Learn Italian 🍕

Ciao, come stai? 👋 ! Here’s our curated content for training your passive understanding of the language.

Ciao 👋 ! Here’s our curated content for training your passive understanding of the language.

Instructions (tap to open)

Explore everything from phrases, grammar, to listening training. It’s useful for beginners to advanced speakers.

⏰ Time spent here also counts towards your streak.

Language competency consists of active vocabulary, but also passive vocabulary and natural pattern recognition. Train essential listening skills, understand grammar and morphing patterns.

The Basic Phrases help you start and stay in the language. Mari’s Listening-Reading videos introduces you to doing highly intensive training of your listening skills.

What makes Lingophant unique is that you can create your 100% personalised vocabulary from conversations. 45 minutes per week with a friend or a teacher is already enough input for a constant stream of engaging sentences to practice between lessons.

📔 Basic Phrases

These phrases are the perfect point of departure for serious learners. They help you stay in the language, without needing to switch to English. And you internalize patterns.

Unlock them one-by-one in the app, and memorize them from the “Practice” tab.

01 – Basic Phrases
02 – Introductions
03 – Useful Reactions
04 – Clarifications
05 – Learning Languages
06 – Interests, Opinions, Preferences
07 – Travel Phrases
08 – Smalltalk
09 – Politeness

This is just to get you started. For personalized phrases, we recommend sessions of 45 minutes with a native speaker.

  • Know 300 phrases and you can make jokes and impress people
  • Know 600 phrases and you can hold basic conversations
  • Know 1000 phrases and you start communicating effortlessly

And because of working with audio, you’ll get compliments on your pronunciation a lot. We promise!

🎧 Start Your Listening Training Here (with Mari)

🎧 The 15-minute unedited version

This is the full video of Mari talking about her life.

Learn how to work with these videos with our 30-minute follow-along. They repeat sections multiple times and tell you to focus first on English, then Italian.

🎧 Your first 30-minute follow-along session

Listening works subconsciously. You focus on listening and your brain naturally starts to understand structures. In this follow-along we repeat sections multiple times and tell you to focus first on English, then Italian.

🎧 Your second 30-minute follow-along session

We’re trying to prove that by watching and rewatching, you can understand someone speak in Italian. It works sub-consciously, takes time. But if you do this for 10 weeks, we guarantee you that it will make a massive positive difference.

🎧 Your third 30-minute follow-along session

Now you’ll get proof that by watching and rewatching, you can understand someone speak in Italian. Part of this video already has no subtitles. Can you follow what she’s speaking about? Can you capture individual words? Is it starting to feel a bit natural to you?

Go through the same process with other videos. Watching and rewatching and focusing on one language at the same time.

🎧 Background listening and printable PDF

Here is an audio file you listen to it in the background with your phone locked.

PDF is coming.

🎧 More content with double subtitles

EasyItalian also has simple content (they get a bit boring after some time, but hey). Continue with them as long as you enjoy it. Here are four examples, watch once and then rewatch them again in the future 🙂

🎧 Train your listening skills with proper documentaries

We have selected enjoyable documentaries and reportage channels. Watch them, listen to the language, and build a natural intuition. Some polyglots swear by this method — 30 minutes a day builds working proficiency.

Rai (6.58m subs)

Rai (view channel) – Il meglio della programmazione RAI

Geopop (2.91m subs)

Geopop (view channel) – Dopo dieci anni di lavoro all’estero in qualità di Geologo, consulente scientifico e manager presso aziende nel mondo energetico, tra cui l’Istituto nazionale francese dell’energia, Andrea Moccia nel 2018 fonda Geopop.

