How I Would Learn Italian if I Could Start Over

If I could start over and learn Italian again, here's the language-learning advice I would give myself. Do you want to learn a new language but know where to start? Before you create a study plan, here's some advice I would give to someone starting to learn a new language. These are some language learning tips that I wish I knew in the beginning of learning Italian, but they can be helpful for learning any new language. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
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[@rachelgregory888]

I found an Italian pen pal (email correspondence), which has been really useful. He writes in English which I correct, and I write in Italian and he corrects it. After 3 years I've noticed a real improvement and it comes quite easily to me now. Obviously the language is informal, talking about daily life, but it's been so helpful!

[@SheaJordan]

Wow that’s awesome, I love that!

[@iremspor]

how did you find them

[@timschuiling5355]

​@@SheaJordanv

[@katerinapavlou1586]

Pen pal sounds great!

[@lukegomersall9941]

Sadly writing is one thing, fluent conversation back n forth is quite another. I live in Italy 3 months a year and still find it challenging, the more you use it through easier it gets, depends on regions too.

[@madisonharrill1935]

I think accepting that I will learn at my own pace and not to compare my progress to others has been a truly helpful mindset for me

[@SheaJordan]

So true! It’s so hard not to compare 😓

[@user-li4pj5zk1q]

I absolutely agree about reading aloud. It's just really helpful!! someday, when I was actively learning English I just tried to read aloud some text for fan and after some practice I mentioned that my proposition was better than before, of course. I did this every time, when I could, because it was adorable for me and now everyone around me gives me compliments about my pronunciation. so, yea, thank you so much, it's really works with every language

[@robertarnold6192]

As someone who started learning Italian recently and learned German years ago, I think this is solid advice that applies to learning any language.

[@SheaJordan]

Thank you, I'm glad you thought it was a helpful video :)

[@annamariachurchman5244]

This is very helpful information! Thank you 😊 I'm learning right now, trip planned to see my family in Sicily next year! I'm impressed with how well you speak Italian, proud of you! Thanks for your videos!

[@SheaJordan]

I'm glad to hear you found it helpful! That trip to Sicily will be awesome, I love it there! Hope you have a great time!

[@jenns5274]

Just started the journey of learning Italian. Thank you so much for this video! Very helpful and relatable.

[@SheaJordan]

So happy to hear that! Best of luck!

[@bellarose.555]

I have been learning Italian for a year now, and I agree with ALL of your tips. i had been self-taught by finding different apps, KZbin channels, Netflix shows, listening to podcasts, spending a month in Italy, and getting Italian books. now, I do Italian tutoring every week and will finally start doing classes in spring! :) the methods you discussed are how my understanding, pronunciation, and ability to construct sentences improved a ton!! great video

[@dol4507]

Hi! which books in italian do you recommend for a beginner? I dont know where to start

[@michelleneuman579]

How do you do Italian tutoring?

[@bellarose.555]

sorry, i just saw this! short stories in italian is a really good one! i also have il mistero della casa, but i haven’t read it yet. there’s lots of news websites and short stories you can find online as well!

[@bellarose.555]

i do that through my university, so i’m not sure how others do it! if you’re doing university, you should ask your italian department if there’s student tutoring!

[@victoriaxo.]

what netflix shows and youtube channels would you recommend?

[@bahanbayan9696]

About the writing tip, one notebook at a time would be enough. I’m starting Italian, which means ım a beginner, but through my Japanese and German learning processes I just had one notebook, wrote there grammar,vocab and stuff, and whenever I needed to revise or just wanted to revise everything ı learned back then I’ll just read my notes which I summarized in my own words. (btw I think revision is rlly important when learning anything new, so rereading my notes and revising them helps a LOT)also notebooks become something like a tracker to see what you have learned, so I rlly like them!I hope this helped!

[@katerinapavlou1586]

Thank you for sharing your cool tips! I really appreciate it. I am trying to pick up a 4th language. But this will be the first language I am trying to learn by myself.

[@SheaJordan]

Thats, great! Best of luck!

[@caleidoscopiopalabraycanci8798]

Already shared your video to my students. They need someone else to tell them these great tips some of us also address. Grazie tante. Super useful

[@SheaJordan]

Awesome! Thank you so much!

[@bellaferylis4187]

Thank you for sharing your cool tips! I really appreciate it 💜 I would love to try lingopie :)

[@SheaJordan]

Thank you for watching! Hope you enjoy lingopie!

