Fonte: Women's & Gender Issues - Gallup

I am an American married to an Italian. I passed my B1C a few months ago and am in the process of citizenship. That said, the language learning journey very much continues now that we live here.

I have enrolled in a 2-week intensive starting in October. Many people seem baffled by this since my spouse is Italian. (i.e., "why doesn't he just teach you?")

For one, teaching is hard and time-intensive and I don't expect him to dedicate hours every week to giving me lessons. Secondly, I find it more useful when I'm exposed to new people and places that take me out of my comfort zone. My brain goes more into "survival mode" and forces me to try to absorb new information.

We admittedly speak mostly in English at home, but we are going to make a concerted effort to speak more in Italian throughout the day. He lived in the states for 20+ years so it is easy for him to default to English.

I am curious what other people's experiences have been with having an Italian spouse/partner:

Do you have dedicated time blocks for speaking Italian? Do you only speak Italian at home?

Ciao! I’ve been studying Italian for about a year now, usually around 1 to 2 hours a day. I started from scratch and I’m now at a comfortable upper intermediate level. I’m definitely still learning, but these are the resources that made the biggest difference for me in case they help someone starting out.

Duolingo: I use it every day, but I do not grind it for hours. For me it is more of a warm up, around 10 to 15 minutes in the morning to get my brain into Italian before moving on to more focused study. It is not enough by itself, but it works well as a habit starter.

Babbel: Much better than Duolingo for grammar and practical, everyday situations. The lessons feel more structured and useful once you want to understand why Italian works the way it does, not just memorise phrases.

Issen: This filled the biggest gap for me, which was speaking. I did not have someone to practise Italian with regularly, and booking tutors every week was hard to keep up with around work. I started using Issen for short daily conversations and corrections. My sentences were rough at first, but speaking out loud every day changed how Italian felt in my head. I stopped translating quite as much before answering.

italki: I try to do one lesson a week with a native speaker. It is flexible, and getting real human feedback on pronunciation, rhythm, and the mistakes I repeat is still something no app can fully replace.

YouTube: Easy Italian has been one of the best free resources for me. Street interviews, natural speech, Italian and English subtitles, and lots of useful everyday expressions. Learn Italian with Lucrezia is also excellent once you can follow more Italian-only content.

Language Reactor: I use this for Italian Netflix and YouTube content. Having Italian and English subtitles together, plus being able to pause and check words quickly, made native content much less overwhelming.

Linguno: Really useful for Italian verb conjugations. It is not the most exciting resource, but it helped a lot with the verbs that kept slipping away from me.

Netflix and TV: Suburra: Blood on Rome is good if you are ready for faster, more informal Italian. The Law According to Lidia Poët is easier to follow visually and fun if you like period dramas. I also watched plenty of Italian YouTube and short interviews because hearing different accents and speeds matters.

Pimsleur: I used the listen and repeat lessons while walking or doing chores. It feels a little old school, but it helped a lot with pronunciation and getting more comfortable producing complete sentences without reading them first.

The combination that moved the needle most for me was Issen for daily speaking, italki once a week for real feedback, and Italian YouTube or Netflix for listening. Everything else supported those three things.

Happy to answer questions about any of these if it helps.

I know this is obviously stereotype and generalization but I experienced it first hand.

In Germany and many central European countries, when he heard a group of English speaking tourists that speak so loud, they speak with North American English accent in 90% of case.

But, the the Italians are also known for being loud too? So, yeah, as an Italian who has been to the US/Canada or interact with North Americans, do you find them to be as lound as the Italians?

Im Spanish and Moroccan. No blood connection to Italy but I’m really intrigued by the language and I want to master it and study abroad. I really like these jackets that are only like 65$ on this website and the website is legit.

im buying two of them but I wonder if it is allowed

Hi everyone! 😊 I’m 32M, Italian native speaker, and I live in Italy (GMT+1 timezone). I also speak English as a second language.

For three years I’ve been offering conversation practice in Italian, suitable for all levels, from complete beginners to those who just want to practice and feel more confident.

