Do you know that some words have two different meanings when it is pronounced a certain way? That’s true which is why when you want to learn Italian, you have to learn how to say it properly to avoid insulting or offending someone.
In order you to learn Italian, the first thing you have to do is spend some time tuning your ears to its sounds and rhythms. You can do this by turning your radio or television to an Italian broadcast, watching movies and listening to native speakers in your neighborhood.
When you are listening to it, don’t be surprised if you do not understand anything at all. Gradually, you will be able to pick up some familiar sounds and rhythm which you will soon be able to say when you finally begin to learn the language.
For that you will have to get material that will help you learn the Italian language that may come from text books, audio books, CD’s and DVD’s. Since you don’t know if what you are saying is correct, try to get someone in the neighborhood who speaks fluently in Italian to listen to you. If you are being corrected, just take it as positive criticism.
Better yet, enroll in an Italian language course. You can find this at the local college or online. Once you get the hang of things, you need to map the sounds to the written form of the language. The good news is that this is pretty straightforward for the Italian language similar to German and Spanish. Another way you can practice pronunciation is by coming up with a song, a poem, a story or a joke.
It is only after learning proper pronunciation that you can begin to learn Italian vocabulary. A lot of experts say that this is the most challenging and time consuming part when you are learning any language so just practice regularly and be patient.
The best way to do that is to associate words from that language to something that you are familiar with. From there, you should just test yourself at regular intervals so these will stay in your head. If you having a hard time remembering those words, try using flashcards.
Apart from listening, a great way to develop both pronunciation and vocabulary is to read books, comics, magazines and newspapers. You don’t have to read it from cover to cover so just focus on topics that you find interesting.
When you are reading, try to say the words and have an idea what it means. To be sure, check this in the dictionary.
Another text you can use is called a dual language book similar to a dictionary that can translate a word from one language to the other. The difference here is that you see both texts on the same page or you have the original in one page with the translated form in the other.
Again, you just have to practice saying it so you are able to get it right. If you need help, don’t be afraid to ask because there are people and language centers around that are more than willing to help so you will be able to speak Italian or any other language you wish to learn.