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.

1. Immerse yourself

It’s almost impossible to learn a new language, or at least to learn it rapidly, unless you begin thinking in that language. But how do you think in a new language you can’t yet speak?

 

Ingratiate yourself with the community and you’re halfway there! 

 

The answer is to simply immerse yourself in it. Traveling in a foreign country allows you to continuously hear the sounds, rhythms, and inflections of a new language–spoken on the streets, in buses, on television, etc. Your brain will already start to process and interpret a new language.

 

2. Forget translating: think like a baby!

How do babies learn a language? Through imitation, repetition of sounds, and above all, by not being shy or self-conscious.

 

So what if your pronunciation is a little off, or you can’t remember the proper conjugation? Just start talking, even if it seems like babbling. Resisting the urge to translate everything into your native language can be the single fastest shortcut to fluency.

 

Rather than walking up to the restaurant or giving your host family a pre-memorized phrase for what you’re going to order, simply listen to how the locals order their food, and then imitate them as best you can. The same goes for greetings, small talk, etc. Watch their facial expressions as they say the words; study how they move their mouths.

 

Copy these expressions and sounds just like a baby would. Whether you understand what they mean exactly or not, eventually you will begin simply calling upon these sounds/phrases/words in appropriate situations. They’ll appear, as if by magic. This is the gateway to thinking in a new language.

 

3. How do you say?

Besides common greetings, the one phrase you should memorize and always have at the ready is the phrase “How do you say that / what is that called?”

 

By being an inquisitive traveler, one who is always asking questions, you befriend the local people. You’ll find that over time they’ll open up to you, making it easier to initiate conversations. These daily interactions with the locals are your best teachers: set a daily goal for yourself of having X number of conversations each day–asking people about things you’re interested in, but don’t know the words for. Even if you can’t finish the conversation, you’re on the way.

 

4. Write it

 After having conversations, jot down the things you remembered hearing but didn’t quite understand.

 

Then go back and use your dictionary. Look up the words, piece the conversation back together in your mind. Then, next time you have a conversation, use what you learned.

Besides helping me focus, they also became handy reference guides

 

5. Local TV, music, movies 

Watch movies, listen to music, sing songs, and browse newspapers and magazines. It’s fun and helps improve your pronunciation and comprehension.

 

I often stumble when trying to read Italian script. But by watching Italian music videos and following the lyrics, I learned many new characters and also began pronouncing words more accurately.

 

6. A world of friends / then going solo.

While individual classes can be highly beneficial for unsurpassed attention, group classes with friends can greatly aid learning. Having a friend to practice with helps you get better, and you can also learn from the different mistakes different people make.

 

On the other hand, venturing out solo in a foreign country forces you to speak with local people–say the person riding next to you on the bus, or standing in line at the market. It also prevents you from relying on a friend with stronger language skills to do the talking for you in key exchanges such as asking for directions or buying food.

Last and actually most important! Make friends with Italian people. Some of them may also be interested in your culture and language and may want to talk to you as well. Don’t be shy, but don’t be obnoxious either. People in Italy don’t usually like being accosted by foreigners to practice on, so just be respectful and you should be fine. That’s why friends are the way to go.