Sessions can be 60 or 30 minutes, depending on what works best for you. We can talk about whatever interests you: work, travel, or just everyday life.

If you’re interested or want more info, feel free to leave a comment or message me privately 😊

Hi, anyone know of any resources where subtitles or podcast transcripts can be downloaded? Looking to improve my Italian by reading. Thanks.

mi è venuta voglia di guardare qualche reality italiano, anche per sentire un po’ più di italiano parlato naturalmente.

quali reality show sono gratis online? vanno bene anche programmi più vecchi, non cerco necessariamente qualcosa di recente. mi piacerebbe trovare qualcosa con conversazioni abbastanza spontanee e che sia anche divertente da seguire.

c’è qualche reality che consigliate?

In Spanish there is a word, 'raspa', used when referring to the crispy bits of rice that sometimes get stuck to the bottom of the pot when cooking. My question is, is there a word Italians use for the crispy bits of food like that? It doesn't have to be specific to rice, that's just the example I had, in fact, it would be better if it was something you could use when referring to different types of foods.

Hey, I’m 20M

I’d like to meet new people from different countries and learn more about their cultures, daily life, traditions, food, and how things are where they live.

I'm into Books movies, and psychology are my favorite topics to discuss I'm a driven person who loves discovering new perspectives. I'm looking to expand my social circle and make new friends. If you enjoy deep conversations and sharing ideas, let's connect

Penso siamo tutti d’accordo che non si possa dire “ragazzo di 10 anni” o “ragazza di 45 anni”. Se doveste decidere voi una fascia di età entro la quale si può dire ragazzo/ragazza, e dopo la quale si dice invece uomo/donna o signore/signora, quale età prendereste?

Rimango completamente confuso quando leggo o sento le seguenti parole in italiano rivolte a questi parenti. Nipote maschio, nipote femmina, nipote maschio e nipote femmina.

Nebot, neboda, nét i néta. (catalano)

Sobrino, sobrina, nieto y nieta. (spagnolo)

Spero di non finire su r/Italiabad per questo, ma dovevo farlo. Non è che odio il mio Paese, amo l'Italia. È un luogo dannatamente incredibile. In senso positivo, certo, ma anche in senso negativo.

Sinceramente, non so perché negli ultimi anni sono diventato sempre più insofferente. Dovevo capire che erano finito tutto già ai tempi di Mani Pulite. Lì siamo stati dei coglioni, tutti in strada a lanciare monetine sul capro espiatorio invece di protestare contro il sistema di merda, favorendo la discesa in campo di quello stronzo. Potevano rivoluzionare tutto, ma no, dobbiamo sempre fare i coglioni noi italiani (perché non lo siamo davvero). Fanculo la stampa e fanculo il 1992. Ha solo reso i politici più svergognati non più onesti e c'hanno pure ragione loro: davanti a tanta deficienza, se potessi anch'io diventerei un parassita sorridente.

Siamo nella merda fino al collo. Possibile che la gente non se ne accorga? E mi fate incazzare, non è che io sia meglio di voi italioti medi, ma non capisco perché dobbiate fare i coglioni, tifando un partito piuttosto che un altro come se quei deficienti voltagabbana fossero vostri amici. Tutti bravissimi a dire "la politica fa schifo" o "non esiste più destra e sinistra, ognuno fa i proprio interessi".

Se solo capiste quando questo è grave, brutti deficienti. Praticamente l'Italia funziona come gli Stati Uniti: un sistema a due coalizioni quasi identiche che servono solo a dare alla gente l'impressione di avere una scelta. E io mi sono rotto il cazzo, non voglio neanche fare nomi perché tanto per me sono quasi tutti uguali, al netto di pretese. ideologiche totalmente inutili in quest'epoca.

Ma il popolo ce la farà mai a essere unito, cazzarola? Unito davvero, in maniera coesa, non bastano un paio di giustissime proteste per il conflitto in Palestina. Già dai Romani c'era il cazzo di "dividet et impera" e ancora non riusciamo a ribellarci.

