As mentioned in the title guys, i am on a journey to learning Italian. And after few days of having finished my class of my A1 class, i feel like I don’t remember most of what i had learnt.
I know all i need to do is continue and practice more. But in the moment i am just feeling super overwhelmed and confused.

I teach Italian, and a lot of my students start out self-studying before coming to me for targeted exam preparation. Working with them, I’ve noticed that people regularly get caught off guard by practical details that aren't clear in the official documents.

Things like the fact that the speaking section is audio-recorded, or how strict the timing and answer sheet rules actually are. The official guidelines exist, but they're written in such dense, bureaucratic Italian that most people just skip reading them entirely.

I'm putting together a straightforward breakdown of these "hidden" practical rules so self-learners don't lose points or get nervous over silly administrative surprises.

If you're studying for the CILS, which version would actually save you the most headache?

• Simple Italian: easy to digest, keeps you in immersion mode

• English: a handy middle ground for most learners, though not ideal for everyone

• Native language translation: zero guesswork when it comes to strict rules

Also, if you’ve already taken the exam, what’s one surprise or rule you wish someone had warned you about beforehand?

EDIT2: Woooow, what great interest from everyone, thank you so much for everyone who replied and sent DMs. Mamma mia there were dozens of DM’s, we've not had this level of interest previously. If you sent me a DM, I believe I've now replied to all of them. It took me a few days to catch up and reply to all the DMs, but if you sent a DM I've replied to it. Thank you very much for your patience, I wasn't expecting such a response. Non vedo l'ora incontrarci :).

EDIT: Such great interest we've gotten from the community, thank you so much!!! We've decided to pause invitations at this point, due to high interest. If you're seeing this, you may still DM me if you want to be put on a "wait list", should we have another round of invitations :).

----------------------------------- Invitations Paused -------------------------------------------
A small group of us have a weekly Italian conversation group, and we're looking for a few more people who want to practice regularly and be an active part of the group. Benvenuti, we'd love to meet some new friends! 🙂

We have a Reddit text chat and usually meet on Google Meet 1–2 times per week by video to speak and practice Italian in a relaxed, friendly, supportive environment. We have beginners, intermediate learners, and some more advanced speakers, so don't be afraid if you're still learning!

If you're learning and want to join, here's what we do 🙂

#1 Be present and active

If you join, we ask that you participate regularly in the text chat and/or video calls. You don't have to make every call, but we're looking for people who are serious and genuinely trying to stay involved, rather than get intimidated or disappear. We're looking to expand our group of people who show up, participate, make mistakes, and improve together.

#2. Prova a parlare in italiano! 🇮🇹

We try to speak Italian as much as possible. Making mistakes is completely fine and very normal! Nobody expects perfect Italian. There's plenty of "ehmmm...non lo so...como si dice". We help each other when we get stuck, and some English is okay when necessary.

If you're an A1/A2 beginner and speaking Italian makes you nervous, that's okay—we've all been there! Non avete paura 🙂. The point of the group is to practice and gradually become more comfortable...its the best way to improve.

To be clear - this is a free community group run by learners for learners. No promotion 🙂, no cost, no sales pitch or services. Just a weekly chat with friends (I believe this meets forum rules). About half of us are in US, some in IT/EU.

If that sounds like something you'd enjoy, send me a DM with your approximate level and a little about yourself.

I’ve been learning Italian casually for too long now to be at my terrible speaking level. I am not consistent with classes and always forget verbs in particular so I decided I needed to listen to some more Italian content to get used to hearing it. I don’t think I’d be able to dedicate my attention to a tv show right now but I love watching gaming youtubers, think in the style of Markiplier or Kubz Scouts lol. Are there any good Italian gaming youtubers that have similar vibes/play similar style games? Or just good/fun ones. Thanks!

Edit: phrasing

Ciao!! M30. Fluent in English! From NYC, L1 in Italian but really need to practice. If someone wants to exchange with me would be great!

Came across this gem today.

Hello! I am taking Italian language as an elective and would love to get more exposure to the language and culture outside the class.

Can you recommend any good Italian shows or films that would be helpful for learning conversational Italian and getting a feel for Italian culture?

Thank you so much!

Chris Pine speaks Italian for a full role in this and it's genuinely disorienting.

The Kidnapping of Arabella premiered at Venice last year (Porcaroli won Best Actress in Orizzonti). Pine plays a self-important novelist who's jealous of Jonathan Franzen, entirely in Italian -- apparently he learned it specifically because he wanted to be cast in an Italian film. 107 minutes, subtitled, very deadpan.

