The easiest way to learn Italian is to read and listen to short, easy Italian about things you already like, checking the translation when you need it. Easy Italian you can mostly understand is called comprehensible input, and it keeps showing you the most common words and endings, so leave verb tables and long word lists for later. Below are the first steps in order, and some easy Italian to start with.
Is Italian Easy to Learn?
Italian is easy to start, and it takes a long time to learn well. The sounds and spelling come quickly, while the words and verb forms take much longer, and the U.S. Foreign Service Institute puts Italian in its first group, the languages closest to English. Our guide to the fastest way shows how long it takes.
Three things make the start easy.
- Spelled the Way It SoundsItalian uses the same letters as English, and words are spelled almost exactly the way they sound.
- Words You Already KnowMany Italian words look like English ones, such as famiglia (family) and importante (important).
- Italian You Already HearIf you enjoy Italian food or films, you have probably heard words like ciao (hi or bye) and grazie (thank you).
What Is the Easiest Way to Start?
The easiest way to start is to pick short Italian you enjoy and take it one small step at a time.
- Start With Cafe DialoguesBegin with short dialogues about ordering coffee and food, like Bubblegum's free lessons about Italian cafes.
- Read About What You LoveMove on to short dialogues about football, music, or anything else you already enjoy.
- Listen While You ReadPlay the audio as you read, so each word's sound and spelling go together.
- Hide the TranslationKeep the English hidden, and check it only when a line stops you.
- Save a Few WordsSave only the few words you want to keep from each lesson.
- Say a Line Out LoudRead a line aloud whenever it feels fun, like a cafe order you want to use in Italy.
Bubblegum is a language app for reading and listening to Italian at your level, with lessons that Poppy, its AI tutor, writes about the things you like. Words you save come back inside new lessons through Regenerative Review™, so reviewing them means reading more Italian.
What Makes Italian Feel Hard, and How Can You Make It Easier?
Four parts of Italian feel hard at first, and each one gets easier when you meet it again and again in easy Italian.
| What feels hard | The easy fix |
|---|---|
| Masculine and feminine words | Easy dialogues show each noun with its article, as in il caffè (the coffee) and la pizza (the pizza), so you learn the gender with the word. |
| A new verb ending for each person | Verbs change for each person, as in parlo (I speak) and parli (you speak). Easy reading shows the common forms many times, so open a verb table only when one confuses you. |
| Double letters like nn | Slow audio made for learners lets you hear the longer sound, as in nonno (grandpa) next to nono (ninth). |
| Fast speech and regional accents | Listen to slow, clear audio made for learners first. Words you already know are much easier to catch in fast speech, whatever the accent. |
What Is Easy Italian to Start With?
Easy Italian to start with is short and slow, and it is about something you enjoy.
| What | Why it's easy | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Lessons about cafes and markets | Level 1, Bubblegum's easiest level, uses short lines with audio and a translation. | Free on this site |
| Super Easy Italian | Easy Italian's videos for beginners use simple words, with subtitles in Italian and English. | youtube.com/@EasyItalian |
| Duostories | Free short stories about everyday moments come with audio and quick questions as you read. | duostories.org |
| Simple Italian Podcast | Episodes use slow, simple Italian, once you know some words. | Apple Podcasts |
If a new word shows up in almost every line, switch to something easier.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the easiest way to learn Italian pronunciation?
Listen to slow audio while you read along, and say a few lines after the speaker. Many words are stressed on the next-to-last syllable, as in amico (friend), and a written accent shows when the stress falls at the very end, as in città (city). Bubblegum's free lessons about cafes and markets have audio for every line in your browser.
Can I learn Italian just by watching films?
Not at the start, because most of a film goes by too fast for a beginner to learn from. Films help more once you can follow a simple conversation, especially with Italian subtitles on. Language Reactor puts Italian subtitles beside a translation on Netflix and YouTube, so you can pause and check a line.
Which Italian app should a beginner choose?
If you are serious about learning Italian, start with Bubblegum. Poppy writes lessons at your level about things you like. For courses, tutors and speaking practice, see our comparison of Italian apps.
Is Bubblegum free?
Yes. The lesson library is free for everyone, because we believe everyone should be able to learn. It holds lessons that other learners asked Poppy for. A new custom lesson costs us real money to make, so your first one is free, and Bubblegum Pro gives you unlimited custom lessons.
The Italian lessons on this site are also free and need no account.