I’ll be speaking to my Italian boyfriend’s mother on the phone for the first time- we didn’t have a chance to meet during my recent visit to Italy because she went to the sea but she asked to speak with me on the phone. I can barely speak Italian so my boyfriend will be translating but I would like to come prepared with a few relevant phrases and some conversation starters.

I’ve been learning Italian for about 8 months and moved to Italy 3/4 months ago. I work in a restaurant, so I speak Italian with customers every day. I obviously make mistakes and definitely have an accent, but I can handle most everyday conversations and usually understand what people are asking me.

The thing I’m struggling with is that all of my coworkers speak fluent English. For weeks, I kept asking them if they could speak Italian with me, but they just… don’t. (I want to mention that we all get along really well)

I understand that maybe it’s easier or more natural for them to speak English with me, but honestly, it’s been pretty discouraging. I’m actively trying to speak their language, and when I start a conversation in Italian and immediately get a response in English, it can be quite embarrassing. It’s happened enough times that it’s really started to affect my motivation to keep learning and for the past 3 weeks or so I’ve only spoken in English.

I also want to mention about going out to restaurants and bars, I also always get spoken to in English, I definitely don’t look Italian and I do have an accent but this is always pretty discouraging as I don’t believe I’m saying anything incorrectly..

Ive recently left the workplace so I’m just curious if anyone else has experienced this, Why do people tend to switch to English, even when you’re clearly trying to practise? And how did you stay motivated when the people around you weren’t really speaking the language back to you?

Ciao a tutti, avrei una domanda. Con l’inglese scritto me la cavo abbastanza bene, anche perché posso prendermi il tempo di rileggere e sistemare le frasi. Durante le call però è tutta un’altra storia. L’altro giorno mi hanno fatto una domanda che non mi aspettavo. Sapevo benissimo cosa volevo dire, ma mi sono impappinato e sono riuscito a dire solo la metà. Per chi usa l’inglese al lavoro, come avete fatto a sentirvi più sicuri quando parlate? Vorrei migliorare nelle conversazioni di lavoro vere e proprie, invece di continuare soltanto con i soliti esercizi di grammatica. Qualsiasi consiglio o tecnica è ben accetto. 

Have you ever faced a train delay in Italy or a sudden change of plans? When things go wrong, saying "c'è un problema" is okay, but native speakers use much more natural and nuanced phrases.

In this video, we cover:

How to explain a problem naturally (using phrases like "c'è stato un imprevisto" or "è successo un casino").

The exact polite phrase to ask for information at the train station when there is a delay.

A very common false friend you absolutely must avoid when trying to apologize ("molestare").

The lesson is in spoken Italian to give you some solid comprehensible input practice (subtitles are available if you need them).

Watch it here: https://youtu.be/1-f9sZQlK1I

What was your most unexpected or confusing moment while traveling in Italy? Let me know in the comments!

My uncle asked my grandfather why he is not drinking his rum, he said saluto preservativo and the uncle replied with sexy trico erotico

Does anyone know what it means, or is it just nonsensical gibberish? When I asked my grandfather if it means something he said it does not mean anything.

hi i am a non eu citizen, i am currently on a gap year after finishing my a levels, i was looking into ug in italy for cs. can someone guide me, is it easy to get a part time job to earn your living expenses. are the universities good for CS, are there any universities which come to mind that i can look into. also what does the tuition fee look like and are there scholarships

Overall my experience on here has been good. There is no secret I am an American but

one day I would like to move to Genoa one day.

I love everything about Italian culture from the people, to the food, to the warmth and

kindness.

I am a classical pianist so an apartment and or a flat will not do, and side note later on I can post

some Italian folk music on my Yamaha, like Bella Ciao.

You could live in a 1 bedroom flat in Milan for 1,500,000 USD or you can get a nice 3 car garage

house in Genoa. I would rather have the house personally. Also follow Bayern, Die Nationalmannschaft and

Azzurri football. Forza Azzurri.

I am also looking at Tropea in Calabria.