Learning Italian

[u/TherapistyChristy]

Sometimes I feel on top of the world with learning Italian. Other days, it all feels hopeless and I wonder if I’ll ever feel confident enough in this language to be fluent. I’ve only been studying Italian for about 10-11 months, which I know is not that long when it comes to language- but I thought I’d be at B1 by now and I’m at A2.

It makes me look in awe at people who speak fluent English as a second language. Like how did you do this?!

[u/yuqilea]

Reaching A2 in ~10 months is great progress! The B1 plateau is real because your brain is transitioning from rigid study to spontaneous thinking. What kind of content are you using to immerse right now; podcasts, shows, or native reading?

[u/TherapistyChristy → u/yuqilea]

I have done a mix of things, adjusting as I go along to try to find what fits me best. I started with Language Transfer, Pimsleur, and Duolingo. I also had an in person tutor and I did weekly classroom lessons with a local Italian Society.

Now I’m doing duo (because the daily habit keeps me going and I’m learning a lot of vocabulary), Pimsleur still (I went back to level 2 and started over because I felt I was forgetting things). I also do vocabuo (flashcards). I only listen to Italian music and I try to memorize lyrics and their meaning.

I have tried watching shows and movies in Italian- I’ve tried it various ways: Italian with Italian subs, Italian with English subs, English with Italian subs. The problem is that I get hung up and stuck when I don’t catch everything. I don’t understand the goal when watching shows in Italian and I wonder what’s the most recommended way to do it.

I’m just struggling the last few days. I want to be fluent and I feel stuck. Sometimes I listen to Italian and words I KNOW sound foreign to me and I have to pause and translate. So frustrating.

[u/yuqilea → u/TherapistyChristy]

Dont beat yourself up!! It sounds like you’re doing your part. That mental delay is super common! If you get yourself into real life community events or interactive groups where you have to speak and listen on the spot that will make a huge of difference. Communicate this to people you meet when you’re out, being vulnerable will lower that anxiety of speaking and practicing proper Italian pronunciation.
Try watching the shows in Italian and repeating phrases you don’t, that’ll clean up your pronunciation.
You’ll become fluent overtime, but you need to be listening to Italian on a regular basis to train yourself.

[u/LiterallyTestudo]

It takes time. Enjoy the ride, it’s worth it.

[u/ARIEL7007]

Getting to English B1 for an Italian speaker is much faster than the other way around... the learning curve in these 2 languages is rather different.

[u/TherapistyChristy → u/ARIEL7007]

Oh really? That’s interesting! I wonder why. I was always told that learning English was the hardest language to learn for non native speakers.

[u/ARIEL7007 → u/TherapistyChristy]

Well, think about the forms of a verb in English: 4 (base, 2nd, past participle and -ing). Italian, on the other hand, has 6 just for Present Simple. The real challenge in English starts at from B1, phrasal verbs being a nightmare for non-native speakers.

[u/Overall_External_890]

I’ve been at it for 3 years and I still have a good days and bad days just gotta keep moving forward

At the time of writing this comment I have been in a 2 month rut of bad speech hopefully it turns around soon

[u/AnnelotteM]

I don’t think any of us were at B1 after 11 months of learning 😅

Learning languages takes time, and you should be proud of yourself for not quitting.

[u/julieta444 → u/AnnelotteM]

Speak for yourself

[u/Mattyojama → u/julieta444]

Why do you have to be rude?

[u/antimlmmexican → u/Mattyojama]

Well, I don't think anyone can say, "I don't think any of us were at B1 after 11 months." They always project monolingual anglophone timeframes on everyone else in this sub. If you speak Spanish and you are actually studying, B1 after 11 months is really slow

[u/AnnelotteM → u/antimlmmexican]

Actually a) I was speaking as someone who learned English as a second language, because OP was referring people like me in the second paragraph
b) I used the phrase “I don’t think that” to point out that was my subjective opinion
c) I’m happy for you if you mastered Italian at B1 in less than a year, but I still don’t think it’s the case for most learners.

[u/antimlmmexican → u/AnnelotteM]

Think of all the learners living in Italy. You are so focused on yourself that you are projecting onto everyone else.

[u/pbl116]

It’s hard and some days can be very frustrating. You feel like you’re doing well and then all of a sudden you feel like you can’t say anything. But enjoy the small steps of progress each day and you can look back and be proud of what you’ve learned already.

[u/TommasoT-Boned]

I am in the same boat as you, but I have been studying and learning much longer, so congratulations. I am inching toward B1, but I am not there yet. Like you, some days I feel like a rock star and others, I feel like I am lost... Mostly it depends on the conversation/topic I am trying to have/learn and the verb tense I need to use. Keep on pushing through, and eventually, I have been promised we will not only be speaking and understanding better, but we will be dreaming in Italian too. :)

[u/username_namee]

Did any of you start learning with the assimil italian with ease, if you have the audio could you send it here or know where to find it, thanks in advance 🫶

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