You can start to learn Italian online the minute you realize you really want to, or when circumstances really require you to. There are a lot of online sites and CD-packed tutorials that offer to teach you how to speak Italian in no time at all. Yes, these methods are useful and you will really learn but it is up to you to develop this new language into your system.
You will have to practice speaking it or you will simply forget what you learned. This is why some think it is best to learn Italian onsite – in the beautiful country itself. In Italy, you could apply the lessons to your daily conversations. Using the language will help you become more and more familiar with it, that is why you are encouraged to immerse yourself into everything Italian. Besides, when you’re in Italy and people respond back to your Italian, you will get this huge feeling of achieving something.
Quality versus quantity in learning Italian
Learning to speak 10 words by heart is much better than knowing 100 words but you are not really certain how to use them. Work on lesser words and know how to properly apply them in a conversation so you don’t struggle in making simple sentences. You will eventually know 100 and more words and phrases as you go along.
The more you practice, the better you will get
This goes hand in hand with repetition. Repeat the new words over and over again. Use them and say them out loud or silently. This will help you retain the words in your memory. In your online or tutorial sessions, you will learn some methods in sentence construction. Practice by translating some English sentences to Italian. Repeat the sentences until you are not anymore struggling for words. Soon you will be saying these sentences in Italian automatically.
Apply what you have learned
While stuck in traffic, or while walking to your destination, try to translate some short sentences in your mind. You should have a pocket dictionary for English-Italian words so you have an instant reference. Try going to an Italian restaurant and order in Italian. If you have a friend or lover who is Italian, talk to him using what you have learned.
Do not hurry it up
When you are just beginning to learn Italian, it is natural that you are speaking slowly. What is important is that you speak the words clearly so you can hear yourself talk Italian too. You shouldn’t try so hard to speak like you are an Italian. You just want Italians to understand your Italian. Do not even attempt to speak fast because you will lose the words. It will be difficult to recall all the words you’ll need to make a logical sentence. So, it pays to be patient about it and just keep it slow – until you are ready.
Listen very well to those talking Italian
When you are listening to an Italian conversation, in the movies for example, you should concentrate on listening to the complete sentences that are being delivered. Do not stop at words you don’t understand. Focus on the overall thought of the sentences. Often, you will be able to tell what is being discussed even without understanding every word in the sentences. Do not start working on the English translation until you have finished listening a whole sentences/
Since you are already trying to learn Italian online, these tips can also help you and reinforce whatever you have learned from your tutorial sessions.