Star Studies

Hi! Sorry for taking so long to reply as I was away. This is a bit out of my area as I’m not advanced in German, but I will try to help you as much as I can.

First off, @deutsian posted some resources on C1/C2 grammar books here and is generally a great blog for grammar. Deutsche Welle also has a few things for advanced German here. I also have several tools and website recs here for German.

Next, you may want to read and watch things extensively in German or try to get as close to immersion as possible. Try reading the news/ things you like every day in the morning or whenever you have some time, read novels you like, and watch shows in German or German videos on Youtube. You can also listen to podcasts every day as well as listen to music. Try to summarize what you have read/watched. You can make anki/memrise decks of all of the vocabulary you learn as that will make a great difference in your advancement of German (or find some premade ones on the sites).

As for speaking, try to practice speaking at least 10 minutes a day. I have a speaking printable here with a few ideas, but if you can read novels out loud, talk to yourself, or find someone to practice with, that would be great. Try to learn some German idioms and find a language exchange partner on something like Tandem/Hello Talk/ Discord. 

In addition to this, when looking up vocab in German, try to use a German-German dictionary, do the 30-day advanced language study challenge by @somajesticdonki . To see where you are, here is a C1 self-assessment checklist you can use to see what you need help in.

Whether you are just learning German or trying to keep it up, you don’t need a book or a flight booked to Germany to expose yourself to the language. Instead, all you may need is your phone and your commute or work out time. We’re referencing the convenience that is podcasts as a language learning tool and have already gone ahead and collected favorites from our resident youths at the Embassy to pass on to you.

Technical note: Not sure how to listen to podcasts? iPhones already have a podcast app installed. Otherwise, go to your the app store on your phone and download one of any number of podcast apps like Podcast Addict, The Podcast App, Pocket Casts, etc. etc. On the app you should be able to search for specific podcasts you like and hit subscribe so that they automatically download to your phone. An alternative is to download via the music app Spotify.

Langsam gesprochene Nachrichten | Learning German

A common source of language strife is not the vocabulary being used but the speed at which it is spoken. “Slow down!” we want to say. This is why we suggest starting off with this much beloved podcast from Deutsche Welle, which takes normal news and slows it down for you. You not only get the language practice, but also find out what’s making the headlines in Europe!

http://www.dw.com/de/deutsch-lernen/nachrichten/s-8030

Sprachbar

A weekly segments of DW’s “Deutsch im Fokus” series. These are short, five min episodes about a central word, often times including information about different idiomatic expressions the word is used in or metaphorical uses. On the DW website there are even exercises for listening comprehension/vocab for each episode.

www.dw.de/de/deutsch-lernen/sprachbar/s-9011

Podcast ohne Putzplan

This podcast invites you to a casual afternoon in a kitchen in a shared flat in Berlin. You can listen to conversations about the same subjects you would have while drinking a glass of wine with a group of friends.  

http://zett-podcast.podspot.de/

Fest und Flauschig

Jan Böhmermann and Oli Schulz are known for their intense discussions about political and social events in Germany. In this well-known podcast, seriousness and absurd exaggeration go hand in hand. A good example of this happens when host Schulz elaborates on the question “Why pandas are the shittiest animals on earth.” Note: This one can be found on Spotify.

http://festundflauschig.de/

Hintergrund – Deutschlandfunk

“Hintergrund” (English: background) deals with topics in the area of economic and social development and debates societal and political policies. It highlights connections between the past and today.

http://www.deutschlandfunk.de/hintergrund.552.de.html

PULS Spezial

“PULS Spezial” says that you always have to expect the unexpected. Their stories range from pop culture to deep analyses of political questions. No subject is too complex, or too weird.

http://www.br.de/puls/index.html

Belles Lettres – Deutsch für Dichter und Denker

This video podcast examines German grammar and etymology for the language sticklers of the world. The host is almost unbearably pedantic, but a real resource for some of the trickier grammatical questions and especially for the subjective questions of “style”.

www.belleslettres.eu

Dunkle Heimat

A true crime podcast with a twist: the murder occurred almost 100 years ago and remains unsolved. It’s a Bavarian production and although the hosts speak in fairly understandable Hochdeutsch, a lot of the interviewees speak in thick Bairisch. Particularly egregious interview snippets are transcribed on the podcast’s website. Bonus points: the name of the village is “Hinterkaifeck” which sounds so ominously German it hurts.

