Independent study of the Italian language. Learning Italian from scratch

If you have an idea to learn one of the most romantic and beautiful languages ​​in Europe, then you should not neglect it. Learning Italian is absolutely not difficult, the main thing is to know where to start and what to strive for. In this article, we will talk about the rules for learning Italian and their application.

Rule one: Take a test drive

A lot of material has been written about how to learn grammar, alphabet and vocabulary correctly, but almost no one pays attention to one obvious thing: you can only learn Italian well when you are imbued with this beautiful language. Almost every method of learning Italian quickly does not take into account your attitude to the language, it seems to imply that you are ready to give all your strength to learning and have a huge motivation to learn Italian. But, as practice shows, this is not always the case, and people begin to learn a language without even having an idea of ​​what it is, which often leads to disappointment and conclusions in the spirit: “I am not capable of languages.”

To avoid such devastating conclusions and deep disappointments, take the step of the horse: test drive the language. This means listening, watching and trying to speak (repeat) Italian for several weeks. Listen to Italian music, download audio lessons or try reading the Italian press with a translator. In 1-2 weeks you will not only have a basic understanding of the language, but also form your own opinion about Italian and be able to make a more informed and thoughtful decision about learning Italian.

A sure sign that you need to continue learning Italian is the pleasure and excitement you experience while learning. If after 2 weeks you have not lost your fuse and are still determined to learn Italian, then there is no need to put it off indefinitely - start learning on the same day.

Rule Two: Lay a Strong Foundation

Once you have decided and are ready to learn, it's time to talk about the order of learning. In the first couple, it is very easy to get confused and start developing something that is not what you need. Learning Italian, first of all, you need to start with the basics: the alphabet, the correct pronunciation of sounds and simple words and phrases. Conventionally, training can be divided into three stages:

1. Foundation: simple words, phrases, alphabet and pronunciation; minimal grammar.

2.Designs: great attention to vocabulary and grammar; gradual increase in hours of practice.

3. Finishing work: a lot of practice, work on the accent.

Why is it important to lay a strong foundation? Because without it you will not be able to learn Italian fully. The more responsibly you approach learning the basics of the language, the less problems you will have in the next steps. So, for example, if you pay enough attention to the pronunciation of Italian words, then it will be much easier for you in a live conversation. It's the same with grammar: the more you put into it, the less problems there will be with writing texts, letters, statements.

To form the foundations of the Italian language, I would recommend learning the language in the following sequence:

1.Alphabet and pronunciation of letters

2. Simple words and expressions

3. Greetings and other everyday phrases

As mentioned earlier, at this stage you do not need to climb into the jungle of grammar or learn 100 words on the topic “Work”, it is important to learn a minimum, but very high quality, since the rest of the study of the Italian language will be built on it.

Rule three: Don't skimp on designs

The most complex and costly, in terms of time, stage is the formation of structures. During this period, you must learn a huge number of different topics, link them with grammar and learn to apply it all in practice. Although the stage is difficult, it is he who decides how well you learn Italian.

On your own or with the help of a tutor / courses, but you will have to work very hard and very hard, since the construction period is a period of accumulating a critical amount of knowledge that will later help you to use the language fluently. Spare no effort and time to study Italian, be prepared that the language will take you all your free time: you will wake up and go to bed with it, you will go to work/study with it, and it will become your leisure time while studying.

But despite all the difficulties, the reward for this titanic work will not keep you waiting. And after 3-6 months you will already be able to correspond or even communicate on everyday topics with Italians. And in a year you will already speak and even think in Italian perfectly. It's like with a train: the most difficult thing is to move it, so don't skimp on building structures, devote yourself completely to learning the Italian language.

