I’ve talked about how I learned Spanish in a previous post, but today, I’m switching gears to share how I learned Italian — my third language and one of my proudest (and funniest) achievements.
To preface, I speak Spanish, Italian, and English, in addition to my native language. I learned English as a child and speak it at a native level fluency. Currently, I am studying Spanish and Italian at B1 level.
While my Spanish language learning journey was full of twists and turns, my Italian adventure was more straightforward. Or so I thought.
L’inizio (The Beginning)
My desire to learn Italian started with a dream: to travel to Italy.
I’m the kind of person who prefers to learn the language of the place they’re visiting. I hate putting the burden of understanding on the locals. I’ve always believed that as a guest, I should make the effort– not the locals.
So months before my trip, I started looking for an Italian teacher. At the time, I was already studying Spanish at A2 level with a Preply tutor, so it made sense to check there first.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t find anyone who matched my schedule or was willing to take on a total beginner like me. Some weren’t accepting students, and others were just not the right fit.
I tried Duolingo, but like my experience with learning Spanish, this app did nothing for me. It taught me vocabulary, but that’s it. None of the vocabulary I read stuck too.
It’s important to note that while I started learning Spanish with knowledge of vocabulary, I started learning Italian with literally zero knowledge of the language. And I mean zero. My Italian vocabulary was basically “pasta” and “Olive Garden”.
Finding the Right Teacher to Learn Italian Effectively
After finding no luck in Preply, I looked to another platform, which was iTalki. At first it seemed promising– I found a few instructors who were willing to teach me, but their teaching styles were unfortunately not a match for my learning style.
And then came the dreaded “speak from day one” advice.
Now, I know many teachers swear by this, but hear me out: Bullshit. (ok, that was harsh, but still, NO).
You can’t speak what you don’t know. How can I say “My name is…” if I don’t even know the Italian word for “name”?
One of the teachers I met insisted on making me say phrases in Italian that I had no clue what they meant. By the end of the trial lesson, I was so frustrated that I just responded to everything in Spanish. (He wasn’t amused. I wasn’t either.)
To make matters worse, a few teachers politely turned me down because they didn’t want to teach an absolute beginner like me. I appreciated their honesty when they told me they preferred other students at more advanced levels. I respected their honesty, but I won’t lie. It stung a little.
After months of trying, I was ready to give up. Maybe I should just visit another country? I refuse to travel to a country where I don’t have at least A1 level of language proficiency, so if I can’t learn Italian, then maybe I can try a different country instead? Or perhaps I should just stick to Spanish?
Finding ‘La Dolce Vita’– and the Right Teacher
Just as I was about to quit, I gave Preply one last shot.
That’s when I found Mirko.
Immediately, I took a liking to his approach. Unlike the other teachers, he started with the basics—the alphabet, simple words, pictures, and songs—the way you’d teach a toddler. He didn’t force me to speak Italian, unlike the other teachers.
Finally, I could breathe. And travel to Italy!
To this day, I still study with Mirko, and now we’ve become friends outside of classes. He has brought me from A0 to B1. He made it possible for me to enjoy Italy by myself and navigate cities and confusing train stations, and order my own gelato without Google Translate!
After my trip to Italy, I decided to continue learning Italian simply because I was having fun. I realized that I was able to learn another language, that I can keep going and learn more. Learning Italian made me appreciate what I’m capable of linguistically.
How Spanish Helped Me Learn Italian Faster
Although I started from zero, knowing Spanish gave me an advantage. The two languages share similar roots (Latin), and similar grammar and vocabulary, which made it easier to understand certain structures.
Having a foundation in Spanish definitely helped me move faster from A1 to A2.
Apart from formal classes, Mirko also encouraged me to watch videos/movies and listen to podcasts in Italian as a form of language immersion. Living in a non-Italian-speaking country made this tricky, but I tried to “curate” my own Italian environment at home.
Creating a Mini-Italy in My Living Room
If there’s one universal rule in language learning, it’s this: immersion matters.
Whenever I travel to a Spanish-speaking country, my proficiency in Spanish always skyrockets overnight. The same thing happened in Italy. I could ask for directions, converse with the waiters, buy, and haggle (badly) in markets.
But the moment I returned home, my Italian– poof!— started fading away like everything was a dream.
It’s not that I forgot everything, but without the environment, it’s harder to produce the language. The second I stopped hearing “Buongiorno!” on a daily basis, I stopped saying it as well.
So, I build my own mini-Italy.
I changed my Netflix audio to Italian, with English subtitles. I’d also listen to a podcast/playlist called The Essential (by Will Media in Spotify) to train my ear. During lessons, Mirko has texts for me to read to practice my reading skills.
I even bought a short storybook from Verona, with Italian on one side and English translations on the opposite page. It was helpful for me to understand “poetic” expressions and idioms.
Occasionally, Mirko would give me homework in the form of tests, like the CELIS in B1, and other grammar exercises. I liked these less compared to writing exercises that he gives me (and yes, sometimes I cheat on written tests out of sheer frustration), but I love that my learning routine feels like part of my life now.
From A0 to B1– Slow, Steady and Sweet
Overall, after roughly 3 years of studying, I can now proudly say that I can understand jokes in Italian. I can watch a movie without relying too much on subtitles and even sing along to Italian songs.
I’m still far from perfect, but I’m good enough that I understood the group of Italians gossiping behind me once in a tour bus in London– and yes, it was worth every lesson just for that moment!
Oh, and I gained an Italian friend in the process, too. None other than my beloved professor, of course.
What Learning Italian Taught Me
For all the languages I speak, people often ask: Why bother? What do you get out of it?
Financially? Nothing.
Intellectually? Something.
Emotionally? Everything.
Language learning has given me patience, perspective, and the ability to laugh in multiple languages. It’s taught me that curiosity and consistency matter more than talent.
And honestly? Life is sweeter when you can cuss in four languages.
Arrivederci!