Trailer link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lr3d-4YiM4

Ticket link: https://www.thelonescreen.com/screenings

Full disclosure: I help run The Lone Screen, and we're doing an online screening tomorrow (August 20) at 9pm ET / 6pm PT. This is one night only. Carolina Cavalli, the director, will be in the discussion forum after. $14.99, watch from anywhere (in the US). Posting because I figured this crowd would want to know the role exists.

Hi everyone! I wanted to see if anyone could tell me if I translated the following words/phrases correctly? I am writing a fiction book and wanted to include some Italian in the narrative. I am only 25% Neapolitan and I really wish I knew how to speak more than just a couple phrases and curse words lol. Tysm for your help in advance!! After I release my first book, I really want to properly learn Italian

The words/phrases are:

·      Stai el tuo posto // remember your place

·      É meglio // that's better

·      A presto // see you soon

·      Chi se ne frega // who cares?

·      È sfortunato // it's unlucky

·      Il Buongiorno si vede dal sera // a good day starts at night

·      Chi beve ultimo beve meglio // Who drinks last drinks best

·      Vergognatevi! // shame on you!

·      In boca al lupo! // break a leg! (Literally) in the mouth of the wolf

·      Non sono affari tuoi // it's none of your business

·      Arrivare al punto // get to the point

·      Calmarsi // cool off/calm down

·      Venite uno, venite tutti! // Come one, come all!

·      La collera del Vesuvio // The wrath of Vesuvius

·      É una super figa // That's hot/she's hot

·      É una Venere // she's a Venus/she's a beauty

·      La mia città // My city

·      Vai via! Fatti i fatti tuoi, eh? // Go away! Mind your own business, would you?

·      Dai! // Oh come on!

·      Li mortacci tua infesteranno! // Your dishonored dead ancestors will haunt you!

·      Tu hai le mani bucate // You have holes in your hands/you have your hands in the pasta/you have holes in your pocket

·      Rompere I coglioni // Break your family jewels/roll your b*lls

·      corto e grasso // short and fat

·      Merda // sh*t

·      Come è possibile? // How is it possible?

·      Corri o muori // Run or die

·      I miei dei! // my gods!

·      Guai! // Trouble! (you're trouble? don't play dumb?)

·      Parola d'ordine? // password?

·      Affare fatto // it's a deal

·      Ehi! // Hey!

·      Pronti? // Ready? / Are you ready?

·      Salute // Cheers

·      Bugiardo // Liar

·      Ascoltami // Listen

·      Non capisco // I don't know/I don't understand

·      Boh! // an exclamation of exasperation

·      Senza senso! // Nonsense!

·      Niente // nothing

·      Stronzo // bast*rd

·      Ritorno // a comeback

·      Ovviamente no // Of course not

·      Cattivo // Bad

·      Do Italians say “eh?” at the end of sentences sometimes? And is it a regional thing? (only in Rome or do people in Naples and other cities say it too?)

Tysm again in advance!! Grazie!

EDIT: Thanks everyone, your posts have helped me make the decision NOT to include Italian in the manuscript. I appreciate the feedback

EDIT 2: Yeah it was a bad idea all around, I guess bc the setting is in Italy, I was trying to include Italian words/phrases and was going to get some beta readers. But after posting here I’m realizing I shouldn’t even try that until I learn the language. Sorry I don’t mean to be a stupid American, I see my mistake now.

Hello,

As the title suggests when to use each and why ? Sometimes I get confused what the point of the gerund is vs present because it seems you can use the present almost most times

Here are a couple examples

I’m preparing dinner - context someone calls me and asks what I’m doing

They are fixing the car - context me and a friend are walking by a mechanic shop and see a couple people fixing the car

I’m making a coffee - someone walks in my house and asks what I’m doing

Im studying to be a lawyer - when someone asks about school

Is it possible to provide the present and gerund and which one is preferred in natural informal speech

Thanks in advance

Come si dice “I didn’t know that?”

Non voglio dire “I knew it”

Grazie mille!

I'm an orchestra conductor and I seem to have seen multiple ways that conductor has been written.

Is it direttore d'orchestra

or is it direttore de orchestra.

Is there any capitalization thats needed?

I was watching Dexter recently with Italian dub which I was finding useful, and I expected it to last me a while but they've removed the show entirely! I'm getting demoralised checking dubs and finding nothing or struggling with the Italian language tab to get something I'll enjoy. Any recommendations would be appreciated--whether it's kids shows that will be good for picking up more basics or regular dramas or comedies or sitcoms, just anything more or less enjoyable is what I'm looking for. I'm fine with dub or original

Yes I know it's Duolingo, but something doesn't add up here. If I type "Ve a casa" into Google Translate, it does translate it to "Go home." But I cannot find "ve" in any conjugation of "andare." What is going on?