www.dunkle-heimat.de

I’ve found this list with resources for over 125 languages on pastebin (https://pastebin.com/UjkfE3qk - I can’t use hyperlinks in this post for some reason). I reposted it under the cut in case it ever gets lost but it includes the following languages:

Afrikaans, Ainu, Akkadian, Albanian, Ancient Sanskrit, Arabic (MSA as well as six dialects), Aramaic, Armenian, Assyrian, Azerbaijani, Basque, Bengali, Berber, Breton, Cajun, French, Cantonese, Catalan, Cherokee, Classical Armenian, Classical Greek, Classical Latin, Coptic, Cornish, Crimean Gothic, Croatian, Czech, Dari, Dutch, Egyptian, English, Esperanto, Estonian, Faeroese, Farsi, Finnish, French, Frisian, Furlan, Genovese, Georgian, German, Gothic, Greek (Modern), Greenlandic, Guarani, Hakka, Hawaiian, Hebrew, Hindi, Hittite, Hungarian, Icelandic, Igbo, Indonesian, Inuktitut, Irish , Italian, Japanese, Jèrriais, Koine Greek, Khmer, Korean, Latvian, Lithuanian, Malay, Maltese, Manchu, Mandarin Chinese, Manx, Maori, Mari, Mayan (Classical), Mayan (Tzotzil), Mayan (Yucatec), Mixtec, Nahuatl, Norwegian, Okinawan, Old Church Slavonic, Old English, Old Iranian, Old Irish, Old Norse, Old Prussian, Old Tupi, Persian, Middle Polish, Portuguese, Proto-Indo-European, Quechua, Romanian, Rromani, Russian, Sami, Sanskrit, Scottish Gaelic, Serbian, Serbo-Croatian, Shanghainese, Sicilian, Slovene, Sm'algyax, Spanish, Sumerian, Swahili, Swedish, Tajik, Tengwar, Thai, Tocharian, Tok Pisin, Toki Pona, Tongan, Turkish, Vietnamese, Volapük, Welsh, Wu, Xibe, Yoruba, Yup'ik and Zulu

Some of the links are broken and there are more resources for some languages than for others but I still think it’s really worth checking out, especially for those of you interested in lesser known languages.

hello tumblr, happy new year!

a few goals of mine for 2020 are to learn a few languages so i wanted to create this blog to chronicle a bit of that.

a little about me: my name is cesar and i’m from california, usa 🔅 i’m currently a college student studying linguistics and psychology so i encounter language quite a lot! but apart from the academic component, i would love to be able to speak more languages. 

my family is from mexico so i grew up speaking spanish along with english. it was during hs that i started to think about learning new ones so i decided to take french classes. i’ve retained quite a bit through the years but am by no means fluent! i became interested in japanese during early childhood and i hope to travel to japan someday. years later i got into k-pop so i’ve been learning korean ever since (some of my favs are red velvet, girls’ generation, and BoA). more recently i became interested in learning portuguese.

if you made it to the end, thanks for reading! i’m still thinking about what direction i want this blog to go, but starting is always the hardest part so here i am! i’ll try to post interesting things, and often ✨

01.02.20

Hi!! Thank you for your question. 

Here is a rough plan I made when I started this blog, which is July 2017. It contains a list of resources I was using at the time. I don’t have access to my Schaum’s vocabulary book at the moment, but I’ll be resuming it when I get home. I would definitely recommend it if you’re an intermediate learner like me.

Other resources I’ve used consistently over the past few months are:

this website for free ebooks

this website for free audiobooks

raiplay for series and films (I also watched Suburra on Netflix, it’s brilliant and you should go watch it right now)

Eduopen.org and federica.eu are two websites that contain MOOCs in Italian, if you’re into that

You could also consider getting the raiplay radio app on your phone to listen to the radio, podcasts, and audiobooks. Note that not all of their content is available outside Italy. 

My routine is now doing a MOOC class (making notes and looking up new vocabulary) in the evening, or going on tandem and chatting to people, because I really have to focus on university studies. (I 100% recommend getting tandem on your phone. It’s free and really fun)

Before that, I used to read a lot of articles on La Repubblica  - just pick a section that interests you. I liked reading outloud to practice speaking, and it also made me focus on the text more. At the end you could make a list of words you don’t know. I also used to watch Cucine da Incubo (the Italian version of Kitchen Nightmares) and the dubbed version of The Nanny, there are lots of other fun programmes available on youtube so just look for something you find interesting. That way you won’t feel bad about procrastinating.. because you’ll be doing it in Italian!

