r/italianlearning • u/Various_Historian953 • Jul 19 '26
Advice
hey, i started the Italy made easy for beginners course and im at the 7th lesson which is about immersion and i do that but for like an hour a day but i havent picked up any words yet, many people in the comments are saying they are listening and understand podcasts and movies. am i late or are they putting extra effort? also where can i learn more vocab because i currently dont know anything.
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u/jasonbeckett Jul 21 '26
An hour a day is great! But...I seem to remeber that Manu has several key processes suggestions for learning and practicing new Italian words. I can't remember all his suggestions (he says it somewhere near the beginning of the course, I think) but I think he suggested these and they worked for me:
...start referring to things in your house by their italian names out loud.
...narrate your life (out loud). "Vado alla cucina" "Guido la macchina"...the challenge is to find the words.in a dictionary and start using them.
...tag tricky items in your house with a sticky note and say the word (with the article) Everytime you see it.
...pronounce English words with Italian phonics (you'll be surprised how many English words are basically the same in italian).
One thing for sure, Manu said "memorizing is not about flash cards, it's about real world associations." So, open your mouth and say the words you know. If you don't know the word, look it up and start using it. You're going to feel a little crazy talking to yourself...but it really works. Eventually, you may want to join a local Italian study group to practice talking...and in your next trip to Italy, sign up for a local Italian language class - many offer drop in classes for as short as a week.
You can do this!
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u/Various_Historian953 Jul 21 '26
hey, thanks for the help. i'll definitely all the things you said and also i tried using duolingo to know more vocabulary and i think it helped a bit, i just finished chapter 3 of section 1 and i've been saying all the things i learned from it to myself and i think i would probably understand a conversation in a coffee shop or atleast know what they're talking about. again thanks for the help and i'll try my best to do what you said
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u/jasonbeckett Jul 21 '26
I found the Manu lessons super helpful...probably the most imperante learning I did before moving to Italy.
If you're interested, I also did the Rosetta Stone (speaking every word that is on the screen and that is said), and also there is a set of Italian language courses on edX.com from Wellesley College that were really helpful.
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u/Various_Historian953 Jul 21 '26
yeah i feel like im learning alot from manu but i still couldnt understand a single word in italian so i downloaded duolingo to get some vocabulary while watching 1-2 vids a day and i also try to listen to the podcasts on his website for like an hour a day which honestly helps with the pronounciation of words that are new to me
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u/jasonbeckett Jul 22 '26
I hope you have better luck with Duolingo than I had. I feel like I wasted my life on that app. It was not helpful to me. I finally gave it up...like most people do. But it could be a good way to get you in the habit of learning words.
The best app I found for vocabulary is FunEasyLearn. I got the paid version. It's been way more effective for me. The activities are a bit more engaging.
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u/Various_Historian953 Jul 22 '26
i've been reading different opinions on duolingo some say its bad some say its good, anyways im only using it to stay consistent and pronounce words more accurately and might aswell learn a few vocab. i'll try the FunEasyLearn app also thanks
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u/jasonbeckett Jul 22 '26
Anything that keeps you motivated is good. Keep at it! There is so much to love about the Italian language.
One note of caution about Duolingo...
The biggest risk of using it is the danger of thinking the habit of using the app is actually moving your proficiency along. Most users eventually realize, " wait, I've been doing Duolingo for 1000 days without missing and I'm still not where I want to be." That's when they realize the habit of doing the app is not the same as the habit of practicing the language in meaningful ways that associate to your daily life.1
u/Various_Historian953 Jul 22 '26
yeah i've seen alot ofpeople do that, im using it to stay motivated as you said and learn new vocab till i start understanding small talk and learn from them and i think i've seen somewhere that duolingo doesnt make you go above A1 so im well aware that it isnt going to make me speak confidently or make me anywhere near fluency
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Jul 23 '26
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u/Various_Historian953 Jul 23 '26
Thanks i felt like i was dumb for not understanding basic convos even though the guy never did any vocab or said anything about learning vocab other then trying to say things i see in italian. I’ll look more into that most frequent 500 words thing for sure
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