La7 Attualità (1.62m subs)

La7 Attualità (view channel) – Informazione, politica, attualità, intrattenimento. Tutto sulla programmazione di La7. Seguici anche su www.la7.it

Barbascura X (1.05m subs)

Barbascura X (view channel) – Il galeonazzo BRUTTO BRUTTO, patria della ciurma X

Breaking Italy (943k subs)

Breaking Italy (view channel) – Breaking Italy è uno show online dal lunedì al giovedì nel quale Alessandro Masala, noto “Shy”, presenta e commenta le notizie più interessanti della giornata, presentandole come stimolo allo sviluppo di un pensiero critico. Ha varie costole: Breaking Italy Night (interviste), Breaking Italy Live (Q&A), Focus (approfondimenti).

Rick DuFer (313k subs)

Rick DuFer (view channel) – FILOSOFIA – ATTUALITÀ – PENSIERO CRITICO

Entropy for Life – Giacomo Moro Mauretto (263k subs)

Entropy for Life – Giacomo Moro Mauretto (view channel) –

Roberto Mercadini (204k subs)

Roberto Mercadini (view channel) – Racconto storie (che contengono storie (che contengono altre storie)).

Archivio Luce Cinecittà (192k subs)

Archivio Luce Cinecittà (view channel) – L’Archivio Luce Cinecittà è il più grande e il più antico archivio storico cinematografico in Italia.

ARTE․tv Documentari (173k subs)

ARTE․tv Documentari (view channel) – Benvenuti e benvenute! ARTE.tv Documentari è il canale YouTube in lingua italiana della piattaforma europea di streaming gratuita ARTE. Qui troverete documentari e reportage d’inchiesta di rilievo internazionale su politica, storia, società, cultura, scienza e ambiente.

RaiNews (135k subs)

RaiNews (view channel) – Il canale dell’informazione Rai. Breaking news e approfondimenti. Servizi e dirette da Rainews,Tg1, Tg2, Tg3 e Tg regionali

cameradeideputati (71k subs)

cameradeideputati (view channel) – Benvenuti nel canale Youtube della Camera dei deputati. Uno strumento in più per approfondire la complessa vita che si svolge dentro Palazzo Montecitorio e dintorni. Una documentazione video, agile e informale com’è nello stile di YouTube, dei principali eventi istituzionali, spaziando dalle mostre culturali agli incontri internazionali, dai convegni alle visite di studenti, dalla storia del Palazzo a quella dei protagonisti dell’Italia Unita. Immagini spesso inedite che integrano e rimandano a

SenatoItaliano (62k subs)

SenatoItaliano (view channel) – Canale YouTube ufficiale del Senato della Repubblica

Fanpage.it (3.31m subs)

Fanpage.it (view channel) – Fanpage.it è un giornale libero, indipendente, coraggioso.

aledellagiusta (1.61m subs)

aledellagiusta (view channel) – Non ho paura di niente

Nova Lectio (1.58m subs)

Nova Lectio (view channel) – Nova Lectio è un canale YouTube per gli appassionati di storia, geopolitica e delle dinamiche sociali che influenzano il mondo moderno.

Elisa True Crime (1.55m subs)

Elisa True Crime (view channel) – Racconto storie di true crime che mi hanno particolarmente scioccata per denunciare, diffondere consapevolezza ma soprattutto per ricordare le vittime di queste storie.

Roberto Saviano Official (454k subs)

Roberto Saviano Official (view channel) – Il canale ufficiale di Roberto Saviano. Reportage, inchieste, commenti sull’attualità, politica nazionale e internazionale, serie Tv, libri e film.

Dentro La Storia (140k subs)

Dentro La Storia (view channel) – Dentro la Storia, il canale ideale per esplorare gli eventi, i personaggi e le idee che hanno plasmato il mondo moderno. Insieme esploreremo i momenti cruciali della storia moderna, dalle rivoluzioni industriali e tecnologiche, alle guerre e alle rivolte sociali e politiche. Vi porteremo a conoscere fatti, personaggi ed eventi che hanno lasciato un’impronta indelebile nella storia.

Italia Mistero (124k subs)

Italia Mistero (view channel) – Italia Mistero – Documentari originali su misteri italiani, cronaca nera irrisolta e storia segreta d’Italia.