[@Avokado123]

Love the Video! And I really recommend using a journal. I am writing in 4 different languages in my journal and it's really fun to go through the pages.

[@SheaJordan]

Yeah it’s really helpful! 😊

[@laurajohnson3941]

Thanks

[@David-jb5dv]

Very useful thanks

[@SheaJordan]

Thank you!

[@eustaquiozambrano2974]

Thanks a bunch for sharing. Have a good Night from Madrid spain. ☺ 👍

[@SheaJordan]

Thanks for watching from Madrid!

[@beabelo82]

just got converted by lingopie haha gonna try it, excited for that, completely agree with what you said about getting yourself exposed w/ natives that's how I learned spanish actually faster than I expected

[@SheaJordan]

Yay! I’m so happy to hear that, hope you enjoy!

[@francislee5918]

mercy! Came for Italian know-how and stayed through the end thanks to your eyes haha! Cheers for the lucky guy :) Sure you'll reach 100-200k subs in no time..thanks for the suggestions! Seriously trying to ditch Duolingo as "la donna mangia la mela" through unit 7 certainly won't do it, thinking of Lingopie but wondering if I can add it on my tv as an app instead of just my PC. Great details and vid!

[@SheaJordan]

Hahah thank you! Yeah...I don't really recommend Duolingo, it won't get you far. Using immersion like watching KZbin and shows was and still is super helpful for me. Lingopie is a great option, but I'm not sure you can add it to a TV? Haha I could talk to them and see if that's possible or a feature in the works 🤔😉 You could also try Language Reactor for when you watch KZbin videos. It's not exactly the same and can be a little clunky, but will at least give you dual subtitles!

[@lucider9049]

Tysm! Looking forward to the next video 〜♡

[@SheaJordan]

Thanks for watching! I post a video every Friday 😊✨

[@thedavidguy01]

I would emphasize what you said about not trying to be perfect. I think perfectionism may be the single biggest hindrance to language learning, at least to speaking a language. It certainly hindered me when I was learning French. I eventually got over my perfectionism, but, unfortunately, now that I’m at an advanced level it’s back because I expect to be perfect. And even if you’re at a C1 level you will make mistakes.

[@SheaJordan]

Exactly! It really holds me back. I think it really is harder once you get to a more advanced level

[@Leora_may]

Half of my family is Italian so I really want to learn I hope I can!

[@SheaJordan]

Yes that would be awesome!

[@mikeo.4203]

Unless you’re being tested on something I almost say notebooks would be a waste of time. I think reading as much as possible is a much more useful way to spend your time. I personally read as much as possible not just Italian but books about the culture of using words for instance buongiorno is used until 4pm. Duolingo is a good start I believe too. It also helps to have visited the country for two months. You’ll feel more invested in wanting to learn that language. That being said excited to try lingopie!

[@kimcongello4534]

Hi. What do you put in your journal that you mention at the end of the video? Can you recommend any low level books (Childrens) that have English and Italian translation? Thank you so much this is so helpful.

[@tatielaine2]

I’ve been learning Italian for a little while, and had started watching Baby - but trying to learn at the same time was just a struggle for me. As soon as you said lingopie had a Netflix extension, l exited the video and downloaded it. 😂 Grazie!

[@SheaJordan]

Yay! I’m glad! Hope you enjoy it 🙏🏼💕

[@hyunjineeeeee]

I started learning Italian to communicate better with my girlfriend, I find it so similar to English Which makes it much easier, I hope I can learn it as soon as possible🥹❤️

[@SheaJordan]

That's great! Good luck with your studying!

[@marcofialho5325]

Because it is the most beautiful language of the World!

[@tommanion3190]

Grazie Shea per questo video. In referenza alla padronanza della lingua, la cosa che mi manca piu' che altro, e' la possibilita' di parlare la lingua ogni giorno. L'altro ieri ho sentito un ragazzo Americano dire, ".. at night the dars". Il padre gli ha chiesto, le cose? Ed il bambino ha detto "the dars when it's dark". Il padre ha indovinato che lui voleva dire "stars", e poi ha gentilmente ripronunciato la parola, Stars, S, St, Stars, ed il giovanotto incominciava a pronunciare la parola non perfettamente, ma meglio di prima. Noi che ci troviamo fuori il paese, abbiamo una strada difficile di seguire, dal momento che parliamo la lingua forse 2 volte alla settimana. Grazie per le tue lezioni. Salute, Tom

[@talkingaboutitaly10]

Wow ,yoour video is great!!🥰

[@SheaJordan]

Thank you! 🤗

[@martina_12yo]

i love the show " baby" smmm

[@SheaJordan]

Yeah it’s great!

