Introduction:
Italian or lingua italiana ˈliŋɡwa itaˈljaːna is a Romance language of the Indo-European language family. Italian is, by most measures, and together with Sardinian, the closest language to Latin, from which it descends via Vulgar Latin.
Italian is an official language in Italy, Switzerland (Ticino and the Grisons), San Marino, and Vatican City.
Italian is also spoken by large expatriate communities in the Americas and Australia.
It is the second most widely spoken native language in the European Union with 67 million speakers 15% of the EU population and it is spoken as a second language by 13.4 million EU citizens (3%). Including Italian speakers in non-EU European countries such as Switzerland, Albania, and the United Kingdom, and on other continents, the total number of speakers is approximately 85 million.
During the Middle Ages, the established written language in Europe was Latin, though the great majority of people were illiterate, and only a handful was well versed in the language. In the Italian peninsula, as in most of Europe, most would instead speak a local vernacular. These dialects, as they are commonly referred to, evolved from Vulgar Latin over the course of centuries, unaffected by formal standards and teachings.
Top resources for learning Italian
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Multibhashi
Multibhashi is an online learning platform to learn languages effectively and effortlessly. The platform is popular in India even in other countries too. Multibhashi mainly focuses on teaching languages and does a good job providing its users with all the requirements needed to learn in a decent way. Once you enroll with it. your sessions will get scheduled with the professional trainer of the Italian language and then you can easily learn the language quickly. Though it offers a series of one-on-one sessions too. Multibhashi has other courses as well.
So, if you want to learn Italian in a logical, simple, and easy way you might want to pick Multibhashi.
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Rocket Italian
Rocket Italian has been around for well over a decade, is highly popular (for good reason) and it’s always been one of the top recommendations on this blog. Of all the Italian course options here, Rocket Italian definitely suits the structured learner most as it’s designed to be followed in a linear progression.
But the good news is you’re not obligated to follow their path and you can skip lessons if you want to.
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ItalianPod101
ItalianPod101 is an app that uses its teachers to provide lessons to students. While ItalianPod101 claims to provide its teachers with a basic roadmap as to what sorts of lessons to teach students, many students complain that the lessons feel messy and unstructured.
One of the last things someone new to a language wants is to utilize a program that is difficult to follow. Learning a new language is hard enough, and users want programs that simplify the process rather than complicate it.
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Italki
Similar to Wyzant, italki’s a facilitator which connects interested learners with teachers, tutors, and partners. As with similar services, neither provide curriculum or content to instructors.
What Italki has going for it is its extremely well-vetted instructors. Italki has a large reputation online as being as good of a service as a structured learning program, and for good reason.
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Italian uncovered
Italian Uncovered is a course more fluent Italian speakers will likely benefit from the most. Rather than provide modules or lessons, this course gives users long blocks of story-based texts to learn from.
If you’ve got a higher-level grasp of Italian and want to test your reading skills using some interesting material, you’ll definitely enjoy what Italian Uncovered has to offer you.
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Italy made easy
Italy Made Easy is the brainchild of guru Manu. Manu produces lessons for the website catering to all levels of Italian learners, from beginner to expert. The lessons provided by Italy Made Easy are phenomenal, and their high quality cannot be disputed
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Mondly
Mondly takes a different approach than module-based learning systems. Rather, this service offers learners the opportunity to learn Italian by playing games.
Using cutting-edge technology, users can choose between VR, Virtual Reality, and AR, Augmented Reality, options in order to fully immerse themselves in a world learning Italian.
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Rosetta Stone
Rosetta Stone is one of the biggest names in the language learning business. Its longevity and brand recognition make it one of the go-to’s for those looking to learn a foreign language.
However, Rosetta Stone crafts the modules for each language learning course very differently. One’s experience learning another language with their software, say, French, does not equate to their experience learning Italian.
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Edx
edX functions like a classroom, offering courses covering pronunciation, spelling, grammar, and vocabulary. edX is best suited to those looking for a traditional language learning experience that mimics a condensed college course. If this structure is what you are looking for, this is the best online Italian course for you.
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Infinite Italian
Another app that gamifies the Italian learning process, Infinite Italian is one of the better choices out there. The app is great for visual learners, and users will only see and hear Italian when interacting with the app.
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Mosalingua
Mosalingua is a great app for any level of Italian learners, from beginner to advanced. This app ensures users are repeatedly exposed to content, which has been proven to be the best way to interact with and learn a language.
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Babbel
Babbel is a great program for those just beginning to learn Italian. This is a web/app-based program. Starting with basic grammar and vocabulary, if you are approaching the language without any prior base of knowledge, this is likely a great program option for you.
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Duolingo
Students are often divided when it comes to this big name in language learning. When it comes down to it, the app is great for providing a base for those completely unfamiliar with Italian.
To learn new vocabulary, Duolingo is really not bad at all. However, users will often argue that Duolingo promotes fluency. Whether one can truly become fluent from Duolingo’s lessons is dubious.
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Bravolol
Bravolol is an app designed to help travelers quickly hear and utilize common Italian phrases. The app gives users phrases from the beak of a parrot, quite literally requesting users parrot their provided pronunciation.
