In-Depth Reviews And Recommendations - Without The BS
There are many good podcasts that you can use to improve your listening comprehension skills in Italian. Some resources I’ll mention are aimed specifically at language learners, others are simply podcasts in Italian.
For easier reference, I’ve divided them into free and paid resources for less advanced learners and Italian podcasts for more advanced language users.
You should also check out our post of the best apps for studying Italian.
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In this article we will review four of the best grammar books used to learn Italian; we will see how they differ, who would most benefit from using them, and what they can actually offer to the students who are interested in learning more.
Summary: News in Slow Italian is an excellent learning resource; it’s very comprehensive and offers all the necessary tools to be able to practice all the aspects of the language. It’s also one of the most fun and original language learning tools I’ve seen and manages to be so without sacrificing on quality. This program is helpful for anyone who wants to learn Italian.
They really thought of everything when creating this program – audio lessons, pdf files, exercises, grammar and expressions catalogs, podcasts.
Clear and explanatory grammar lessons, expressions and idioms included in every lesson, lots of vocabulary to practice and plenty of information to help you become fluent.
News in Slow Italian is a great learning resource and students of all levels should try it.
Comprehensive information in every lesson with various levels to fit different abilities
Downloadable materials
One of the few resources that really is fun to use
Conversations are a bit too fast sometimes
Price: $19.90/mo
Summary: Babbel is an affordable learning resource that offers a lot of information and can be of great help to beginners and lower intermediate students. They structured the lessons very well, providing explanations and a lot of vocabulary for their students. The materials are easy to go through and easy to remember.
Through its repetitive lesson structure, they engage the student and solidify your knowledge.
Babbel offers comprehensive and extensive lessons; they are great for any beginner or intermediate student.
Compendious learning tool, definitely adds value to your learning plan.
Repetitive nature of the lessons
The lessons are connected and they build up your knowledge in a progressive way
Engaging content and comprehensive lessons
Flexible learning plan and self-directed – you have can choose what to learn and when to do it
No downloadable materials
Not a very unique learning structure, similar to Duolingo (matching words to images)
Won’t sufficiently develop your conversational skills
Price: The price for a personal plan varies depending on how long of a subscription you purchase. One month costs $12.95 and the price falls to $6.95/month if you purchase a year long subscription. There are also 3 and 6-month plans as well.
Alternatives
Pimsleur and Rocket Italian are both more comprehensive courses but they’re also more expensive.
Summary: Pimsleur is great for stimulating the speaking process, it’s highly efficient and extensive. It’s based on a scientific research about memory and this is at the base of the program, regardless of what language you learn. Unfortunately, the high cost can make it prohibitively expensive. It’s a great tool that forces you to start speaking quickly. Lessons are thematic; they include a variation of conversations and a lot of explanations too but reading and writing are mostly ignored. It’s an excellent resource, but comes with a high price tag. The repetitiveness in the lessons’ structure Scaffolded instruction that combines elements you’ve learned Emphasis on how to speak and pronounce correctly Very easy to go through the lessons and remember vocabulary They should include more writing materials Overly formal language While the repetitiveness can be help you to remember the content, it can also become boring High price tag Price: One-time purchase: Alternatively, you could use Audible, following my advice below, which will end up giving you access to the full course for half the price – $275.40. You can get started by signing-up for a free trial of Audible and access the first 10 lessons for free. Alternatives: Rocket Italian offers a comprehensive Italian course. Babbel offers affordable Italian lessons at a relatively low price.Quick ReviewQualityThoroughnessValueI LikeI Don’t LikeUse the promo code “SAVENOW” to save up to 25%.
For an alternative viewpoint, I’d suggest also reading our Pimsleur French Review. While that review focuses on French, it’s just as relevant to Italian learners. Pimsleur’s courses are very similar but opinions vary significantly.