We asked our  2 favourite Abruzzesi Italian teachers, Claudia in Pescara and Daniela in L’Aquila the best way to study online and in Abruzzo.  Both run online courses via Zoom and Italian language courses in Abruzzo for foreign students in the summer!

Teachers Tips To Learn Italian

• Start learning Italian before moving to Italy or having a holiday, it will make you feel more confident and less anxious when you are here.  If your first language is not a Romance language it is much easier to grasp ahead of time and to familiarise yourself with words having a gender and that verbs conjugate!   A little motivation, self-discipline and motivation go a long way in making friends easily when you arrive!

• The best way to learn Italian is with a native  Italian teacher whose mother tongue is Italian!  This way your ear will get used to authentic pronunciation from the region you intend to visit, and you will also really get to know the local culture, society and the traditions of the region ad country.  Of course, they’ll introduce you to ‘la bella figura’, the Italian way of relating to others so you’ll never put your foot in it!

• Find yourself the right Italian teacher.  Learning has to be a pleasure whether it is grammar, phonetic, lexique!  Have a chat with your teacher before booking to make sure you feel relaxed and feel that they can create an enjoyable atmosphere to make you feel comfortable.  Look for a teacher who can put themselves aside to give you space, tranquillity, time to practice and make lots of mistakes!

• Don’t be afraid to make mistakes! It may make you feel uncomfortable but making mistakes is natural and an absolutely necessary phase in the learning process! Without attempts and errors, there is no progress. Fear of making mistakes will mean that you will miss out on the many opportunities to communicate with locals who are generally very friendly and love to chat and are really appreciative of you trying to learn their language!

When you are in a restaurant eating arrosticini or at the market to buy fruit and vegetables, attacca bottone (strike up a conversation) with local people! You will hear many funny, moving and interesting stories about Abruzzo and its traditions that it would be a shame to miss!  And if they start talking quickly, just say Piano piano, per favore! (Slowly, please!) or Non ho capito, potresti ripetere? (I don’t understand, could you repeat?).

• Listen to Italian at home so that you get used to the sound and rhythm of the language through immersion before you arrive.  There are some excellent resources: –  Word of the Week, Italian TV, News in Slow Italian, Repubblica Newspaper or Video, Radio 3, Italian FM.

• Practice speaking even alone at home, every moment is an opportunity to practice! Pick up an object, name it and describe it in Italian.  It’s an easy way to memorise words.

Book a course to learn Italian in Abruzzo or online via the Life In Abruzzo Marketplace >

Author: Sam Dunham

Sam is a very lucky midlife 'mamma' to A who is 13 and juggles working as a freelance SEO copywriter & teaches IGCSEs at Istituo Cristo Re in Rome. She is the founder of the Life In Abruzzo Cultural Association, co-founder of Let's Blog Abruzzo and 'English in the Woods' initiative.