[@MrCosinuus]

I also take a lot of notes and hardly ever revisit them. I also wonder if it is worth it. I also say it's worth it because the process of writing YOUR notebooks is helpful for YOU. But I have a totally different notebook system: One book to rule them all, ehem I mean. One notebook for everything. In my case French, math, chess, and others. Works for me.

[@SheaJordan]

Exactly, I think the act of writing can be beneficial. Maybe you don’t revisit notes but writing things down helps me sometimes, but I try not to overdo it.

[@foreverlearningfrench]

I also realize now that having so many notebooks were not necessary. I hardly ever reviewed them. I also wrote down too many vocabulary words and definitions.

[@minamoa5442]

Nouvelle abonnée ❤merci pour les conseils. Je cherche à apprendre l Italien également cette année 🤞

[@Javaman92]

I wish someone out there actually broke down simple sentences like, Da dove viene vostra nonna? And translated it, "From where (he, she, it, comes) your (f) grandmother? " Instead of translating it, "Where does your grandmother come from?" I keep thinking that the translations get in the way of understanding how other cultures think. I know that as I study more I make those connections myself, but I find it frustrating. Perhaps it is just me.

[@doriends1155]

You might want to look into the Language Transfer app. I find that it helps in understanding and deconstructing the language.

[@doriends1155]

It's for beginners though.

[@lislearnitalianwithsongs]

Ciao e complimenti per il tuo Italiano! May I suggest the use of songs in order to improve vocabulary , grammar and the knowledge of the Italian culture? I do find that songs are a powerful learning tool! But I might be biased, considering the nature of my channel… ciao e grazie per questo video!

[@arletbode4847]

Can you please recommend some Italian artists for this purpose? Grazie

[@lislearnitalianwithsongs]

Ciao @@arletbode4847 ! Well the are so many singers and bands I could suggest. However, I have a channel entirely dedicated to learning Italian through songs. If you click on the pizza symbol here and visit it, you will be able to choose one of the 130-ish videos , each one dealing with a song, fully translated and explained. There are playlists divided in topics and/or periods. have a look at it. There's also a Christmas playlist, which is, well, appropriate these days. Ciao e grazie!

[@TheGibb0nz]

@@arletbode4847 I personally listen to a lot of Caparezza. The meanings behind his songs are really complex/interesting, so I like using his lyrics as study material

[@mariadonato6733]

⁠@@arletbode4847 if you’re looking for classic Italian songs that are easy to follow along with, I would recommend anything from Toto Cutugno, Umberto Tozzi or Adriano Celentano. Their songs are old but still enjoyed by many Italians.

[@daianem6588]

Hello, I am Brazilian and got a b1 level by listening to Coez songs. But it took around 6 months to understand completely. I would listen up to three times a day each song.

[@IslamnZindagi]

hi may names is zain and i watching the video from rahim yar khan is that city of pakistan this video very helpful for me thanks for this

[@giuseppegnazzo3154]

Bon video, mi piace! 👍🏻

[@SheaJordan]

Grazie!

[@myname2385]

I am learning Italian and I need someone to speak to. I'm a 17 year old girl and I am happy to help with languages like German, Spanish and English

[@Trueloveneverends]

Hi Shea, would you share which school you went to in Bologna? I think your Italian is great and I love your accent.

[@SheaJordan]

Thanks! It’s Academya Lingue, great school!!

[@speakingenglishcoach7277]

When I practiced Shadowing my pronunciation improved VERY FAST.

[@praefectusdepraetorio8480]

What’s that?

[@Justinhulk]

@@praefectusdepraetorio8480 shadowing is listening to a movie, tv show, song, youtube video, etc and pausing after every sentence they say and saying the sentence the exact same way they said it. it's really useful to do the same video too, because then if you see it enough times you can remember the whole script and you can stop shadowing, you can start saying it at the same speed as them

[@stylin40s]

When I first wanted to learn Italian I found out that Sesame Street was only offered in English, I couldn't believe they didn't have anything like it in Italy.