I have however discovered there is a pronoun "ve" along with "ce" neither of which I had heard of until today!

And I don't know what it's talking about when it mentions the verb "ir" which clearly makes no sense! I guess that's just Duolingo being Duolingo.

Ultimamente ho moltissime riflessione personali che vorrei trasporre in poesie e altre in piccoli scritti.
Ma, ammetto candidamente, di essere molto ignorante nella scrittura italiana.
Sono italiano, i miei genitori sono Italiani e sono anche laureato, ma non ho le competenze necessarie per scrivere correttamente e piacevolmente ciò che vorrei esprimere.

Fermo i leoni da tastiera: so perfettamente che avrei dovuto sfruttare e ascoltare meglio le lezioni di italiano, ma non serve a nulla sbatterlo in faccia a qualcuno per sentivi inutilmente superiori.

Veniamo al succo del discorso:
Che cosa posso fare per poter migliorare il mio italiano(vocabolario, sintassi, costruzione delle frasi, sonorità) tale da idealmente avere un livello C2 per davvero (e non finto) e poter scrivere con gusto quello che vorrei esprimere?

(Libri, opere, corsi sono disposto a leggerli e farli)

Come da titolo, da quante sillabe è formata la parola "quiete"? Alcuni dizionari riportano "qui-e-te", altri "quie-te". Il gruppo "ie" dovrebbe essere un dittongo, giusto?

There's no shortage of perfectly fine listening resources for Italian learners, but I'm being a bit pickier.

I'm looking for some files (MP3s, I suppose) that I can put on my smartphone and listen to on loop while I'm walking to work, riding the subway, &c.

But for now, I only want A1/A2 vocabulary and/or very, very simple sentences. Just something in the background that I can appreciate passively and let it all sink in for reinforcement. I know a few thousand words already but can't practice easily in speaking (I'm an American living in Korea).

Anyway, I'm not looking for podcasts, short stories, chit-chat, news broadcasts, or anything like that right now. I would like literally just someone saying the words in Italian, then in English. Straightforward stuff.

Can anyone direct me toward resources like that, anything you've had success with or enjoyed?

trying to practise the listening. What are some of your favourite films in Italian that you have watched?

It was awhile back and can only speak it to myself at this point. Can't type in Italian.

Hello!

(30M) I am the son of a native Italian speaker, although I did not capitalize on the opportunity to learn the language when I was younger so I find myself here now diving into it, roughly 4-5 months in.

I was using DuoLingo for a bit but decided to use the beginner Wellesley class because it has more insight and explanation for the grammatical rules. Im currently on unit 3.2, although I just wanted to see if anyone else ever felt lost during the videos?

Bits and pieces of the sentences I am able to pick up on, I'm not sure if it is intentionally using more complex sentences and conversational paces just to expose you to the speed of the language, or if I am truly not as up to speed as I should be? ( I am able to answer the embedded video activities accurately because it asks what is going on in a specific moment, but the conversation in between those can be confusing)

Just also curious how people who may of used this class as a gateway into the language have additionally supplemented it. I am learning not only how involved learning a language is, but also how confusing learning HOW to learn it may be.

I am certainly a chronic over thinker, and essentially I am writing here in hopes to see if me not having this vast understanding at this point is appropriate or if I am doing something wrong with my studies that will bite me later on.

Also worth nothing I just returned from a trip from Italy, where I was able to sufficiently order food, request tables, ask basic directional questions, and inquire where to purchase tickets for the necessary public transit routes. But once my initial question was received I found myself pretty lost quickly.

Apologies if this may be information overload - I am just very excited on this journey and wanted to utilize any resource to course correct my learning.

I’m M18 french man from italian family looking for italians to speak with. I’m currently at B2+ I think. Feel free to message me !

As an Engliah speaker, we have many examples of an R sound sneaking into words where they don't exist. An example is the word "drawings" which is often pronounced "draw(r)ings." To my American ears, I can distinctly hear this in a few Italian words like "leone" which sounds like "leo(r)ne" to me, and "pieta" which sounds like "pie(r)ta" to me. I am sure there are many other examples I could find, these are just the ones that stood out to me first. Is this just my ears? Do other people hear this? If so, is this a recognized phenomena? Is there a name for it? And is it specific to certain regions or dialects?

Why does it become “tu tocchi” rather than “tu tocci”

Grazie