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Italian

Promova Mini Review: Personalized Content to Meet Your Language Learning Needs

Promova

Price:

$39.99-3 Months, $83.99-12 Months, $299.99-Lifetime

Summary

Are you on the hunt for a language learning resource that’s engaging and personalized to fit your learning style? Promova may be a great place to start.

Promova is an app and web based platform that offers language instruction for multiple languages and multiple proficiency levels. The language courses at Promova include English, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, French, German, Ukrainian, Arabic, Korean, and Chinese. It uses machine learning and AI technologies in order to personalize your learning experience based on your goals and learning progress. All you have to do is take a quick test, set your learning preferences and Promova will craft a personalized learning plan that aligns with your needs, skills, and interests. With this learning plan, you’ll get personalized recommendations, progress tracking, and an optimized learning experience. 

Promova offers Bite-sized daily lessons. Each session integrates vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, and real-world conversations to help you progress in as little as 10 minutes. With Promova’s meticulously curated word lists, phrases and its use of SRS, you’ll get to practice and expand your vocabulary immensely. You’ll also engage in speaking and listening exercises, and receive instant feedback on your pronunciation to help you refine your conversational skills and accent.

The platform focuses on practical examples and engaging exercises, quizzes and flashcards to help you decipher and grasp intricate, tricky and challenging grammatical concepts. Promova has live online classes with certified tutors to help enhance your learning with interactive practice. These classes are flexible and available in both 1-on-1 sessions that are tailored to your needs and group classes where you can engage with fellow language learners. 

Additionally, Promova will expose you to an engaging language community where you can participate in lively discussions, connect with language exchange partners, and elevate your communication skills through meaningful interactions with fellow learners around the world. You’ll not only be advancing your proficiency, but also forming lasting connections and friendships across cultures.

Whichever language you choose to learn, Promova provides language-specific explanations. You could choose to receive instruction in the language you’re learning for a more immersive experience, or you could choose to learn in a language that caters to your individual preferences.
If you’re learning English and are looking for a Specialized English course, such as Business English or Travel English, Promova offers specialized courses to meet those specific needs and help you navigate these environments.

Although Promova is currently only limited to 10 languages, and the homepage may be difficult to navigate to see all the services listed, we think it’s an effective platform to help you reach language fluency.

Promova Mini Review: Personalized Content to Meet Your Language Learning Needs Read More »

LanguagePod101 — All Languages, Pod101 and Class101

Updated November 20, 2023

If you want a language learning podcast that consistently adds new content to keep you motivated, you will find the “Pod101” and “Class101” series quite useful.

One great thing about LanguagePod101 programs is that they do publish new content ALL THE TIME. And their pricing structure allows language learners of any mastery and commitment levels to find contents that are useful. The pricing starts at a mere few dollars per month, and the top subscription called Premium PLUS gives learners personal feedback and a personalized program to follow.

Visit Language Learning Programs in the LanguagePod101 Series

Click the icon to visit the site for the language you want. Purchase or just check it out. Happy Learning!

You can also read ALR independent reviews for each language’s program in the following section.

LanguagePod101 — All Languages, Pod101 and Class101 Read More »

Babbel Review Italian

Babbel Italian Review: Comprehensive and Affordable Choice

Babbel Italian

Rating 4.2

Summary

Babbel is an online language-learning platform with over 1 million active users. The app aims to get learners to a conversational level as quickly as possible through the use of a variety of exercises and spaced repetition for review. The courses are well put together and relatively inexpensive; there are 14 different languages available.


Quality 4.5

It’s well-designed and the content is immediately useful.

Thoroughness 4.0

The material provided is effective and covers a lot, but isn’t ideal for advanced levels.

Value 4.0

The price is relatively low for what’s offered, but you’ll have to purchase each language separately.

I Like
  • The content is practical for real-life use
  • It’s easy to use
  • The lessons are fairly short
I Don’t Like
  • The exercises can get repetitive
  • The review exercises don’t include grammar concepts
  • Speech recognition isn’t the best way to learn pronunciation
Price

Babbel uses a recurring subscription model and offers a 20-day money-back guarantee. Price per month depends on the length of the subscription and only includes access to one language.

Monthly – $14.95/mo Every 3 Months – $12.65/mo Every 6 Months – $11.15/mo Every year – $7.45/mo

The prices listed here are for customers in the United States; they otherwise vary by region.

Course Overview

Babbel is an online language learning platform that offers courses in various languages, including Italian. The Italian course offered by Babbel is designed to help users learn the language from scratch, or to improve their existing knowledge.

Babbel Italian Review: Comprehensive and Affordable Choice Read More »

Free Guide to Learn Italian

Learn Italian For Free: Bargain Hunters Unite!

The cost of learning Italian can vary depending on the method you choose and your individual circumstances. If you opt for an Italian language course or private tutor, you can expect to pay a fee. The cost of courses can vary depending on the institution, the type of course, and the duration of the course. Similarly, private tutor fees can vary depending on the tutor’s experience and location. Because Italian is a unique language to learn, some places charge very high fees for lessons. However, learning Italian does not have to be expensive. There are many free or low-cost resources available, such as online courses or language exchange programs, that can help you to learn Italian without breaking the bank. This article will look at some free ways in which you can learn this beautiful language.

