by Laura Jones
Published on November 21, 2024
Is Italian hard to learn? A guide for English speakers
How difficult is it to learn Italian? Compared with many other languages, it’s not that hard for English speakers. This guide will break down the key factors that influence how quickly you can pick up Italian, from grammar and vocabulary to pronunciation. Whether you dream of ordering gelato in perfect Italian or understanding the latest movies, we’ll explore the ins and outs of la lingua italiana. And we’ll answer the burning question: Is Italian hard to learn?
Italian is not difficult for English speakers to learn, particularly compared to other languages like German, Polish or Mandarin. Some of the grammar is similar, there are many cognates, and the pronunciation is relatively straightforward. Plus, if you already speak one of the Romance languages, especially Spanish or French, you’ll be able to pick up Italian a lot faster as the languages have so much in common. So, is Italian easy to learn? We wouldn’t go that far!
For English speakers, one tricky part of learning Italian is understanding grammatical genders. There are two genders in Italian: masculine and feminine. Nouns end in one of three letters – o, a or e. Most nouns ending in -o are masculine, while those ending in -a are feminine. But watch out for exceptions like il sistema (the system) and la mano (the hand)!
Nouns ending in -e can be either gender. Il calore (the heat) is masculine but la stazione (the station) is feminine. There are some rules to help you remember the genders. For example, names ending -ione are feminine.
Why does this matter? Articles and adjectives must match the noun’s gender. So it’s un gatto bianco (a white cat) but una luna bianca (a white moon). What happens if you mix the genders up? Probably nothing, though saying il ragazza might have Italians scratching their heads, wondering if you’re talking about a boy (il) or a girl (ragazza).
The subjunctive mood often elicits an exasperated Mamma mia! from English speakers. But even at a basic level in Italian, there’s no need to be scared of it! The subjunctive is often used to express opinions, doubts, wishes and feelings. It’s triggered by certain verbs or phrases, like pensare (think) and sono felice che (I’m happy that). Here are some examples:
Penso che il libro sia interessante. (I think that the book is interesting.)
Sono felice che tu venga. (I’m happy that you’re coming.)
Spero che tu abbia una bella giornata. (I hope you have a nice day.)
The verbs sia (be), venga (come) and abbia (have) are in the subjunctive form. You’ll need to retain the most common verbs like ‘be’ and ‘have’, but memorizing whole phrases can be just as effective, especially in the beginning. For example:
Spero che tu stia bene. (I hope you’re well.)
Non penso che sia vero. (I don’t think it’s true.)
So, learn the triggers, memorize how to conjugate the most common verbs, and don’t worry if you mess up — some native Italian speakers do too.
Worried about rolling your r’s? Don’t stress! While rolling your r’s can help you sound more Italian, it’s not essential for being understood. If you learn Italian online with Lingoda, our expert teachers can help you master the sounds so you can speak clearly and with confidence. If you do want that trill, our teachers can help with that, too!
Italian pronunciation is a dream — if you can read it, you can say it, as Italian is almost completely phonetic. Compared to English, which isn’t phonetic, or Japanese, in which beginners can’t read the alphabet, getting started speaking Italian is not that hard.
You already know so many words in Italian! Pizza, pasta, graffiti, opera… the list goes on. Even if words aren’t identical in English and Italian, they’re often similar enough that you can guess the meanings. Interessante (interesting), la scuola (school) and la stazione (the station) are all close cognates and make learning Italian easier at the beginning.
Italian follows a similar subject*-verb-object word order to English. This makes forming sentences much easier, so you can spend less time thinking about where to place a verb and more time enjoying la dolce vita!
Note: You’ll soon realize that Italians drop the subject when not necessary. The verb endings will infer the subject instead:
Chiara e Luca amano la pizza. Vanno in pizzeria ogni settimana. (Chiara and Luca love pizza. They go to a pizzeria every week.)
What do you want to do in Italian? If you’re learning so that you can travel around easily, set goals related to that. Whatever your aim, your goals need to be measurable and achievable. As a beginner, you won’t be having a deep and meaningful conversation with an Italian nonna after a month. But you probably will be able to introduce yourself and say (just a little) about who you are and where you come from. Start with small but important things, like learning about the different types of coffee in Italy and how to order it.
It’s possible to engage with Italian culture from the very beginning of your learning journey, and this is undoubtedly the best way to learn Italian. Watch films with subtitles, listen to music and try to sing along to the chorus, or read short, simple texts in Italian. As your knowledge grows, the range of materials you can use will expand and you’ll really enjoy learning via things that resonate with you.
Learning alone isn’t much fun, and it’s easy to lose motivation if you’re the only person you know learning Italian. By joining a supportive community of learners, either online or in-person, you’ll have a ready-made group of friends to practice with (and to complain about the subjunctive with — believe us, you’ll need them.)
It will take approximately 600 hours of study to reach a basic level of fluency in Italian.
According to the US Foreign Service Institute, Italian is slightly easier to learn than French.
So, is Italian a hard language to learn? Learning Italian may seem daunting at first, but with the right strategies and some determination, you’ll soon be speaking confidently. If you choose to learn Italian with Lingoda, our native-speaking teachers will not only help you learn the grammar rules, they’ll teach you real-world language and give you indispensable cultural insights. You’ll soon overcome the challenges of learning Italian and have fun doing it!