Rule Four: The facade must be beautiful

Strange as it may seem, but often people forget that there is the last stage in learning the Italian language - the development of communication experience and the correct accent. Many people think that learning Italian means knowing grammar and vocabulary, as well as being able to start and maintain a conversation, and it doesn’t matter how you speak, it is important that you are understood. It is very appropriate to compare this understanding of learning Italian with housing: you can live in a room where there are only walls and a roof, but it is much more pleasant and comfortable to live in an equipped, well-maintained house.

Same thing with language. It is not enough to learn all the rules and be well versed in Italian vocabulary, it is important to have a rich language base and not get lost in non-standard situations. And for that you need a lot of practice. The best way to do this is to go to Italy and live there. When you get a job, you will not only learn a lot of professional vocabulary, but also gain invaluable experience in solving non-standard tasks and a huge number of hours of language practice.

The complexity of this stage lies in the fact that in order to complete it and learn the Italian language for real, you need real actions related to changing the usual course of affairs, up to moving to Italy. After all, this is how you can use the maximum of the knowledge gained and get the maximum benefit. Even spending half a year in Italy will help you develop a huge number of non-standard situations, gain invaluable communication experience and even get rid of your accent (if you try hard).

Therefore, find an opportunity to go to this beautiful and romantic country for at least six months to consolidate all the knowledge and skills you have received. Take finishing work seriously and then you will be able to say with confidence: “I learned (a) Italian!”, and, however, it is not even necessary to say this: your speech will say it for you.

Good luck learning Italian and all the best!

LECTURES (LESSONS) ONLINE LEZIONI ONLINE

Is it possible to study Italian on your own? Grammar lectures and online lessons will help you learn Italian for free. Free online course for beginners.In each online lesson, grammar with examples, grammar exercises, texts and dialogues in Italian and vocabulary replenishment.

the concept of the article, definite and indefinite articles singular, regular verbs, conjugation of verbs of the first, second and third conjugations.

letter combinations chi, che. Articles are plural. Irregular verbs dare, stare, andare. Verbs ending in -CARE, -GARE

agreement of adjectives and nouns in gender and number. Verbs dare andare. Question words. Prepositions a, per, da.

Special cases of pronunciation. Auxiliary verbs ESSERE, AVERE. Turnovers c "è / ci sono. Ordinal and cardinal numbers. Arithmetic operations and numbers in Italian. Count in Italian.

Personal pronouns. Merged forms of preposition and article (preposition + article). The use of the preposition a and di with verbs and nouns.

Acquaintance. Forms of greeting and parting. Truncation of verbs, nouns, adjectives.

Verbs of the second and third conjugations. Ordinal and cardinal numbers (tens, hundreds, thousands). Dates. Merging of prepositions di, su with articles.

Word hyphenation rules. Irregular verbs of the second conjugation. Modal verbs dovere, potere, volere, sapere. Indefinite adjectives and pronouns ogni, qualche, alcuno, qualcuno, qualcosa. Possessive adjectives and possessive pronouns mio, tuo, suo, nostro, vostro, loro. Rules for the use of the article. Adverb, adjective and pronoun molto, poco.

Irregular verbs of the second conjugation: venire, tenere, salire, rimanere, bere, uscire. Stressed and unstressed personal pronouns (me, te, mi, ti, lo, la, le, li, ci, vi). Return verbs. Plural formation of adjectives and nouns ending in -co, -go, -ca, -ga (-che, -ghe, -chi, -ghi).

Indefinite adjective tutto. What time is it now. Stressed and unstressed form of the verb piacere. Adverbs anche, neanche, nemeno.

Regular verbs in difficult tenses. Past tense (near past) passato prossimo. Transitive and intransitive verbs. Unstressed forms of personal pronouns in the past tense. Reflexive past tense verbs. Auxiliary verb choice in passato prossimo. The meaning of the article. Basic meanings of the definite article.

