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.
Schaum’s Outlines of Italian Grammar
Modern Italian Grammar is a suitable book for beginners and intermediate students who want to focus on learning more grammar and enrich their vocabulary.
This book is split into two main chapters – one for grammar and one for vocabulary.
Part A is called Structures, where the authors present grammar lessons and principles related to the noun, article, adjective and so on. (more…)
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
7-day free trial, then $17.90/month. You also have the option to prepay for any amount of months at a time, which doesn’t change the monthly price.
LearnItalianPod isn’t a good resource in my opinion. There are some fun supplementary lessons, but I found the basic learning paths to be insufficient in all sorts of ways for someone who’s trying to learn Italian.
It’s a very limited tool. It can help you drill some phrases and useful expressions but, in my experience, you won’t learn to create your own sentences and speak.
New structures and grammar units appear only in examples. There are virtually no explanations or rules. Apart from repetitions, there’s no practice.
The tool isn’t expensive but I don’t think it’s worth the cost.
The website is easy to use and has a pretty design with colors of the Italian flag.
Additional lessons contain some really useful vocabulary and facts about Italy.
I really disliked the recorded lessons. The hosts speak excessively slow, especially at the beginner level, and I found the repetitions tedious.
There are almost no explanations of grammar concepts, which I found confusing and discouraging. I thought the provided practice was very limited.
The tool doesn’t remember your level so you have to choose your language path every time you log in.
The order of content doesn’t seem well thought out.
LearnItalianPod has only one subscription plan. Their VIP membership can be purchased on a monthly basis at $14.95 per month or for the whole year at $149.50.
Alternatives: ItalianPod101 or News in Slow Italian would be a much better choice for someone looking for a podcast-style lesson.
Rocket Italian and Pimsleur are well structured and comprehensive courses.
Ripeti Con Me is a fairly simple Italian course that will get you speaking right away.
Rocket Italian is a good, comprehensive and easy to use course. It’s ideal for beginners and lower-intermediate students. It’s an independent learning resource which can definitely teach you on its own how to speak and write Italian.
Well-designed and user-friendly platform with solid materials.
Lots of extra materials included in each lesson but they are too repetitive.
It’s not cheap, but still affordable for most.
Logical and clear structure of the modules and the lessons
Downloadable materials
Plenty of exercises and explanations
Easy to keep track of your progress and check how good you are compared to other students
Sometimes the recording feature doesn’t work
The exercises are very repetitive
The lessons are on the more boring side of things
one-off payment – Level 1 costs $89.95, Levels 1&2 cost $239.90 and all three courses purchased as a package is $249.90.
Alternatives: Italy Made Easy has excellent Italian courses.
Pimsleur is another good option worth considering that forces lots of active recall of the language.
This online tool is useful for people who already have a basis in Italian, it can be a great way to improve vocabulary and pronunciation. Beginners might want to look for alternative resources when it comes to learning grammar and the basics. ItalianPod101 comes in handy as a complementary tool to a more structured learning plan.
The platform is easy to use, well designed, but the structure of the modules is not the best.
It covers mostly vocabulary and pronunciation in more depth, not so much grammar. No exercises available, just one vocabulary quiz.
Useful, but is definitely not the best resource out there.
Plenty of audio files to practice pronunciation and comprehension
Downloadable materials
Thematic conversations and vocabulary structure
Cultural elements explained in every lesson
Lack of exercises
Not a sufficient stand-alone resource for beginners.
Random lessons suggestion, not connected to previous lessons
Lots of unnecessary talking in English
Free trial for 7 days. If you pay for one month at a time, the Basic plan costs $8/month, the Premium plan costs $25/month, and the Premium+ plan costs $47/month. There are varying durations with lower prices for the longer you commit – up to two years.
Use the promo code “ALLLANGUAGERESOURCES” to save 25% on a subscription to ItalianPod101.
Alternatives: Both Pimsleur and Rocket Italian have much more comprehensive courses that follow a structure better fitting to beginner students.
Italy Made Easy has excellent Italian courses taught by a charismatic teacher.