🎧 Train listening with weird popular YouTube videos

It’s like zapping TV through another linguistic and cultural universe. Watch what native speakers watch. We hope you find something interesting.

🧑‍🏫 Grammar overview in 9 chapters

Below is an overview of the most important grammar topics. Each chapter has a short explanation and recommended videos.

While memorizing phrases, you’ll likely recognize patterns from grammar. You can add a note or question to a card and get it answered next time you’re with a teacher.

Present Tense Verb Conjugation A1

Italian verbs change their endings depending on who is doing the action, and there are three main verb families identified by their infinitive endings: -are (parlare, to speak), -ere (vedere, to see), and -ire (dormire, to sleep). Each family follows its own set of endings for the six persons: io, tu, lui/lei, noi, voi, loro. For example, parlare becomes parlo, parli, parla, parliamo, parlate, parlano. A handful of very common verbs — essere (to be), avere (to have), andare (to go), fare (to do/make) — are irregular and must be memorised separately, but they appear so often that they become automatic quickly.

The best approach is to learn each verb family’s pattern as a single chunk, then drill the most common irregular verbs daily using the app’s phrases. Notice that Italian drops subject pronouns far more often than English does — io parlo is less natural than simply parlo — so train your ear to identify the subject from the verb ending alone. Once you have this topic down, you can talk about what you do every day, ask others about their habits, and understand the vast majority of sentences you encounter in conversation.

Noun Gender & Definite/Indefinite Articles A1

Every Italian noun is either masculine or feminine, and this gender determines the form of the article that goes with it. The definite articles (the) are il, lo, la, l’ in the singular and i, gli, le in the plural; the indefinite articles (a/an) are un, uno, una, un’. Nouns ending in -o are usually masculine (il libro, the book) and those ending in -a are usually feminine (la casa, the house), though there are exceptions. The article also changes based on the first sound of the noun, so you need lo before masculine nouns starting with s+consonant, z, ps, or gn (lo studente), and l’ before any singular noun starting with a vowel (l’amico, l’amica).

Rather than memorising gender rules in the abstract, always learn every new noun together with its article as a fixed chunk — not just casa but la casa. This way gender becomes automatic. Pay special attention to the article forms when listening to native speakers, as the article is often the first clue to a noun’s gender. Mastering this topic means your sentences will sound grammatically natural immediately, and you will be able to correctly modify nouns with adjectives and articles in real conversations.

  • The Definite Article and its Use in Italian – Professor Dave Explains: A concise 7-minute structured lesson covering all Italian definite articles with clear examples, ideal for A1 beginners and backed by strong viewership.
  • Gender of Nouns in Italian + Plural Rules (Masculine or feminine?) – Learn Italian with Teacher Stefano: Directly addresses noun gender and plural rules for beginners, complementing the articles lessons with essential masculine/feminine identification strategies.
  • Indefinite Articles in Italian – Professor Dave Explains: A focused 5-minute lesson on un, uno, una, un’ that pairs perfectly with the definite articles video to give learners a complete picture of Italian articles at A1 level.

Essere vs. Avere (To Be vs. To Have) A1

Essere (to be) and avere (to have) are the two most essential verbs in Italian and they each serve double duty: they are used both as main verbs and as auxiliary (helper) verbs for forming past tenses. As main verbs, essere describes identity, origin, and permanent states (Sono italiano — I am Italian), while avere expresses possession and age (Ho venti anni — I am twenty years old; Ho una macchina — I have a car). Their present tense forms are highly irregular — essere: sono, sei, è, siamo, siete, sono; avere: ho, hai, ha, abbiamo, avete, hanno — and must be committed to memory.

A common early mistake is using essere for age and emotions where English uses ‘to be’ — in Italian you ‘have’ hunger (ho fame), thirst (ho sete), and years of age (ho trent’anni). Make a short list of these ‘false friends’ and review them often. Nailing these two verbs unlocks your ability to introduce yourself, describe people and things, talk about what you own, and — crucially — build past tense sentences, making them the single highest-return verbs to master first.