Here are some other useful posts with resources (links included)

radio stations

podcasts

movies and series

a masterlist of italian resources

My tips for someone who is just starting out would be:

Do something every day. Or every other day, if you have little time. This is a lot better than just doing a lot on one day and then doing nothing for the next week or two, or three… your brain won’t retain new information if you don’t practice 

Make it fun and varied. I don’t use apps like memrise, duolingo, etc for any of my target languages because I find them very boring and repetitive. Find a routine that works for you.

If you are a complete beginner, take your time to understand the grammar. Verb drills, gender agreement, articles, and the like. Find a grammar book you like and stick to it. You could look up exercises online to complement it. 

Again, if you’re a complete beginner, start by listening to Disney songs! Look up the lyrics, print them out or write them down if you like, highlight new words, try to translate the lyrics line by line, and/or learn the songs by heart. When you’re a bit more confident in the language, find artists in genres you like and listen to them, and do the same. I listen to a lot of rap music, for example. I look up the lyrics on rapgenius and try to follow them and understand what they mean.

I know I’ve said this before, but go on tandem. Try to have a conversation, even a very simple one. Ask your language partner to correct you if you make a mistake.

Good luck!!! If anyone else has tips or resources for beginners, it would be lovely if you added them to this post!

If they could be explained in one post, i’m sure we’d all have less problems lmao but i’ll try! 

1. What cases are there? 

German has four cases: Nominativ, Genitiv, Dativ und Akkusativ. (for any Latin nerds: Same as in Latin minus Ablative and Vocative.) 

2. Why are they necessary? 

Well, for once, you’ll need them if you want native speakers to understand what you’re saying. But let’s go a little deeper and compare German to English: 

In English, the meaning depends on the sentence structure. “The man bit the dog” and “The dog bit the man” have very different meanings even though both sentences use the same words - that’s because of the typical SVO-order. In English, the subject generally comes first, then some kind of verb, then the object (there are more difficult cases of course, but let’s not go into that rn). English has very little morphology, meaning that nouns/pronouns/determiners don’t inflect (a lot) depending on the case they’re in. 

In German, you can switch stuff around until you’re dizzy. “Der Hund biss den Mann” and “Den Mann biss der Hund” both mean the same, because “den” indicates that “Mann” is in the Akkusativ, thus he’s the one being bitten, no matter where you put him in the sentence. The case morphology allows a freer sentence order without leading to possible misunderstandings. 

3. So how do I know which case I need? 

This is the moment where it gets more complicated. You can associate the following questions with each case: 

Nominativ = Wer oder was? (Who?. The subject of a sentence is always in the nominative case.)

Genitiv = Wessen? (Whose?. Typically describes possession or comes as a rule after certain prepositions like “wegen” or verbs like “gedenken”.)

Okay, we can deal with that. Now on to the more difficult stuff: 

Dativ = Wem? 

Akkusativ = Wen oder was? 

To understand this, some knowledge of grammar is definitely an advantage. Consider the following sentences: 

I have a book. = Ich habe ein Buch. 

This is all well and nice. Subject (NOM), Verb, Object (AKK). 

In English, you would call “a book” a direct object because the verb “to have” is transitive, meaning it carries one object. “I have.” isn’t generally a full sentence and is expected to be followed by an object.

So apparently all our problems are solved with the Akkusativ/direct object. What now? 

I give you a book. = Ich gebe dir ein Buch. 

This is the critical moment. Subject (NOM), Verb, Object (DAT), Object (AKK). 

Suddenly we have two objects because the verb “to give” makes us expect information about what we’re giving (direct object, AKK) and to whom we’re giving it (indirect object, DAT). 

Such verbs are called ditransitive, meaning they can carry two objects. Just saying “I give.” leaves us wondering what you’re talking about because we’re missing key information. 

English, as explained above, solves this with sentence order by making the indirect object come first or by indicating it with “to” (“I give a book to you”). German solves it with inflection, putting the indirect object in a different case. 

That’s why things like “Ein Buch gebe ich dir” and “Dir gebe ich ein Buch” are both possible in German.

There are also intransitive verbs which carry either no object at all or just a dative object (“Ich antworte ihm”). 

4. How do I know which verbs carry which object(s)? 

This list will save you.  At some point (once you’ve gotten to a certain level in German), you’ll have a gut feeling about which object(s) to use just from experience. Give it some time! 