[@illicitveniceb]

thank you so much for this video! i always struggled with learning languages in high school because i couldn’t go at the same pace as the class. but måneskin is my favourite band and i want to be able to understand all of their music without looking up the english translations, and i also feel it’s important to know multiple languages in order to connect with more people.

[@SheaJordan]

You're welcome!! Stick with it, I know it's hard not to compare yourself to others. Keep studying, you can do it! I love Måneskin as well!

[@xfreja]

måneskin supremacy

[@DevlogBill]

I just started today so I don't know? But is Italian easier than Spanish? I started today with Duolingo and lingQ and it is like Spanish but with some of the words arranged differently or it's a different word, but it is very easy to pronounce the words. I started today I am pretty sure the difficulty will eventually ramp up! But I would love to hear your take if you ever learned Spanish as well as Italian because I would love to hear your point of view on the comparisons of both.

[@Rene-ie4im]

I’ve been living in Italy for over a year now but never really exposed myself to the language so I’m basically still at A1 which is completely terrible, I procrastinated so much and now I’m in complete panic bc I have to pass a b1 exam in June..

[@SheaJordan]

Is there a program you could enroll in nearby? You could make a lot of progress before June! 🙏🏼

[@SheaJordan]

Or start going through the lessons on Online Italian Club, they’re free and have explanations by level so you could try completing the exercises through the B1 level.

[@Rene-ie4im]

@@SheaJordan thank you very much for your suggestions, I’ll try to look it up!🥺

[@SheaJordan]

Best of luck! 🙏🏼🎉

[@kelliyeowell5691]

Taking lessons 2x/week from a native italian has been invaluable!

[@SheaJordan]

Great to hear! It really helps!

[@killua9369]

Shea u r amazing 😊

[@SheaJordan]

Thank you so much ☺️

[@gregoryroth9638]

Great video. I understand about being apprehensive about making mistakes. But when most of us do it, native speakers will think we aren't very bright. However when you do it, I'm sure they think it's cute.

[@SheaJordan]

I don’t think native speakers will think you’re dumb if you make a mistake. It’s natural, how can someone that’s learning a language possibly speak without having any mistakes? In my experience native speakers understand it’s normal and won’t judge you, if you’re learning a language it’s impossible to speak it perfectly right away, it takes a long time. When Italians speak in English to me and make mistakes, I never assume they aren’t bright. In fact, quite the opposite, because it takes a smart person to learn a new language.

[@jmk1962]

I agree with Shea. I think it's sweet when foreginers speak English with an accent and if they make some mistakes, I never think they are dumb, I just admire them for what they do know and the fact that they are trying to learn another language.

[@jessicaborges3228]

What was the show or movie shown at 4:09 ?

[@SheaJordan]

It’s called Baby on Netflix! It’s actually the first show I watched in Italian 😊

[@user-sw4mp8gp5d]

Is it possible to work during the day and study Italian in the evening?

[@SheaJordan]

Of course! If you’re passionate about learning, you can make a schedule like that. 😊

[@sarahomar8351]

How long on average does it take to learn Italian? Is it possible to reach basic fluency in about a yea?r 👀

[@SheaJordan]

Well, it depends how much studying you can do. Maybe you can get to a conversational B1 level within a year, but it really depends how much time and effort you put into studying!

[@massage4today]

Where is the 70 percent link?

[@SheaJordan]

It’s in the video description but here it is as well: learn.lingopie.com/SheaPie

[@noofalqamshui9796]

I need help with Italian language 😢

[@pulse4503]

have you ever seen US/UK flix with the italian voiceover?

[@SheaJordan]

Yes, at least here in Italy a lot of the Netflix shows have the option to be dubbed in Italian so sometimes I will watch with dubbing. Or it’s fun to watch animated Disney movies in Italian too

[@pulse4503]

@@SheaJordan also proper flix, feauturing, say, Al Pacino or Tom Cruise dubbed into italian? Wht do you think about it? Which one do u prefer?

[@goodphone156]

Good choice to learn Italian language!! Se tu insegni a me l ' Inglese poi io insegno a te L' Italiano !!

[@singerfuture1]

Hello everyone, I am italian, I am available to have language exchange with english speakers or german speakers ( I am a beginner in this language), or with spanish speakers or other latin language.

