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Think In Italian (Ripeti Con Me) Review

Think in Italian (Ripeti Con Me)

Rating 4.4

Summary

Think in Italian, created by Stefano Lodola, a well-versed Italian polyglot, offers a unique approach to learning Italian. It combines intuitive audio courses, a vast library of bilingual readings, and an innovative AI tutor, all tailored to enhance speaking rhythm and understanding of the Italian language. The course stands out for its effective teaching method, though it might not appeal to everyone due to its straightforward, non-gamified approach.


Quality 4.5

The materials are top-notch, blending traditional learning with innovative AI elements. Each component feels carefully curated and well-integrated.

Thoroughness 4.5

The course excels in reinforcing learned material. Concepts are revisited in new contexts, ensuring solid retention and understanding.

Value 4.3

The price is not cheap, but worth the investment for serious learners. The blend of audio lessons, readings, and AI tutor offers more depth and interaction than many other courses.

I Like
  • The natural approach to language learning, mimicking the way we naturally acquire languages.
  • How the AI tutor personalizes conversations, making learning feel tailored and engaging.
  • The ease of fitting the bite-sized readings into a busy schedule without losing the essence of immersion.
  • The focus on Italian culture, names, and places, enriching the learning experience.
  • The structured progression of lessons, where previous learnings are revisited in future lessons, reinforcing knowledge.
I Don’t Like
  • Some may find the course lacks the gamified elements found in other language apps, which could be a motivator for certain learners.
  • The lesson style is straightforward, with key concepts being learned through exposure rather than explicit teaching, which might be challenging for those who prefer more structured, traditional lessons.
Price

The course starts with a 7-day free trial, followed by a subscription of $39.80/month or $357/year.

Click our link to get 50% off on your first month

I recently had the chance to dive into newly updated Think in Italian (formerly known as Ripeti Con Me), an online Italian learning platform created by Stefano Lodola, who amazingly has mastered 12 languages himself through many language learning methods.

With a personal touch from Stefano, the method is grounded in natural language acquisition — listening and mimicking.

What’s in Think in Italian

Right off the bat, Think in Italian struck me as more than just a course — it’s a comprehensive journey into the language. The platform is a clever mix of:

  • audio lessons
  • bilingual readings
  • AI tutor

 As someone who’s tried their fair share of language apps, this one stands out for its depth and practicality.

Audio Lessons

The 250 audio lessons in the course Ripeti con me! (repeat after me) are a real gem. They focus on speech and repetition, reminding me of how we naturally pick up languages.

Inspired by Glossika, this course improves upon many aspects of the latter. The course focuses on speaking lots of sentences with variations, helping learners understand sentence structures and grammar intuitively.

Each audio lesson is dedicated to a single grammar topic, and subsequent lessons are designed to progressively build upon the previous ones, reinforcing and expanding your understanding.

Free grammar lessons on the website link to relevant audio lessons, enhancing the learning process. Each lesson lasts 20-30 minutes and is designed to be completed daily.

I found myself grasping grammar patterns and vocabulary much quicker than I expected. And honestly, I was surprised at how soon I started thinking in Italian—it felt like my brain was rewiring itself!

Bilingual Readings

I enjoyed the variety in the 1,500-plus bilingual readings. From intriguing stories to current news, each piece comes with audio and side-by-side Italian and English texts. 

The readings are categorized into five engaging types: stories, news articles, conversations, jokes, and songs, each providing a different context for language use.

What’s great is how these readings fit into even the busiest schedule. I could immerse myself in Italian during my coffee breaks, and it felt like no effort at all!

The reading library is an excellent replacement for LingQ thanks to a more effective repetition system, coherent text format and quality. In short, it offers a more organized and engaging way to learn.

When you encounter a new word, not only can you instantly access its translation and listen to its correct pronunciation, but you also have the option to add it to a personalized review list. Furthermore, the AI tutor is available to clarify entire sentences upon request, enhancing comprehension and retention.

AI Tutor

The AI tutor is where things get really interesting. It felt like having a personal Italian tutor who knew exactly what I needed. 

The conversations were tailored to my level, and the immediate feedback on my pronunciation was pretty cool. It’s this interactive, responsive learning that I think really sets Think in Italian apart.

With various modes available, learners can engage in role plays simulating real-life scenarios like ordering at a restaurant, checking into a hotel, or even going on a first date. Each role play is designed to build conversational skills and confidence in practical situations.

The AI tutor’s settings allow for a high degree of personalization. Users can choose the AI voice’s character and adjust its speech rate to match the pace of natural Italian speakers. The speech recognition setting encourages learners to respond promptly, promoting fluency and reducing overthinking.