Past Tense: Passato Prossimo A2

The passato prossimo is the past tense you will use most in everyday speech to talk about completed actions — equivalent to both ‘I ate’ and ‘I have eaten’ in English. It is formed with the present tense of either essere or avere plus a past participle. Regular past participles are predictable: -are verbs become -ato (parlato), -ere verbs become -uto (venduto), and -ire verbs become -ito (dormito). The critical decision is choosing the right auxiliary: most verbs take avere (ho mangiato — I ate), but verbs of motion and change of state take essere (sono andato — I went), and when essere is used, the past participle must agree in gender and number with the subject (sono andata for a female speaker).

A practical memory trick is to think of essere verbs as ‘Dr. & Mrs. Vandertramp’ verbs — those describing going, coming, becoming, and similar movements — and to always check for agreement when you see essere. Listen for the auxiliary verb in the phrases on the app; it tells you instantly which group the verb belongs to. Once you internalise the passato prossimo, you can narrate your day, tell stories about the past, and understand the bulk of everyday Italian storytelling.

Adjective Agreement in Gender & Number A2

In Italian, adjectives must match the noun they describe in both gender (masculine/feminine) and number (singular/plural). Most adjectives follow a four-form pattern: -o (masculine singular), -i (masculine plural), -a (feminine singular), -e (feminine plural) — for example, un ragazzo alto, dei ragazzi alti, una ragazza alta, delle ragazze alte. Some adjectives ending in -e have only two forms: -e for both genders in the singular and -i for both in the plural (un uomo intelligente, una donna intelligente, uomini intelligenti, donne intelligenti). Adjectives in Italian typically follow the noun, though a small set of very common ones — bello, brutto, grande, piccolo, buono, cattivo — often come before it.

The simplest learning strategy is to always practise adjectives in complete noun phrases rather than in isolation, so the agreement feels natural from the start. When reading or listening, use the adjective ending as a quick check on the noun’s gender — this reverse skill is especially handy for unfamiliar words. Mastering adjective agreement lets you describe people, places, and objects fluently and accurately, adding colour and precision to everything you say.

Modal Verbs: Potere, Volere, Dovere A2

Potere (can/to be able to), volere (to want), and dovere (must/to have to) are the three core modal verbs in Italian and they work as a team: each is conjugated in the present tense, and then followed directly by an infinitive. For example: Posso venire? (Can I come?), Voglio un caffè (I want a coffee), Devo studiare (I have to study). All three are irregular in the present tense and are used constantly in conversation to express ability, desire, and obligation. Importantly, these same verbs with the conditional tense (potrei, vorrei, dovrei) shift meaning to the polite ‘could’, ‘would like’, and ‘should’ — making them even more versatile.

Direct & Indirect Object Pronouns B1

Object pronouns replace nouns that have already been mentioned, keeping conversation fluid. Direct object pronouns answer ‘who?’ or ‘what?’ and include mi (me), ti (you), lo/la (him/her/it), ci (us), vi (you all), li/le (them). Indirect object pronouns answer ‘to whom?’ and are mi, ti, gli/le, ci, vi, gli — notice that only the third-person forms differ. In most sentences, these pronouns go directly before the conjugated verb: Lo vedo (I see him), Le parlo (I speak to her). When used with an infinitive, they attach to the end of it: Voglio vederlo (I want to see him).

The trickiest part for English speakers is placing the pronoun before the verb rather than after, so consciously practise this word order with the app’s example sentences until it feels natural. Also watch for combined double pronouns like glielo (to him/her + it), which merge and shift form — these appear in natural speech all the time. Controlling object pronouns is the leap from sounding textbook-stiff to genuinely conversational, letting you refer back to people and things naturally without awkward repetition.