5. What about determiners and pronouns? 

I actually think this is less work because it’s one table of endings each, and once you’ve got that down you should be fine. 

This handbook explains everything really well in my opinion. 

Here’s a whole page about pronouns (relative, personal, and every other kind you can think of.)

Here are a LOT of exercises. 

Here are printables for German case declensions by @languageoclock. 

I usually suggest the Teach Yourself - Beginner’s Italian (with audio), which you can find in my Resources page (or alternatively the Easy Italian Step-by-step textbook), and the Duolingo course, which is helpful to get accustomed to basic notions such as word order, nominal, adjectival and verbal inflection, and personal pronouns. You should think of Duolingo as a tool to get a general idea of how Italian works, but it shouldn’t be used as a learning device.

You might also find these useful:

300 Italian words

How to guess the gender of nouns

Spelling and pronunciation

Ciao! Haha don’t worry, that wasn’t a huge problem :)

For what I know, a follower some time ago suggested a book in the notes in one post here. I suggest you to check this post too. And Routledge.There are a some more grammar books (also free ones), divided according to your knowledge level, that are reblogged in our resources masterpost (look on @sayitalianohome to check all the resources lists).Sorry, our masterposts contain all the links and stuff we know about. Maybe some followers want to add something?

—–Edit:

Buonasera! (Good evening) Or should I say “Buon giorno” (Good morning)? Or maybe “Buon pomeriggio” (Good afternoon)?

Bando alle ciance! (No more chatting) Let’s start!

websites + apps

Accademia della Crusca [akkaˈdɛːmja ˈdella ˈkruska] - literally means “Academy of the bran”, the most authoritative institution on the italian language and also the oldest linguistic academy of the world

babbel.com - there’s also the app version Google Play store / App store

duolingo.com - recommended for beginners

ielanguages.com

iluss.it

memrise.com

mondlylanguages.com - also on Google Play store / App store

lanquick - Google Play store / App store

grammar / listening / phonology

grammar 1 2 3 4

grammar exercises 1 2 3 4 5

listenings + exercises 1 2

pronunciation 1 2 3 4

dictionary of italian pronunciation

phonetic transcription converter - this is super cool!!

exercises for beginners - each right answer = rice donated to 3rd world countries

dictionaries

accademia della crusca - unlike the main site, there is not an english ver. to this however

cambridge dictionaries

collins

linguee.com

lexicool.com

oxford dictionaries

wordreference (my all time favorite) + Google Play store / App store

music

fabrizio de andré - reasonably considered one of the best italian singer-songwriters ever, if you like folk music you’ll love De André

marco mengoni - well known pop-rock singer-songwriter with a dreamy voice

noemi - i LOVE her voice, it’s so stunning

tiziano ferro - another well-known italian artist (pop/r&b)

caparezza - imo, the best italian rapper, with a hint of pop/hip-hop

(BECAUSE OF MY URL MY JUST GONNA LEAVE THIS HERE)

other links

differences between english and italian

learn about italian culture 1 2 3 4 5

10 italian words that sound like what they mean

10 beautiful italian words

italian for my girlfriend - super cute tumblr blog of illustrated italian words

“learn italian” youtube playlist by TomTxxytu - gr8 for beginners!

5 must-see italian films to learn italian

spell check 1 2 (online) 3 (Microsoft Office Word)

survival phrases

italian proverbs

italian slang dictionary

italian hand gestures - something we’re worldwide famous for! haha

tips from a native speaker

italian is not an easy language. the grammar structure is complex, it has a wide vocabulary and depending on factors you might also find difficult to master the pronunciation. don’t beat yourself up if you don’t succeed at first, it takes time and practice. be patient. you’ll master the language one day.

the “italian standard vocabulary” (the one we use on a daily basis) is made of 6.500 words, but 90% of conversations are made using 2.000 basic words. you’ll be able to keep up a conversation sooner than you think!

don’t be afraid to talk with a native speaker even if you’re a beginner!! we’ll most likely understand you and correct you if necessary. also you’ll improve SO MUCH

this is a really interesting tip: purchase the italian translation of your favorite book and read it. it’s easier bc you already know the story + you can look at the translation for any doubts. when you become more confident, then you can start reading new books

pick an article from an italian newspaper and translate it with the help of a dictionary. here, have some italian newspapers 1 2 3 4 5

never rely on google translate, it’s good if you want a general idea of the meaning but 9/10 translations are incorrect

you want to keep two notebooks, one for grammar/exercises and one for your personal vocab (i suggest you to get an alphabetized one)

listen to italian music, watch movies/documentaries/tv shows in italian (with or without subtitles). 90% of my english knowledge comes from this method tbh

in the #langblr tag you can find many more tips, posts and blogs to help you

submit you exercises!

if you want a revision of your italian exercises you can submit them and i’ll gladly be your proofreader!!

post types recommended are Text and Link

please keep in mind that i proofread in my spare time, so don’t get mad if it takes longer than you expect! if it’s something that has a deadline avoid submitting it, idk, the night before… it’s… common sense

submissions posted are always tagged with your main blog url

please submit your italian exercises i’d love to help other people learning my own language!! ❤

recommended masterposts

resources for mentally ill students by me

studying when ill by @highschoolering

studying a foreign language by @areistotle

how to: self-study languages by @e-tudiante

language learning by @z-co

10 tips for studying foreign languages by @bonnestudies

learn things for free by @chaoticum​

study tips by @hermionegoals​

If you have any questions, my askbox is always open!!

Mediaset (also http://mediaset.it/iris/) is the other Italian broadcaster along with Rai. Just a little background info: RAI (Radiotelevisione Italiana) is the Italian national public broadcasting company. Mediaset belongs to the Berlusconi family and represents RAI’s main competitor.

Similar to Netflix: nowtv.it | infinitytv.it - Content is behind a paywall.

Free streaming of mainly dubbed content:

http://altadefinizione.pink

http://italia-film.online

https://serietvu.online

https://cb01.zone

https://guardogratis.com/

http://italia-film.online

https://tantifilm.uno

Khan Academy has a bunch of videos in foreign languages and apparently it’s called Khan Academy International (here’s a link to their tumblr).

They have content in quite a few languages, and while some of them have mostly math and science stuff, there are a lot of channels that delve into a lot of the other content that Khan Academy English does, like art history, world history, etc.

So far I’ve found their Youtube channels in these languages (I’m sure there are more though, and if you find any feel free to add them to this post!):

Russian: https://www.youtube.com/user/KhanAcademyRussian

French: https://www.youtube.com/user/KhanAcademyFrancais/

Spanish: https://www.youtube.com/user/KhanAcademyEspanol/

Danish: https://www.youtube.com/user/KhanAcademyDansk/

Norwegian: https://www.youtube.com/user/KhanAcademyNorsk/

Turkish: https://www.youtube.com/user/KhanAcademyTurkce

Polish: https://www.youtube.com/user/KhanAcademyPolski

Italian: https://www.youtube.com/user/KhanAcademyItaliano

German: https://www.youtube.com/user/KhanAcademyDeutsch

Mandarin: https://www.youtube.com/user/KhanAcademyMandarin

Japanese: https://www.youtube.com/user/KhanAcademyJapanese

Hindi: https://www.youtube.com/user/KhanAcademyHindi

Bulgarian: https://www.youtube.com/user/KhanAcademyBulgarian

Portuguese: https://www.youtube.com/user/KhanAcademyPortugues

Korean: https://www.youtube.com/user/KhanAcademyKorean

Serbian: https://www.youtube.com/user/KhanAcademySerbian

Mongolian: https://www.youtube.com/user/KhanAcademyMongolian

Anon requested me to share my secrets with you and I will try my best to do so. I don’t use all of these resources very regularly, but I think they could all help you with your studies. Some of these resources will be in Dutch, because that happens to be my native language. I included them because there might be Dutch speakers reading this and some resources might also exist in other languages.

Dictionaries

Invest in a good dictionary!

Online dictionaries can prove very useful because they’re faster, but books are often more accurate

I use both, but am yet to find a good online Dutch-Italian dictionary

(For native Dutch speakers: I highly recommend Van Dale)

Duolingo

Vocabulary and grammar (app/website)

Took me about 6 months to finish

Use the desktop version: it’s where you can find the grammar

Take notes of the grammar!!

It’s not always 100% accurate but the basics are explained very well

Write down the vocabulary

I made a word document that went article + Dutch word/article + Italian word/article + Italian plural

(shoot me a message if you want it!)