Personality traits can be attributed to the AI, ranging from ‘ambitious’ and ‘compassionate’ to ‘stubborn’ and ‘unpredictable,’ adding depth to the conversational experience. However, it is recommended to keep the originality settings low to ensure repetition and better retention of new words and phrases.

For focused learning, modules can be turned on or off, like the wordlist feature, which allows learners to add or remove words for later review. The translation language is set to English, assisting learners in understanding and responding accurately.

You can input their details such as first name, gender, age, and proficiency level to tailor the interaction further. You can also select favorite topics from a diverse list including books, business, culture, and travel, ensuring conversations are aligned with personal interests and learning goals.

This AI tutor appears to be a robust tool for language practice, providing a rich, adaptive environment for users to improve their Italian conversation skills effectively.

The AI tutor’s cool features

Delving deeper into the AI tutor, it’s clear that there are several neat features designed to enhance the learning experience:

  • Chat Review: This feature allows you to revisit previous conversations, reinforcing what you’ve learned and ensuring retention.
  • Handy Shortcuts: With quick responses like “that’s too difficult” or “ask me another question,” you can guide the difficulty and flow of the conversation to match your comfort level.
  • Flashcard Generation: The AI tutor can turn your chat logs into nice looking flashcards, making review sessions both effective and engaging.
  • Skill Assessment: The AI analyzes your conversations, identifying patterns in your responses to help correct common mistakes, providing a tailored learning experience.
  • Printable Chats and Downloadable Audio: For those who benefit from offline study, you can print the chat logs and download the audio of your interactions for review at any time.
  • Response Suggestions: If you’re ever at a loss for words, the tutor offers suggested responses to help keep the conversation moving.
  • Real-Time Grammar Corrections: As you converse, the AI tutor provides immediate grammar corrections, facilitating on-the-spot learning.

App to learn on the go while offline

Think in Italian now has its own app, which offers a practical solution for learning Italian offline.

Compatible with mobile, desktop, and tablet, it mirrors the website’s features, including audio lessons, readings, and AI tutor, but with the added benefit of offline course access. 

Its synchronization capability across devices makes it a convenient tool for learners on the move.

Not only audio

The courses have been enhanced for visual learners with the addition of vivid images that complement the sentences in both the audio lessons and readings, enriching the learning experience by providing visual context.

Seamless Learning Experience

Transitioning between the different elements of the course was seamless. I could hop from an audio lesson to a reading, then test my skills with the AI tutor.

Each component complemented the others perfectly, making the learning process feel holistic and natural.

Weaknesses

Although I think Think in Italian has evolved quite nicely from the days of Ripeti Con Me (former name of Think In Italian with a smaller scope), there are still some weaknesses.

Not everyone will be thrilled with the style of lessons. Similar to Glossika, Think in Italian isn’t for everyone. If you have tried Glossika and didn’t love it, you probably won’t love this course either.

As a complete beginner of Italian, I felt like I would benefit from a more concerted effort to learn proper pronunciation. While I felt like my pronunciation definitely improved from speaking a lot, I could tell that I was still making mistakes that would require more attention that’s beyond the scope of this course.

Additionally, combining this course with resources like Anki or Memrise to help review words could be useful, though there’s enough repetition throughout the course that it may not be necessary.

You may also want to listen to some Italian podcasts as a way to get more passive listening practice.

Pricing

There are a few different payment options for gaining access to the Ripeti Con Me course. You can either subscribe for $39.80/mo or annually, which comes out to be $29.75/mo. If you really like the program, you can make a Lifetime purchase of $980.

All of the subscription options come with a 7-day free trial and a 30-day money back guarantee.

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, Think in Italian is a breath of fresh air in the world of language learning apps. It’s clear that a lot of thought and expertise went into its current creation. 

Think in Italian can definitely help you improve your Italian, especially speaking. It’s very easy to avoid speaking while studying a language but this course forces you to start speaking Italian right away.

Whether you’re starting from scratch or looking to up your Italian game, this platform has something for everyone.

Use the promo code “ALRRCM” to save 5%

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1 thought on “Think In Italian (formerly: Ripeti Con Me) Review – Strong Focus on Speaking”

  1. You know that somehow you need to get thrown in the proverbial deep end if you are ever going to be able to speak in Italy and be understood……” Ripeti Con Mi” forces you out of your (reading) comfort zone and into the real world (almost) It really gives you the confidence to be able to speak to people in italy with less embarrassment because it makes you think on your feet in Italian instead of just passively reading it.
    It takes quite a lot of previous learning experience before it is really useful but after a certain point it becomes a joy to realise it’s not that difficult to make yourself understood and in turn actually understand what Italians are saying to you…. Iv’e tried several online methods and this really works for me. bravo Stephano

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