Become fluent in Italian by mixing 3 basic routines

To become fluent in Italian, quantity, quality and fun/love are the 3 not-so-secret ingredients to use.

If you are currently struggling to learn Italian as a second, third or fourth language, I know exactly how you feel. I’m doing the same with German as my fourth language and I’m using my effective 3-ground-rule approach. This gives me the confidence that I’ll soon reach my goal.

If you’d like to become fluent in Italian, just follow my tips.

My experience as a foreign language learner

As a linguist, I am fascinated by each and every language I hear when travelling abroad. Every time I am exposed to a new one, I must confess that I am tempted to learn it. But again, as a linguist, I know that to master a language you need time, commitment and fun/love. If I don’t see those 3 elements coming together, I give up. So far I’ve only been able to find the perfect match for English, French and Spanish and I’m still working on German, not so much for lack of fun/love as for lack of quantity.

Italian is my mother tongue and, needless to say, for me it naturally implied the 3 non-secrets of quantity, quality and fun/love. It was natural for me, as it is for each of you in your own mother tongue, to master it in the early years of our life. But you can do the same with Italian as a second language if you apply these 3 ingredients recipe. If you want, I’ll be there to help you with both quantity, quality and fun.

Before discussing each of the 3 ingredients in detail, let me just say that Italian is undoubtedly a beautiful language (how could I not say that?) and that mastering it can offer you several business, career or personal benefits. If you are interested, I discussed these aspects in my dedicated post. But now back to the 3 basic rules to mix and match, or rather keep them all together, in order to master Italian.

Quantity, quality and fun/love: the 3 natural ingredients to become fluent in Italian

Quantity – Immersion Learning is the best way to learn Italian

The first rule is: “more is better”. If you want to learn Italian quickly and effectively, a full immersion is the best way. Immersion learning means surrounding yourself with the language and culture. This allows you to absorb the language naturally.

The best way to achieve 100% immersion is, unsurprisingly, to live in Italy. If this is not possible, try to organise your week so that you have at least 30 minutes of contact with the language every day. You can, of course, take an Italian language course (maximising the number of hours you can afford per week) but you can also choose different activities to do in Italian every day. You can for example join an Italian-speaking community, meet an Italian friend, use an app to improve your vocabulary, and you name it. In short, this first rule refers to the regularity and amount of time you spend with and around the language.

It is much better to expose you in smaller amounts every day than for 3 hours once a week. So remember, set a minimum time for your daily exposure to Italian and stick to it.

Quality – Interact with native Italian speakers

The second rule is: “speak and listen to native Italian speakers”. Again, being in Italy would be the best way to interact with native speakers, but you can find native Italian speakers without having to move.

There are Italians all over the world and I am sure you can easily find some close to you if you start spreading the word among your family and friends. Let them know that you are willing to practise your Italian. Italians are very welcoming people and it won’t be difficult to make new friends. You can also check if a school or university in your area offers Italian courses and talk to the Italian teacher or professor to see if they can give you some tips on where to find native Italian speakers in your area to practise the language and get to know their culture better. Interacting with native speakers will allow you to absorb the essence of the culture and master all those natural language nuances that you may not find in textbooks. This is the only way to become fluent.

Fun/love – Learn Italian by doing the activities that you enjoy the most

The third rule is: “have fun with Italian”. To learn Italian quickly and fluently, you need to add the ingredient of fun/love. Choose some of your favourite leisure activities and do them in Italian. You could watch Italian films with Italian subtitles, listen to Italian music and sing Italian songs while reading the script, or listen to Italian podcasts on your favourite subjects. Take an Italian cooking course with an Italian chef, do your gym workouts with Italian trainers, either online or in person, read Italian comics or literature if you prefer, or visit cultural sites and ask for an Italian audio guide or a tour with an Italian guide. There are endless opportunities to do fun activities in Italian, both in person and online. Just choose the ones you love because by making learning more fun, you’ll learn more and faster.

Conclusion

You can master Italian by immersing yourself in it, choosing an Italian tutor to help you refine your Italian skills, practising with native speakers and incorporating fun activities into your learning. These are the 3 basic rules to follow.

Start your Italian improvement journey today! Contact me if you need more tips or if you want me to be your tutor.

I can help you master my mother tongue!