We’re big fans of speaking the language in whatever country you’re visiting on holiday. