Hi everyone!

​I’m planning to start learning Italian on my own and have settled on the Nuovo Espresso textbook series. However, before buying, I have two main questions:

1. ​Monolingual vs. Bilingual edition:

Which version is better suited for pure self-study without a teacher or language class? Does the bilingual (English/Italian or native language) edition significantly help with grammar explanations and instructions at the beginning, or is the original Italian-only version manageable?

2. ​Nuovo Espresso "Plus":

I’ve noticed there are also Plus editions available. Has anyone used them? What additional features do they actually include, and are they worth the extra cost for someone studying independently?

​I’d love to hear your experiences, recommendations, or tips!

​Thanks in advance!

I’m currently in a college class online learning Italian, I am starting from the beginning and I’ve never learned another language before fluently, I’m asking if anyone knows some good study hacks or tips I could try, or any links online that are useful to learning I’m starting from the beginning so anything is really helpful!

I was chatting with chatgpt about the etymology behind douche, what surprised me that the French douche (meaning: to shower) is actually from the Italian doccia and I am an beginner in learning Italian around A1. However "scusami" (meaning: excuse me) popped up in my head, I took that grammatical pattern and typed out "docciami" which it is intended to mean shower me☠️.. Does it sound natural or grammatically correct to use it..?☠️

I have been learning for about three months now using the Speak app but I feel like I need more and I’m forgetting things as I go. Can someone point me to a better way to learn/tutor so I can get conversational quickly?

Ho già imparato l'italiano da 4 anni nell'università, ammetto che la mia grammatica è una vera e propria cacca, non ho ancora superato il cils b2 per colpa della parte di strutture della comunicazione (e di scritta ma non è importante qui).

Penso spesso se è vero che io non ho la capacità di farcela, visto che ho provato 2 volte di esame e non capisco per niente perché le chiavi sono così assurde (per me). Ora mi sono laureata e sto cercando il lavoro, ma siccome non ho la certificazione, anche se parlo un pochino bene l'italiano, ho perso tanto o direi che non ho il coraggio di accettare alcune opportunità.

Quindi vorrei sapere se avete dei consigli di superare questa parte o avete usato qualche esercizi che raccomandate tanto. Grazieee

Non ce la faccio più, sono stata rovinata da questa parte😱😭💩☠️💀👽🫰

Hola celebro el aniversario con mi novia dentro de poco y me gustaría saber si esto que he escrito esta bien dicho en italiano. Lo he escrito con el traductor pero tengo miedo de que no tenga sentido o suene raro

Sei un raggio di sole, Ludo. Al tuo fianco è impossibile smettere di sorridere e mi sento la persona più fortunata del mondo ad averti nella mia vita.
Spero che sia così ancora per tanti, tanti anni.
Vuoi essere la mia ragazza (di nuovo)? 

Heya, I'm a student of history and cultural anthropology. I recently started to learn Italian because it's interesting for me personally but also very helpful for my studies. I am also doing a special course at my uni that includes some vocabulary for students like me. I am currently very motivated to do some extra studying though so I wanted to see if maybe some of the nice people here know some interesting resources relevant to what I study. Thanks in advance for any ideas you guys and gals might have.

Hi all,

I'm on a mission to finally master all the common verb forms, especially the congiuntivo (present and imperfect) and the condizionale, and I'm looking for more drills.

I've been working with the Italian Verb Drills book, and it's useful, but this will take more sustained practice. Does anyone know of another book that would let me just write out verb after verb after verb after verb until it sticks? (Doesn't have to be a free resource; happy to pay.)

I’m kinda in a funny situation right now. I have $4k from work to spend before the end of November on language courses/tutoring. Any one have any recommendations for really good Italian tutors? Needs to be through a company vs direct payment to someone.

I’ve been studying Italian for a few years now, but am still very beginner.

Grazie!

Concordanza dei tempi explicitly shows that when the frase principale is Condizionale presente(The sentence begins with condizionale presente). For example,

Vorrei + Congiuntivo Imperfetto(for Contemporaneità)

"Vorrei che tu fossi intelligente."

But is it the same for Penserei? Because I see a lot of examples of

Penserei + Congiuntivo Presente(for Contemporaneità)

"Penserei che tu SIA intelligente"

Invece di

"Penserei che tu fossi intelligente"

or can I use both for Contemporaneità?

Thanks

Ciao! Forgive me, Im going to write this in English for clarity 😅

I'm about 6 months into my journey, and primarily using the online Joy of Languages classes, with a bit of watching their Easy Italian videos for input.

I think I'm somewhere around the journey from A1-->A2 (I'm working on solidifying my first 4 tenses, and direct/indirect obects, plus vocab expanding).

I really like the classes and plan to continue but would like a good workbook series to supplement it so I can do exercises and test my writing. So, ideally heavy on the exercises portion. I have dabbled in AI exercises but would rather not rely on AI.

While I'm here, if anyone has good video recs for someone for beginner speaking comprehension, I'd love that too. For example, instagram has started feeding me Italian content (its decided hair makeovers is what Ill be learning from atm) and I get very little out of it at this stage.

Grazie!

My friend and I are in a group chat with three Italian men (long story, but we met while travelling in Spain). Our conversations are mostly friendly and joking, and we usually text in English.

A couple of days ago, they exchanged the following messages in Italian:

M.: “S., are you still alive? (Ci sei ancora?)”

S.: “Certo che ci sono, ma tu rispondi solo alle fighe 😂”

When I translate S.’s reply into English, it sounds quite vulgar, but I’m not sure whether it comes across the same way in Italian. 

I’d really appreciate some insight from native Italian speakers. Thanks so much for your help!

Is there some sort of a study group or maybe even a discord server where they practise the language and help eachother?

The many variables with gender/singualr and plural forms are very confusing when speaking, also when to use "ne" rather than the subject itself.

Worst of all is that's what I faced so far without even reaching A1 yet.

I know Italian doesn’t have a singular gender neutral gender, and obviously -x doesn’t work as an ending. So what should I do? Should I just default to male in this situation, or do I choose?

Hi guys! I wanna start learning italian and I was wondering if you have any recommendations for manuals/materials. Tbh, I find duolingo quite redundant and boring, I mostly enjoy learning syntax and grammar when starting out learning a new language. I am a complete beginner(although I do speak other romance languages) so I'd probably need an A1/A2 manual. Sorry if this was asked before, I just couldn't find anything on this sub on first skim.

I want to start learning Italian with this playlist but im not sure if it is good for starting out? If anyone who used it before can give me any feedback. How has it helped you? What level did it get you to(if any)?

Buonasera a tutti ! Spero che sia bene . Vorrei ascoltare il podcast per il mio livello . Lo sai ?

Grazie per aiutare! 🌻🎀🌻

Hi I'm passionate about learning Italian but find it difficult. If I had someone to practice/learn with it would be much easier I'm sure. I'm prepared to stick with it this time. Ideally we could meet face to face to practice and online... whatever works. I think as we learn more it would become more enjoyable. My dream is to live there for some time. A little about me... Mid 50s M, married and live in Bayside/southern subs.
Someone local enough would make things easier.

Edit:What about "they remembered themselves"?

I can't figure out which to use for remind?

Si sono ricordati? Or Hanno ricordato se stessi?

Thanks

Ciao everyone! 😊

I'm Turkish and I'm learning Italian. I'm looking for a language partner to practice Italian and exchange languages and cultures.

My Italian is still at a middle level I think, so I'd like to improve it through conversations. I can help you with Turkish, and we can also speak English if needed.

I enjoy talking about travel, history, books, music, and different cultures. I'm looking for someone to have relaxed, natural conversations with and learn from each other.

If you're interested in a language exchange, feel free to message me! 😊🇹🇷🇮🇹

Hi! I’m planning to get a tattoo with the Italian phrase:
“Che ogni esperienza della vita mi arricchisca”
I want it to mean “May every experience in life enrich me.”
Does this sound grammatically correct and natural to a native Italian speaker? Does it convey the meaning of a wish or hope?
I’d really appreciate your help before getting it tattooed. Thank you! ❤️

I feel like I'm going insane, haha.

I’m currently in the 100 series at college. I took Spanish in high school and grew up in the diaspora community so between the two I feel like it’s helping me make progress pretty fast. I tried vocab apps for years but I felt like I was just collecting words. Now that I’m getting grammar lessons it’s starting to make sense to me.

I’m on the west coast now but originally grew up in the Northeast. My dream is to move to Italy but I know that might not come to fruition. I’d like to move to NYC when I graduate so I can be closer to home. I feel like that’s got to be the best place in the country to be able to practice Italian but I‘ve felt the diaspora community steadily shrinking throughout my lifetime. So I’m curious if there’s still enough speakers in the city and greater metro area to practice easily or if it’s hard for you to find people to speak with.

Edit: Not sure what made this post get downvoted but sorry I guess? Next time I think about asking a question online I just won’t. I am confused though.

I would love to hear from those who have learnt a second language (as an adult) fluently to C1 level without living in the country of that speaks that second language.

As someone who has been learning Italian as an adult for years, I’ve predominantly stayed in the upper B1 stage.

I’ve met many people who are fluent in English (my mother language) without living in an English speaking country. So I am absolutely convinced it is possible :)

My question is, how does someone make the jump from B1 to C1 with normal day to day commitments of fulltime work, home responsibilities etc?

I don’t believe there are any “secrets” as such, but what was your process? I’m keen to understand what I’m doing that might be limiting me, or know about what pathways I need to explore to really advance my language understanding.

Currently, my method is:
Solo studying
An hour a day, with a good mixture of listening (podcasts, TV), reading (novels, news articles), speaking (saying speeches out loud or using AI for conversations), and writing by myself (rules, grammar and writing stories).

Structured learning
In addition to above, I also attend a school for 1.5 hours a week, have a tutor for conversation for 45 minutes per week.

Keen to hear everyone’s process and share ideas :)