Say what you like, but learning a foreign language from scratch is what a job! Especially mental and, most often, emotional. For me, that's exactly what happened. In my school years, like many others, I began to study English. It was primitive, at the level of knowledge of the alphabet, personal pronouns, standard phrases like "My name is Natasha" and "I live in Moscow" or meager poems that I have eyes and I can see a book and a pen in front of me, I see ceiling and floor, I see a window and a door. You know, many years have passed, but I still remember the rhyme. Apparently, the weekly repetition worked. And what?

I am ashamed, but when I first came abroad, I could not communicate with foreigners. Generally. No way. Well, except that hello, goodbye and thank you. It was the maximum.

I was devoured by a sense of shame, because next to me there is a sister who speaks excellent English, speaks German, Spanish and Portuguese. And each of our conversations ended with her optimistic phrase “Learn English!”. But I didn't want to. I had no desire for this.

In the most terrible summer of 2010, I went to Italy. Two weeks of walks in the most beautiful cities: Rome, Milan, Florence, Naples. Under the road from one city to another we looked. Graceful "Roman Holiday" with Audrey Hepburn, breathtaking "The Italian Job" with greetings from Venice, sunny shots "Under the Tuscan Sun", which have become the most beloved and symbolic images of Italy. In the evenings in a small room (oh, that piccolo!) I turned on the Italian TV channel Rai and listened, listened, listened ...

However, I did not start learning Italian on my own right away. There were several important and fateful meetings that turned into golden keys from the doors to the world called "Italian language". I share these "meetings" with you. Heartily.

A young man with an interesting name, Zhivko, greets hotel guests with a wide, disarming smile. A melodious Italian dialect spreads around, and he invites you to sit down in pure Russian: “Welcome to Italy! Coffee?" And after a few minutes, a steaming, fragrant cup of espresso appears on a tiny table. This is how my Italian morning began at the Playa Hotel, located on the Viserbell embankment, which is a 10-minute drive from the city. July that year turned out to be very hot, even in the morning hours the Italians themselves hide under awnings, miniature umbrellas and behind bar counters. “Just like at my house,” Zhivko admits, and this is where our acquaintance begins.

In the Hotel Playa, which mainly hosts Italians and only a few rooms are usually occupied by visiting foreigners, everyone speaks their own language. English does not help in communication, in Italian at that time I could only say 2 words - Ciao and Grazie. Therefore, it was Zhivko who became my personal translator. I was alone in the Russian hotel.

Later we met with him at the hotel restaurant. There was a menu on a separate table attached to me for the rest of the holiday. Of course, everything is in Italian. Under each name of the dish, Zhivko wrote a translation with a simple pencil. Albeit with errors, but still such attention is expensive.

I remember once I really wanted milk. Still, coffee in the morning, afternoon and evening is unusual for me. “Milk is latte,” Zhivko explained and smiled again.

I remember those days with warmth, because each of us can find ourselves in a situation where a person who can speak your native language is simply needed nearby in a foreign country. I already have it. Although now we can already speak Italian. If you ever find yourself in the Witherbella area, say hello to Zhivko from Moscow.

And another Italian inspiration

I don’t remember exactly in what television season, Channel One began showing the Ice Age show, in which pairs of professionals and amateurs skated on ice. Among them was my favorite couple. They performed one of the numbers of the program to the amazing and probably the most famous song (Adriano Celentano) "Confessa". By itself, the number under the spotlights fascinated, but even more I was captivated by this amazing voice with a hoarseness. Guess what I wanted to do? First, understand what the song is about. And, secondly, to sing yourself. But for this you had to know Italian.

And then one day, on one of the warm summer evenings, I made up my mind. Okay, I will learn English! Because it is necessary. And I will learn Italian. Because I want. This difference between “need” and “want” played a very important role for me. I know the second language better than the first.

Do not force yourself, friends! Let learning a new language bring satisfaction and joy from what happens. And, most importantly, teach for yourself, not for others. After all, how nice it is to hear small but successful attempts to pronounce a phrase in Italian, the words “Brava!”

