Italian
Years ago, I began teaching myself Italian. I did it for two reasons.
First, I wanted to read the Italian version of the Greek series Athenazae.
Second, I wanted to learn how Italians pronounce Latin. I had grown tired of endless debates among academics about the “correct” pronunciation of Latin. Rather than arguing about reconstructed pronunciations, I simply wanted to hear how Latin has been pronounced in Italy for centuries. Today, I’m much more interested in the traditional Italian pronunciation than in modern academic debates.
I didn’t set out to learn Italian for its own sake. But somewhere along the way, my students and I fell in love with the language.
If you’re learning Italian, here are the resources I recommend.
Grammar
Everyone hates grammar. Many language courses even claim you can—or should—skip it.
I disagree.
Learn the grammar. Get it over with. Rip the Band-Aid off.
When it comes to grammar, listening, and reading, I recommend the same book: L’Italiano secondo il Metodo Natura. It is one of the finest beginner courses ever written, and it’s available free on Archive.org: https://archive.org/details/jensen-arthur-litaliano-secondo-il-metodo-natura/mode/2up
Listening
Start listening to Italian immediately.
Don’t worry if you can’t understand everything. At first, your goal isn’t perfect comprehension. Your goal is to fill your ears with the sounds and rhythm of Italian.
I recommend listening to L’Italiano secondo il Metodo Natura on repeat. Read the book while listening whenever possible. Hearing the same vocabulary and structures over and over is incredibly helpful.
The complete audiobook is available on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YGwH92yoxI&list=PLf8XN5kNFkhfQonvCySTrKEUV742WzshJ
Another excellent listening resource is Italy Made Easy. Manu, the instructor, is energetic and engaging. He uploads lots of free Italian resources and instructional videos. Italy Made Easy is a great place to go to learn Italian grammar, vocabulary, culture, and pronunciation!
Reading
Read the book for free right here: https://archive.org/details/jensen-arthur-litaliano-secondo-il-metodo-natura/mode/2up. If you prefer a physical copy, you can order each volume below.
If I were starting over today, I would spend most of my time with one excellent beginner course instead of jumping between dozens of apps, websites, and textbooks. Consistent exposure to good Italian every day is far more valuable than constantly searching for the “perfect” resource.
Why L’italiano secondo il Metodo Natura?
Most beginner Italian courses teach enough Italian for travel and basic conversations. L’Italiano secondo il Metodo Natura goes much further.
Using the Natural Method, you will learn Italian by reading, observing, and gradually discovering the language in context—much as you learned your first language. As the course progresses, you’ll encounter not only everyday vocabulary and grammar but also more advanced features of Italian, including additional verb tenses and more sophisticated sentence structures.
This is not a phrasebook or a “tourist Italian” course. It is a comprehensive introduction designed to develop real reading proficiency and a solid foundation for continued study.
The course moves at a steady pace, but each new concept builds naturally on what has come before. If you stay with it, you’ll finish with a much deeper understanding of Italian than is typical of most introductory courses.
This volume contains chapters 1 – 18. I have looked high and low for language courses similar to the famous Lingua Latina by Hans Ørberg. For Italian, this is it! This series begins with very simple Italian and takes students all the way to the history of Italy… in Italian! This is the best Italian reading course I have been able to find.
This volume contains chapters 19-35. L’italiano secondo il metodo natura is, in part, the story of a summer adventure in Italy. The story and the adventures continue in Volume 2.
Volume 3 picks the story up in chapter 36 and continues until the end of the book in chapter 50. This volume focuses mainly on Italian history. By the end of this series, studnets will understand all of the major points of Italian grammar and will possess a powerful Italian vocabulary. From this point forward, students can simply focus on reading and speaking the beautiful Italian language!