I finished the tree before starting books, because I don’t like the idea of working with two (or more) different “full” resources at the same time

With “full” I mean that they’re not additional information you look up so you can understand a concept better, but actual resources that you’re going to study as a whole

Tinycards

Flashcards (app/website)

This app is also from Duolingo: for Italian, they’ve got flashcards for the Duolingo tree, so you don’t have to make them anymore! Sadly I only discovered this months after I finished the Duolingo tree so it wasn’t useful for me anymore, but honestly I think that’s a blessing if you want to repeat vocabulary! 

You can also make your own flashcards: you can keep them private or not and they’ve got audio.

Memrise

Vocabulary (app/website)

I heard a lot about it, saying it was good for vocabulary so I thought I should give it a try.

I didn’t like it, I don’t really know why: I think it’s a good app, it just didn’t work for me.

Quizlet

Flashcards (app/website)

Make your own flashcards or use decks made by others.

There are also other things like diagrams but I haven’t tried that so I wouldn’t know how it works

Tandem

Conversation practice (app)

It’s an app to chat with natives of the language you’re learning

Possibility to send voice messages, there’s an in-app dictionary, you can send pictures, you can video chat or call and most importantly: if there might be any problems, you can report and block.

I have not encountered a single person who is not there for learning, a problem that apparently exists on other apps.

You can also pay to get classes by teachers on there, and they’ve also got Tandem Pro without adds and probably some other advantages, but the free version is great as well

Beelinguapp

(Audio) books (app)

It’s mostly short stories and fairy tales

Some are paying, some not

You can turn on the audio

La Repubblica

Newspaper (app/website)

I turned on notifications for this one, so I can see what the important stuff is in Italy right now

I don’t often read whole articles, but I should because it’s great reading practice + you learn about politics, culture…

Newspapers often use a more difficult language, so I recommend this to people who are intermediate

Assimil Italian

Vocabulary + grammar (book)

I started this after finishing the Duolingo tree and then it’s not useful, because it starts from scratch.

Good alternative if you don’t like using apps like Duolingo

It has audio’s

(Got it from @lovelybluepanda)

Colloquial Italian

Vocabulary + grammar (book + CD)

I only got the book and not the CD (I got the book from lovelybluepanda‘s account, idk if she’s even got the CD?)

I liked it, although too easy because I had already finished Duolingo.

Very good grammar explanations

Modern Italian Grammar

Grammar (book)

Just plain grammar, but great explanations

I started taking notes from it, but rn I’m redoing it because 1) I should revise my grammar 2) the first notes I made were awful 3) I didn’t even get to 1/3 of the book

It’s a lot, but I love it

It has a workbook! Great exercises!

I also got this one from lovelybluepanda

Snelcursus Italiaans: grammatica

Grammar (book)

As you might have guessed, it’s in Dutch. But because it’s a translation from German (Durchstarten in Italienisch-Grammatikk) I thought there might be other translations out there :)

I use it to look up stuff, not so much to actually study from

Qui Italia più: corso di lingua italiana per stranieri: livello medio (quaderno di esercitazioni pratiche)

Exercises (book)

This one is completely in Italian

Varied exercises

Nuovo progetto italiano: quaderno degli esercizi

Grammar, vocabulary, exercises (book + CD’s)

Got this one at my language school in Rome and I quite like it (I got the B2 version)

Lots of different exercises, listening practice, reading, conjugations…

Diary

I’m not the type of person who keeps a diary but I’m trying to keep one for Italian and Norwegian. Just talking a bit about your daily/weekly activities, feelings… can make you feel more familiar with the language

If you’ve got a bullet journal, maybe you can do it in Italian?

Visit Italy

Easier said than done? You’re right about that.

I’ve recently spent 3 weeks in Rome with a language school while staying in a host family and honestly I learned so much. I don’t speak Italian with anyone here and speaking Italian all day long improved my level so much.

So if you have the possibility: plan a trip to Italy, talk with natives (in my experience: they’ll be more than happy to chat with you).

If people start to talk to you in English, don’t be scared to switch to Italian. Most of the time they’re very excited you speak the language!

Other tips

Switch your phone/tablet/computer/… language to Italian

Learn the alphabet!! 

A thing I was too lazy to do so after 1.5 years I still don’t know it and believe me, that can be annoying

Look for other resources! Especially in your native language!