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One of the most popular types of questions on services like "Mail.ru Answers" or "Google Answers" are questions from people who are interested in learning certain foreign languages, but decide, before starting classes, to "test the ground" and find out what they need to mentally prepare.

With this article, I would like to address, first of all, precisely such people. However, it will be interesting in itself for those who wish to broaden their horizons.

The article is divided into 2 antonymous parts:

1. The main difficulties that arise when learning this language.
2. Language characteristics, on the contrary, simplify (sometimes significantly) its study.

Characteristics will be given in comparison with other major European languages ​​(mainly English) for greater clarity.

I'll start talking about Italian with a few interesting facts. Modern Italian can be considered an artificial language, which was developed after the unification of the country in the 60-70s. XIX century based on the Tuscan dialect. Even during the First World War, Italians from different regions could hardly understand each other, and it was then that the imposition of official Italian began especially actively.

Now I can say from my own experience that no one has problems with understanding. Dialets have not gone away, but now they are used mostly in the plane of personal, friendly (if friends are from the same region) and family relationships. The vast majority of the population speaks Italian without any problems, the only exception is provincial Italy, and even then it is mainly its elderly contingent, which communicates with each other almost exclusively in dialect (for example, the conversations of Trentino pensioners living in mountain valleys, an Italian from another risks not understand completely).

In fact, many dialects are essentially independent languages. For example, it is very interesting that the Sicilian dialect is a direct descendant of Latin itself, and has nothing to do with Italian. And, for example, the Sardinian language is completely independent language, having its own dialects.

Why is it easy?

Where does the learning of any language begin? Of course, from phonetics. For those who know English, it will not be difficult to read Italian correctly - probably, in terms of phonetics, Italian is the easiest language in the world. Only 21 letters (which is 5 less than in English) plus combinations of letters that form sounds that are easy to reproduce in Cyrillic (gn - н, gl - л, sc - sh, etc.) and will never cause such despair for beginners, like the same English sound "th" or its Spanish counterpart "c" / "z" (without this word in Spain you will not be able to pronounce correctly, for example, the word "beer" (cerveza)), not to mention nasal sounds French, without knowing which you will not be able to correctly pronounce even the most elementary words like "bon" (good).

With regard to the relationship between vowels and consonants, the situation against the background of the Russian language with a gigantic host of phonetic rules seems simply elementary: vowels are pronounced exactly the same as on paper, consonants do not change or soften, and the reading of some of them is regulated by a few very elementary rules.

Why is it hard?

The incredible ease of Italian phonetics, unfortunately, goes sideways for native Russian speakers, whose speech is "captured" by a huge number of Russian pronunciation rules that are automatically put into action when speaking in Italian.

The Italian ear is very sensitive. Often, when changing one sound, they refuse to understand the word as a whole. This is especially detrimental to the acane, the significance of which in the matter of mangling Italian words can be overestimated:

"doloroso" [doloroso], but by no means [dALArozo].

"mortalita" [mOrtalita], nor not [martalita].

The softening of consonants sounds especially terrible in Italian:

"livello" [livello], here "l", sounds the same as in the word "scrap", but not like in the word "rainstorm".

That is, the difficulty for the Russian speaker, paradoxically, lies precisely in the ease of pronunciation, that is, in the absolutely accurate reading of each vowel and consonant of Italian words.

In addition, do not neglect the meaning of double consonants, of which there are a lot in Italian.

It is strongly not recommended to pronounce at the pace of a high-speed train. If the name of the famous musician Ramazzotti is spelled with two "t" and two "z" (Ramazzotti), then it should be pronounced like this: not [ramozotti], but [ramazzotti].

Why is it easy?

Italian language is analytical. This means the absence of cases, the function of which is performed by prepositions. Despite the obvious lexical similarity with Latin, Italian is nevertheless very far from Latin in terms of grammar: in Italian, as I said, there are no 6 cases that terrify students, there is no neuter gender, and there are many other differences.

