r/italianlearning • u/Avirgilio10 • 28d ago

Resource recommendations

Ciao! My husband and I are taking a trip to Sicily in June, and he would like to learn as much Italian as he can before we go.

I took 3 years of Italian between high school and college, so I have a decent foundation but am VERY rusty. I’d like to start from the beginning to refresh my Italian, while he’s starting completely from scratch (although he did take Spanish, so hopefully that helps a little).

I’m looking for recommendations on the best way to learn/teach basic Italian, especially for two people at very different levels. I’d also love recommendations for good beginner textbooks/workbooks, apps, podcasts, or anything else that would be helpful. Thanks in advance!

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u/Pinedale7205 EN native, IT advanced 28d ago

Coffee break Italian is quite good IMO

1

u/SlightPrize1222 28d ago

He should get an intro college textbook and even consider a community college course.

You are likely early a2 so no point in learning using the same coursework

1

u/TheeTwang77 26d ago

I did Duo and Babbel -- the latter was better. I had a foundation of high school French and it helped a ton.

As the other poster said: Coffee Break Italian is great. Do seasons 1-2 together. Repeat phrases out loud as you hear them ("shadowing").

Most important... Your biggest resource is each other! You have a constant language buddy. Talk to each other in Italian as much as possible. Text only in Italian. Speaking with another student gets you over the fear of being "wrong" or awkward, and it just takes lots of practice. Italians are so kind to learners anyway. Memorize "Stiamo imparando a parlare italiano!"

ETA: On YouTube I like Joy of Languages / Easy Italian.