Learn Italian

Ciao, arriverderci! are words nearly everyone in the West have heard at least once in their lives.

After getting to grips with Spanish, Italian seemed like the next logical step. I’d always liked the sound of it, especially because of all the opera and classical music I’d listened to over the years. Italy has a huge musical history and connection with classical music, and I’d been there a few times before, so it made sense to give the language a go. With French and Spanish under my belt, I figured I had a decent head start.

I picked up Italian in Three Months by Dorling Kindersley, expecting it to work just as well as the Spanish version had. It didn’t. The word lists were too long, and memorising them felt like wading through mud. I did what I could with it, but it wasn’t quite clicking the way Spanish had. I needed something else.

Lessons with a Tutor

I found a private tutor, Flavia, through the same college where I’d done my Spanish A-Level. Lessons helped, but Italian was tricky in a way I hadn’t expected. It was close to both French and Spanish, which meant I could understand a lot, but remembering the right words was harder because my brain kept jumping between the three languages. It felt like I was always second-guessing myself.

So I found someone online to practice with, and we spoke almost every day. That’s when things started to stick. Conversations made me stop overthinking and just go with it, which helped a lot. Having proper back-and-forth chats meant I got used to the rhythm of the language in a way textbooks never quite manage.

Reaching Fluency

Between lessons and speaking practice, I got to a point where I could hold conversations without thinking too much about it. Like with Spanish, having the language meant I could get more out of films, music, and books, which only made it more enjoyable. I also made a few new friends through Italian, which gave me even more chances to use it.

Learning Italian was different from Spanish. With Spanish, everything felt new, but with Italian, it was like trying to separate out sounds and meanings I half-knew already. That made it more frustrating at times, but also more interesting. I still think it’s one of the most beautiful languages, and I’m glad I put the effort in. It’s nice to know that if I’m in Italy, I can switch into Italian and feel at home in the language.