is the program for you!

9. Speak7

This is one of the best resources that you can use if you want to learn Italian for free. They offer a well-structured grammar program that is sure to help you go through the basics in no time. Level I is ideal for your trial phase because it only includes 7 lessons. Pair it up with some vocabulary lessons and you are ready to start!

10. Iluss

If you want to learn Italian online, but you still feel the need to have a teacher take you through the main points of the lessons, then Illuss is the right online resource for you! You can actually choose your teacher from among their many trained professionals. The lessons will be held on Skype, so you will still be able to do this from home.

We hope we have provided you with some useful advice for your upcoming endeavor and that you will be able to use them to learn Italian as fast as possible. Good luck!

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