Do not solely rely on this one post please

Follow as many Italian langblrs as you can: search for Italian vocab lists/grammar posts/… and follow the people who made them, there are also posts out there with lists of Italian langblrs (I’ll make a list with the ones I follow below)

Translate: I like to translate parts of wikipedia articles, Dutch to Italian or Italian to Dutch

Make a topic jar: lovelybluepanda has got a post with topic ideas

Listen to music, podcasts…

Watch Italian tv! Italian tv is unbelievably shitty but I like to watch quizzes in particular because if you don’t understand one part, that’s no problem: the next part will be about something different.

Read books! You can start with children’s books, from B1 books like the first Harry Potter books are doable, What I also find a good idea is reading a book in Italian that you’ve already read several times in your native language. That way you already know the story line and it’s not a problem if a certain part is too difficult for you

Italian langblrs/tumblrs

How many minutes or hours did you spend on this language a week?

Some people study for 10 mins a day, some 30 mins a day, other 4 hours a day.

Just wanting to put your B2 in 1.5 years into perspective.

It depends a lot. On school days, there were a lot of days where I just repeated some lessons on Duolingo in order not to lose my streak. On free days, I think I sometimes spent up to 8 hours a day working on Italian, which does not mean that those were 8 very productive hours. Anyway, it could range anywhere from 5 minutes to 8 hours. I don’t think I’ve spent over 2 hours studying Italian this holiday when I was at home (of course I basically spent 24 hours studying Italian when I was in Rome but let’s leave that out for the moment).

Ciao! Here’s a list of posts that might help you!

I don’t know where to start

300 basic words

Resources to learn Italian if your first language is not English

Italian resources masterpost

Italian movies/TV series: x - x - x 

Italian books

Italian TV programs for kids (easier to understand)

Hi there!

Of course I can do an Italy masterpost for you :)

Italian culture-

Italian Culture: Facts, Customs & Traditions - LiveScience

Culture & Traditions in Rome, Italy | USA Today

Italian Culture Today | Italy - Life in Italy

Italian Lifestyle - Study in Italy

Learning the language-

Learn Italian Language Lessons and Courses - FREE!

Learn Italian Fast, Easy & Fun - Babbel.com

Learn Italian in just 5 minutes a day. For free. - Duolingo

BBC - Learn Italian with free online lessons

Learn Italian Online Free - One World Italiano

Cool Italian facts-

Italy Facts for Kids: Facts about Italy and Italians

62 Interesting Facts about Italy - Random Facts

Facts About Italy | Italy - Life in Italy

Facts About Italy | Rough Guides

50 Italy Fun Facts | My Melange

Italian foods & recipes-

Italian Recipes - Allrecipes.com

Italian Food Recipes And Cuisine Ideas - Italian.Food.com

Best Italian Recipes and Menus : Cooking Channel

Superfast Italian Recipes - Cooking Light

Italian Food Forever » Recipes

Italian Music-

Italian Music (Music of Italy) - Your Guide to Italy

Italy Top 100 Popular Songs - Shazam Music Charts\

900+ Free Italian music playlists | 8tracks radio

Italian music - Italia Mia

Don’t like LazyTown? Why not try Miraculous Ladybug? It has goofy super hero adventures with a sprinkling of romance. It is also around 20 minutes per episode and around B1/B2 level. There isn’t as much available on YouTube, but still a fair amount, and there are a lot of compilations of the title song in different languages, or videos comparing the dub of a short clip between languages, which may be useful, idk.

Arabic

Bulgarian

Czech

French

German

Greek

Hebrew

Hungarian

Italian

Norwegian

Polish

Portuguese

Romanian

Russian

Spanish 

Turkish

There is also an Indonesian fandub and a Japanese fandub, but I can’t attest for quality

Other shows

Lazy Town in different languages 

Charlie and Lola 

Little Princess

I made this outline after reading a couple of posts by @lovelybluepanda on how to study & make a language learning schedule and this post by @wonderful-language-sounds (thank you! <3)

Beginner A1-A2

Grammar. New Penguin Russian Course (A1) + Schaums Outlines of Russian Grammar (A2). 30-60 minutes daily

Take notes of rules, verbs/conjugations etc. in notebook1

Solve exercises in notebook2

Vocabulary. Quizlet, Memrise, 50Languages. 30-60 minutes daily

Learn about 5-10 words/day + review the rest

Add vocabulary lists to notebook1

Writing. 10 minutes daily

Write a paragraph everyday in notebook2 using what you have learned

Listening + Reading. 10-20 minutes daily

Watch childrens cartoons with subtitles or read-along stories