  • Direct and Indirect Object Pronouns in Italian (eng audio) – Learn Italian with Teacher Stefano: Covers both direct and indirect object pronouns together in a single structured lesson, helping B1 learners understand the distinction and choose correctly between them.
  • Direct Object Pronouns in Italian – Professor Dave Explains: Clear, concise explanation of direct object pronouns with high view count confirming its accessibility, ideal as a focused primer before tackling the indirect counterpart.
  • Indirect Object Pronouns in Italian – Professor Dave Explains: Pairs perfectly with the direct object pronouns video from the same channel, first clarifying the English grammar concept before applying it to Italian, making it very learner-friendly.

Imperfect Tense: Imperfetto B1

The imperfetto is a past tense used for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, background descriptions, and states of being — contrasting with the passato prossimo which marks completed events. Where the passato prossimo says something happened once and finished, the imperfetto paints the scene or describes what used to happen: Da bambino, giocavo sempre in giardino (As a child, I always used to play in the garden). It is formed by removing the -re from the infinitive and adding the endings -vo, -vi, -va, -vamo, -vate, -vano — a remarkably regular pattern, even for many otherwise irregular verbs.

A useful mental image is to think of the imperfetto as a ‘camera panning slowly’ across a scene (ongoing, descriptive) and the passato prossimo as a ‘snapshot’ (one completed event). In storytelling, the two tenses work together: the imperfetto sets the stage, and the passato prossimo advances the plot. Practising with narrative phrases in the app — where both tenses appear together — is the fastest way to feel the contrast. Once you have the imperfetto, your storytelling becomes rich and natural, and you can describe past circumstances, childhood memories, and interrupted actions with ease.

Present Subjunctive: Congiuntivo Presente B2

The congiuntivo presente is a verb mood used to express doubt, opinion, emotion, possibility, and desire — typically in the clause that follows expressions like penso che (I think that), voglio che (I want that), è importante che (it’s important that), and non so se (I don’t know if). It has its own set of endings that differ from the present indicative: for -are verbs the endings are -i, -i, -i, -iamo, -iate, -ino (e.g., che io parli), while -ere and -ire verbs use -a, -a, -a, -iamo, -iate, -ano. Many common verbs have irregular subjunctive forms — essere (sia), avere (abbia), fare (faccia) — which must be memorised.

The key to learning the subjunctive is not to memorise it in isolation but to learn the trigger phrases that demand it as fixed chunks: pensare che + subjunctive, sperare che + subjunctive, and so on. When you hear a trigger phrase, your brain learns to expect the shifted verb form. Repeated exposure through the app’s conversational examples will make this automatic faster than explicit rule-drilling. Mastering the congiuntivo allows you to express nuanced opinions, report what others think, discuss uncertainty, and respond to hypotheticals — all of which are central to sounding truly fluent rather than just functional in Italian.

🧑‍🏫 Language Introduction and Pronunciation

Language Introduction by LangFocus (warning: great but nerdy)

If you want a perfect pronunciation, watch these videos

Very detailed explanation about the sounds of Italian. Time spent thinking about pronunciation is well spent. This guy crowdfunded 1.5M+ $ for his language stuff, and these pronunciation videos are the best out there currently. It’s a bit scientific with schemata of mouth and tongue positions.

🧑‍🏫 Book Lessons with Recommended Teachers

Irene — Irene studied several languages at university, likes literature and cultural exchanges, and has a nice energy. She has experience teaching with our app, so you’re ready to start.

500+ lessons given.

Irene
Book lessons on iTalki

Get $5 when you spend $20 or more. And we will also get some credits to find new teachers.

In general, recommend a trial lesson and then booking 5 lessons at once, so the teacher has an incentive to try out a new app. In the first lesson you find common interests and try to record a few phrases and share them.

You can also find your own teacher. Or ask a friend for 45 minutes each week. On our for teachers page we explain everything — share the link, and the teacher can just follow through the steps.

And if you found a good teacher or are teaching yourself, we’re happy to add you to this page.