Learn Italian

Notes

Italian is part of the Romance languages group, spoken mainly in Italy, with broad coverage in Switzerland, San Marino and the Vatican City. It is also spoken by minority groups in Monaco, Malta, Croatia, Slovenia, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by expatriate communities in Australia and the Americas.

Italian has a global reach of more than 85 million people. It is spoken as a mother tongue by 59 million people in the European Union, accounting for 13% of the EU population, and spoken as a second language by 14 million.

Italian is a beautiful language, and arguably one of the easier languages in which to achieve proficiency. Elegant and deeply expressive, Italian is extremely fun to learn. Many people choose to learn Italian having first learned French or German, and those with an existing command of Spanish tend to progress very quickly, as the two languages are closely related. That said, the majority of people have no trouble learning Italian, and quickly pick up a basic command of the language within a couple of months.

As a seasoned language learner, I highly recommend using home-study language software. In our digital age there is no faster, more productive and cost-effective way to learn than with an interactive course that comprises audio, video, word tools, quizzes, tests and virtual tutor support. When compared with acquiring the same level of comprehensiveness from a language school, you will save thousands of dollars on investing in a software course, which comes with the additional advantage of being able to study whenever and wherever you want.

Comparison Table Analysis

Upon analysis of my comparison table above, you will see that Transparent shines brightly as the best Italian language learning software. Its attention to detail, coverage of colloquial phrasing and diverse set of learning tools make it the ideal package for beginners. If the $179 Transparent price tag is outside of your budget, then second place Rocket Languages will certainly suffice. In honesty there is little difference in between the two, except for Transparent being marginally more polished and better presented.

Pimsleur is another good choice due to its brilliant audio accompaniments. However, the price tag is aimed at the higher-budget buyer, and for the money you'd be better off choosing Rocket or Transparent Italian. The same can be said for Fluenz, too.

Like many learners, you'd be forgiven for automatically considering Rosetta Stone an option because of its historical brand presence. However, on comparison with its rivals, it really doesn't make the grade, neither in terms of learning tools or value for money, not to mention that the picture-word association technique has come under criticism in recent years for its lack of effectiveness in adults.

The comparison table is derived from extensive reviews I have written on each course, each of which can be accessed by clicking the "Read Review" links at the bottom of the comparison table. I strongly recommend having a read of at least the top three recommended brands. This will help you weigh up your requirements and learning goals against the pros and cons of each program, giving you the opportunity to make a well-informed decision that fulfills your objectives and meets your budget.

If you'd like to find out more about a particular program, simply click the "Go" button at the bottom of the comparison table and you will be automatically taken to the website of the chosen company. I wish you all the best with learning Italian. Buona fortuna!