The absence of a case system always makes life much easier. Those who studied German understand this. Although there are only 4 of them, even this number is enough to cause panic attacks in beginners when they see tables of case declensions of German articles, adjectives and numerals.

Let's make a visual comparison:

English: My brother's younger sister gave her mother 2 pieces of bread.

Italian: Mia sorella minore di mio fratello ha dato 2 fette di pane alla sua mamma.

As you can see, in the Russian version we did without prepositions at all, while the analytical structure of the Italian language means a very active use of them, which, of course, is easier to learn even for native speakers of the "mega-synthetic" Russian language.

Why is it hard?

Another initial theme, which, it would seem, should not cause problems is articles. The rules for their use are seemingly simple, but in fact, speakers of Russian and other languages ​​who are not "burdened" with this language tool make a lot of mistakes here, which greatly disfigures Italian speech.

There is a lot to be learned just by cramming. Using English as a guide will not help matters - there are too many differences.

I'm going to the theatre: Vado a treatro (no article).

I'm going to the cinema: Vado al cinema (with the article).

Without going into details, one can especially dwell on the fact that in Italian articles are obligatory for possessive pronouns, which contrasts with most European languages. Compare:

English: I see my car.

German: Ich sehe mainen Wagen.

French: Je vois ma voiture.

Spanish: Veo mi coche.

English: I see my car.

Italian: Vedo la mia auto (la is the article, mia is mine).

As you can see, only in Italian, when using a possessive pronoun, is it worth paying attention to the corresponding declension of the article referring to the noun.

Why is it easy?

The derivation of many Italian nouns (in particular, household items) is a great example of how often the language does not "steam" and goes in the most straightforward way.

Many words are a banal "verb + noun" link in an almost completely modified form, which greatly simplifies their memorization:

portare (carry) + cenere (ash) = portacenere (ashtray).

portare (carry) + container (container) = portacontainer (container ship).

portare (carry) + bagagli (luggage) = portabagagli (trunk).

lavare (wash) + stoviglie (dishes) = lavastoviglie (dishwasher).

aspirare (inhale) + polvere (dust) = aspirapolvere (vacuum cleaner).

spazzare (sweep) + neve (snow) = spazzaneve (snowplow).

asciugare (wipe) + mani (hands) = asciugamani (towel).

And many other words.

In addition to the simplicity of word formation of such nouns, their ease lies in the fact that they are immutable, that is, the transition to the plural is grammatically displayed only by changing the article.

Why is it hard?

The subjunctive mood (congiuntivo), the use of which in Romance languages ​​is approximately functionally similar, presents difficulties for Russian speakers. Strongly (very strongly) generalizing, the subjunctive mood means that the information provided is either doubtful or emotionally colored. Sometimes Italians deliberately replace the subjunctive with the indicative in order to give their words more power and authenticity, but in doing so they make a grammatical error.

In practice, the use of the subjunctive means that you must always remember the appropriate forms of the verb when expressing hope, expectation, emotion, dissatisfaction, etc.

For example:

Information presented as fact:

Black car = L "auto e nere.

Now let's add a little "personality factor":

I think his car is black = Credo che la sua auto sia nera.

Both in the first phrase and in the second - 3 persons, singular. the number of the verb "to be", but as you can see, in the second version it has changed: it is not the fact that the car is really black, but only our opinion, that is, that we believe that it is black.

Complicating the situation with the use of the subjunctive is the fact that it is used in a huge number of the most used phraseological units, for example, after the words "although", "in order to", "in order to" and so on, and you need to get used to it, otherwise, the speech will not only be illiterate, but even "difficult to understand."

Why is it easy?

You study almost all other romantic languages ​​at the same time - they have such similar vocabulary. In addition, in learning Italian, knowing an English dictionary, which also contains many Latin elements, will be of great service to you.