Learn Italian For Free: Bargain Hunters Unite! Read More »

Pimsleur Review Italian

Pimsleur Italian Review: Learn Italian Anywhere Anytime, Quickly

Pimsleur Italian

Rating 4.0

Summary

Pimsleur is one of the most popular and longest-standing resources out there for learning a foreign language. Its Italian courses place a strong emphasis on aural and verbal communication skills that can be used right away.


Quality 4.5

The platform is extremely well designed and easy to use. The content seems to be of high quality at all levels.

Thoroughness 4.0

Timely repetition and active practice work well, and lessons build on each other nicely, but the “intermediate fluency in 30 days” claim may be a stretch.

Value 3.5

The subscription option provides good value for some, but there may be more efficient ways to learn some languages.

I Like
  • The lessons are structured well and are an appropriate length.
  • There are both male and female native speakers.
  • Lessons build on each other nicely.
  • The platform is easy to navigate and visually appealing.
I Don’t Like
  • There’s very little visual content.
  • Lesson speed isn’t customizable.
Price

Subscriptions of either $14.95/month or $19.95/month are available for courses with at least 60 lessons. Prices otherwise range from around $20 to over $500. All purchases come with a 7-day free trial.

Course Overview

The Pimsleur Italian course is a language learning program designed to help learners acquire the Italian language through an audio-based approach. It is created by Paul Pimsleur, a renowned linguist who is known for his innovative and effective language teaching methods.

Pimsleur Italian Review: Learn Italian Anywhere Anytime, Quickly Read More »

Rosetta Stone Review Italian

Rosetta Stone Italian Review: OK. Lots of graphics. Just OK.

Rosetta Stone Italian

Rating 3.2

Summary

A Rosetta Stone Italian course could be most suitable for learners that don’t mind repetitive exercises and prefer to learn from pictures and context rather than translations and explanations. It’s probably not a good option for anyone wanting to significantly improve their speaking or writing skills, or those looking for an engaging course.


Quality 3.0

The platform is a bit clunky on desktop, but the material is accurate and presented clearly; lesson mechanics are fairly intuitive.

Thoroughness 3.0

Without much opportunity to build your own sentences, I don’t think you’ll reach a conversational level with any notable speed.

Value 3.5

Rosetta Stone’s Lifetime Subscription ($199 on sale) is quite attractive if you like the Rosetta Stone Method. Shorter subscriptions are quite reasonable, too.

I Like
  • The audio quality is very good.
  • Lessons progress naturally and logically.
I Don’t Like
  • It’s repetitive and boring.
  • You don’t get to generate your own sentences.
  • Speech recognition doesn’t work very well.
  • No grammar explanations in core material.
Price

ALR Readers Exclusive Holiday Deal!! Get the Lifetime Subscription for 25 languages for $179 (everywhere else it’s $199 right now!). See details on the website.

Course Overview

The Rosetta Stone Italian course is a language-learning program designed to teach Italian to speakers of other languages. Its method combines immersive visuals, speech recognition technology, and interactive activities to help learners acquire the language naturally, in a way (Rosetta Stone claims) is the same as when learners first acquired their native language.

Rosetta Stone Italian Review: OK. Lots of graphics. Just OK. Read More »

Story Learning Review Italian

Storylearning Italian Uncovered

StoryLearning Italian Uncovered

Summary

StoryLeaning Italian Uncovered comes from Olly Richards, the creator of the super popular polyglot blog. It’s quite a bit different than most courses as it revolves around an engaging story. It can be a bit more challenging than other courses, as you begin reading somewhat long texts right off the bat. Overall, I found it to be a more fun way to approach language learning that will be great for some but not ideal for others.


Quality 4.0

The instruction is clear but can have too much information crammed into a single lesson.

Thoroughness 4.0

You’ll practice every aspect of the language.

Value 4.0

It has a pretty high price, but if you stick with it, you’ll get good value from it.

I Like
  • Immersive narrative structure
  • Engaging Italian tutor
  • Option to join online community
I Don’t Like
  • No direct speaking software
  • Pricier than some language courses
Price

A one-time purchase costs $297. There’s also a 7-day free trial.

Storyearning’s Italian Uncovered course introduces you to the musical Italian language through an engaging, ongoing narrative followed by practical lessons on grammar and culture. StoryLearning’s method is based on the idea that humans communicate through stories, meaning that using a story will help you learn and remember a new language.

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How Long Does it Take to Learn Italian

How Long Does It Take To Learn Italian? Tell Us What Your Goals Are, and We’ll Give You Some Ideas!

Update on August 30, 2023

As with the acquisition of any new skill, it is difficult to put an exact figure on how many hours it will take to learn Italian, because there are so many factors which contribute to language acquisition. However, the Italian Language Academy (AIL) and the U.S. Foreign Service Institute (FSI) suggest that it will take between 50 and 650 hours to learn Italian. The higher level of fluency you want to reach, the more hours it will take.

How Long Does It Take To Learn Italian? Tell Us What Your Goals Are, and We’ll Give You Some Ideas! Read More »