Do you want to learn Italian with Youtube?
There are many ways to learn Italian. But with so many options out there, which one should you pick?
Youtube has been around for a while now, and since its launch, people have been posting videos in all kinds of languages, which makes it perfect for any language learner.
Why learn Italian with Youtube
It’s free
Language learning is great and all, but nobody wants to spend a lot of money.
Thankfully, Youtube is still free to access for everyone, even if you do have to watch the occasional ad and close that free trial pop-up.
Pick up what you like
One of the best things about Youtube as a platform is that the amount of content on there is limitless. You can find pretty much any language and every genre on there.
Vloggers, make-up tutorials, animation, drawing tutorials, fashion advice, travel videos, true crime stories, movie analysis, gaming streams and even specified language learning channels.
Whatever it is you are into, you can find it on Youtube and you can find it in your target language.
Real speech
Instead of carefully written language learning podcasts or scripted movies, many Youtube channels are a great representation of what native people sound like when they speak freely or interact with each other. This can be daunting at first, but it is great practice and with the visuals accompanying the sound, it can be a great way to get your language skills to the next level.
Closed captions and playback speed
Some channels offer closed captions with their videos, which makes it a perfect way to practice both your speech and reading skills. It can also help if you aren’t sure what they just said.
Beyond that, you can adjust the playback speed to match your level. Start out slower, and slowly work your way up to real-time speech, or even faster to train your ears.
Cultural immersion
The internet has made worlds that were previously hard to get into easily accessible.
Where you used to have to live in the country of your target language in order to get a peek into the daily lives of native speakers, you can now find thousands of vloggers capturing and explaining their every move on camera.
This makes it a brilliant way to immerse yourself into the culture of your target language. Not only that, but following popular Youtubers might give you something to talk about with native speakers when you do meet them.
It’s fun
One of the most underrated language learning strategies is to make something fun! So many people think learning a language is all about late nights grammar studies and vocab drills.
Nothing could be further from the truth!
Language learning works best if you are actually enjoying it. This will make it easier to be consistent and get daily practice. The more you engage with your target language, the more likely you are to succeed in reaching fluency.
There are many people out there today who speak English because beyond their classroom, they interact with it on a daily basis through various sources like Youtube.
They may have had classes in school, but they wouldn’t actually speak it had it not been for the daily practice and interaction with the language.
The best part being, all these interactions didn’t feel like studying but instead felt like entertainment.
How to learn a language with Youtube
Okay, so we’ve gone over the why, now let’s talk about the how.
Beyond the standard “watch videos and learn”, here are a few strategies that might help your language learning process.
1. Let your algorithm know
Find things you like and subscribe to as many channels as you can. This way, you’re Youtube algorithm will notice your new interest and recommend more videos in your target language.
If you choose to receive notifications, you will also receive little reminders to practice when an interesting video comes along.
2. Improve your pronunciation
Use the videos to try and talk along and improve your pronunciation. In vlog like videos, you can often get a good look at how people move their mouths, and try and imitate those movements.
Often we are very used to pronouncing letters a certain way, but the way a “b” or “l” is pronounced in another language might be slightly different. Pay attention, and see what you can learn.
3. Don’t forget the comments
Look at the comments, leave a comment yourself. If you see something you don’t understand, don’t be afraid to leave a comment saying “hey, I am a language learner, could someone explain this to me?” or ask a native speaker what it means.
4. Share your own progress
Why not start your own channel to track your progress? You can join polyglot challenges and ask people for advice on how to improve.
5. Daily practice
If you check in on Youtube every day and make sure to watch at least one video, you can build a solid habit of language practice without feeling like you are putting in a lot of effort. Once a video is clicked, all you have to do is keep watching.
Even though you might miss stuff in the beginning, keeping up a habit like this is definitely going to show results in the long run.
6. Expand the learning
Many Youtube channels have other social media accounts as well. Look in the description and see where else you can add their content to your daily routine.
Maybe there are fan groups you can join, newsletters you can subscribe to, or even podcasts related to your favorite channels. See Youtube as a gateway to the culture of the language you are studying, and try to interact with it accordingly.
10 Channels to follow if you are learning Italian
Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Category: Travel & Living
Easy Languages is an international video project that helps people worldwide to learn Italian on Youtube by interviewing locals and sharing the culture of partner countries abroad.
2. Italy Made Easy
Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Category: Language learning
Manu, is an Italian linguist, polyglot, translator, etc. He is passionate about helping people learn to speak and understand the beautiful Italian language.
3. Learn Italian with Me
Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Category: Culture & Lifestyle
Luana, is a native Italian, who has traveled the world. Her love for Italy has brought her back home and she has then shared the beauty of the Italian language, the culture of Italy and their lifestyle through teaching.
4. ItalianPod101
Level: Beginner to Advanced
Category: Language Learning
ItalianPod101.com will guide you to speak, read, write and hear Italian. You’ll definitely have fun learning with listeners around the world. Get ready to start speaking Italian from the very first lesson.
5. Dolce Vita
Level: Beginner to Advanced
Category: Travel & Culture
The Dolce Vita channel is aimed at tourists who are planning to visit Italy. They have some educational video series, including “100 Useful Expressions” and “Learn Italian in 30 Days”. You can start out with the basics, such as learning the months in Italian and progress to a more formal grammar lessons.
6. Italiano Automatico
Level: Intermediate
Category: Travel & Culture
This channel is for those who already understand Italian grammar and vocabulary. It has some travel videos and interviews on the street with native Italian speakers, making this a well-rounded channel for intermediate students.
7. LearnAmo
Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Category: Travel & Education
This channel offer you lessons ranging from level A1 all the way up to C2, so beginners and intermediate learners will all find this very useful. They have fun videos that will teach you colloquial expressions and how to use split sentences. They even include some travel videos showing you around popular tourist spots like Florence.
8. Learn Italian With Lucrezia
Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Category: Travel & Lifestyle
Learn Italian with Youtube through Lucrezia, who produces lessons and vlogs on a range of topics suitable for beginners and intermediate learners. If you’re just starting out, you can watch her lessons on the numbers, days, months, and seasons in Italian. Intermediate learners can watch vlogs in which she travels around Italy and speaks to people in Italian.
9. Italian With Melissa La Studentessa Matta
Level: Intermediate
Category: Travel & Lifestyle
Melissa is a native English speaker who now practicing Italian for over 15 years. She doesn’t have a lot of formal lessons on this channel, but most of the videos take an immersive approach, bringing you to exciting outdoor adventures like horseback riding or visiting a vineyard. She even has a novel called Dreaming Sophia that’s set in Italy. If you’ve ever wondered what it might be like to retire in Italy, this is your channel to learn Italian with Youtube!
10. Sgrammaticando
Level: Intermediate to Advanced
Category: Language Learning
Sgrammaticando is a channel that is focused more on grammar. This one won’t be suitable for beginners but it is great for recognizing common mistakes that even native Italian speakers make.
Use this channel to improve your understanding of formal Italian usage and learn Italian with Youtube.