[@Soubhan_allah657]

Ciao I can I can speak English very well

[@charliteheonion]

Hi I‘m German and want to learn Italian. I also speak English. I hope you read this but a language exchange sounds great.

[@lorellacurione2110]

​@charliteheonion hallo. Ich bin Italienerin, sprechi Italienisch als Sprachmuttler. Warum wollen Sie Italienisch lernen?

[@singerfuture1]

@@charliteheonion give me your Skype but I don' t have much time available in this period.

[@luvvi3e]

if anyone needs to practice italian or needs help with anything, you can ask me! (i’m italian)

[@goodphone156]

Cosi insieme di Pari passo impiariamo meglio il linguaggio dell ' uno rispetto all ' altro !! However congratulations for that!!

[@muao._.1731]

I feel like I will learn the words but will have a problem speaking it

[@SheaJordan]

Yeahhhh speaking is always the hardest part :/

[@Gaibreel]

My first italian tv show was baby too. I wish netflix had more italian shows

[@SheaJordan]

I know! I really like Skam Italia but I think it’s only available on Netflix in Italy 😞

[@Gaibreel]

@@SheaJordan yes it is. Imma watch it since I have vpn for italy

[@grandiose5720]

Same

[@BornNDie]

Me clicking this after watching luca

[@aliceazzv]

id love to get lingopie but its crazy expensive... especially for those who dont use dollars 🤑

[@Justinhulk]

then don't. just get alot of input. watch movies and study subtitles

[@DissonantCat]

now that you are living in Italy, you should start pronouncing the Ts ! Like : I T aly

[@hannahm1193]

I am a little taller yen to well, I know everything about Italians. Well, I will not tell you.M .

[@ErwinDulmin-tw5th]

MY WIFE..... MAMI.... NIKE ARDILLA.... MAHATMA GANDHI..... MAHATMA ERWIN DULMIN.....

[@markkram9331]

I can't understand why people want to learn Italian!

[@SheaJordan]

Everybody has different desires, likes and opinions. Some people may enjoy it, others don’t. You don’t have to understand why, but I personally love learning it and that’s what matters to me.

[@br.spiniellovanderlei7624]

ma se vuole ensengnare l'italiano, credo che deve parlare in italino, seconde me é sbagliato como lei fai.

[@SheaJordan]

Ma non sono un insegnante, sto studiando l’italiano. Faccio i video con qualche consiglio per altre persone che vogliono studiare e imparare l’italiano, quindi meglio parlare in inglese per spiegare tutto. Se vuoi un insegnante di italiano ci sono altri canali 👍🏼

[@jimbaker2877]

Thanks for the tips Shea! I'm going to try LingoPie and watch Baby, but I am a 54 year old male so I might end up finding something else. :-?

[@SheaJordan]

That’s great! Yeah maybe a teen drama won’t be very interesting for you… 😂 But there are plenty of other series available to watch in a bunch of different genres!

[@Adriatico90]

The best way to learn any language is to live in the country that speaks the language. Otherwise just watch, listen, talk and start thinking in that language. No matter how many videos you watch until you start cooking you’ll never learn how to cook Forget about mistakes. Everyone’s making tons of them. That’s how you keep improving and master any language. There isn’t any secrets. Whatever you do with your mother language do it with whatever language you want to learn

[@bossywossy111]

[@NewLife2028]

I´m a 55 year old gay man and I´m very interested in how human brains do what they do. On May 1st 2021 I decided to create a home University, in which, I chose the most practical foreign language for my location, Spanish. I had read something about becoming bilingual makes you smarter and, as a self-taught network engineer, I needed every brain cell working. Shea, you and I started off the same way only I had an advantage of decades and had torn things apart before. I knew it would be a shitshow putting it all back together. I started a lexicon with one word: time. When the focus was on one word, I made the entry just that one word. However, when context chunking was required, I did that. Anyway, 16000 entries later and, 28 months, I´m at a C1 level in every category including speaking in Iberian Spanish. Would I trade the 14,000 word vocabulary for more vocal exercise? Never. Because I´m going on to 20,000 words and then, I have forever with probably one of the most expansive active vocabularies in the language. Long term versus Short term and the fact, when you get to a goal, the likelihood of never getting back to it is extremely high. The lexicon is my primary tool and it contains all Spanish grammar, idioms, verb forms, everything. I read through once per month and it takes 12 days. Learn words like numbers: total context.