Here are just a thousandth of such words:

Russian - English - Italian

allow - permit - permettere

stunning - splendid - splendido

huge - enorme

page - page - pagina

apartment - apartment - appartamento

terrible - terrible - terribile

accurate - accurate - accurato

casual - casual - casiale

diary - diary - diario

pen - pen - penna

powerful - potent - potente

and many, many other words.

What's even more interesting. In addition to vocabulary, you will also find a huge number of grammatical similarities - with other romantic languages. Their number is incalculable: from the most common to the conjugation of irregular verbs.

As you can see, learning Italian has several pitfalls, but the main thing is that, in general, it is not difficult and very interesting. Having mastered this language, you will be able to better appreciate, without exaggeration, the boundless richness of Italy's culture and history and, which is very important for me personally, understand the meaning of beautiful Italian songs and sing along with them. Success in your studies!

Learning Italian from scratch. Easily!

Italian is not the most common language - it is spoken mainly on the Apennine Peninsula, but it is rightfully considered one of the most beautiful. This is a very melodic, rhythmic and harmonious language, which is usually spoken expressively and emotionally (remember how Italians like to gesticulate). If you have no problems with gestures, but there are gaps in Italian, it's time to download the learning app to your mobile device and devote your free time to your favorite language.

HelloTalk

The application allows you to choose 1 of 100 foreign languages ​​in which you will communicate directly with a native speaker of this language. No theory, just practice. A fellow teacher can instantly correct your grammar, syntax, pronunciation, and more. You can learn multiple languages ​​at the same time.

Duolingo

You'll find Duolingo in every one of our language reviews. And all thanks to its popularity and effectiveness, which has already been tested by more than 150 million people. According to the developers, "34 hours spent with Duolingo are equal in effectiveness to a semester at the university." This is achieved by learning in a playful way, where there is no place for boring lectures, but there are games, interactive tasks, video tutorials and short exercises to consolidate knowledge.

iTalk

The application offers to record your voice and improve your pronunciation every day. You will be able to independently analyze your successes and work on your mistakes. Every day you will learn not a single word, but whole phrases from real life. At the end of the lesson, you can answer questions in the form of a quiz to test your knowledge.

hello pal

Mobile application for communication with native speakers from all over the world. Two forms of communication are available to users: correspondence and audio messages. There is a call function. Even if you do not speak Italian, but really want to communicate, built-in translators and phrasebooks will come to the rescue.

Babbel

Application for replenishment of vocabulary. The student is offered three ways at once: enter the word into context, repeat phrases after the speaker, or write it down using the suggested letters. The downside of the application is that there is paid content. The free package includes only 8 core themes.

Busuu

Busuu offers to learn the basics of the language the old tried and true way - through dictionaries and grammar lessons, completing interactive tests and listening to correct Italian. Completed tasks for testing can be sent to a native speaker, who are happy to help students improve their knowledge.

Nemo

A personal tutor in your pocket that helps you learn new words and phrases, offers different tasks for your level, and also monitors your progress and offers to consolidate your knowledge by throwing up learned words to check.

easy ten

Initially, it was an application for learning only English. Now it is 10 languages, among which there is Italian. The program offers to learn 10 new words daily, which is 3650 new words per year. There are 4 types of test used to test memorization. There is a system of rewards and rating among friends. There is paid content.

Learn Italian Phrasebook

Learn Italian is an easy to use mobile Italian phrasebook. It will be a great travel companion. All words were recorded by native speakers, so you will hear authentic pronunciations and be prepared to understand emotional Italians in advance.

Memrise

You can learn languages ​​not only by memorizing words, but also by playing an exciting space game. Yes, you heard right. Memrise offers a fun way to learn foreign languages. There are several difficulty levels for students. But in any case, you will enjoy a creative approach to learning.

Download application for , for

This is our list of useful mobile apps to help you learn the beautiful language of Dante. But remember, the main thing in studying is regularity. Don't be lazy and don't put off until later what you can learn right now.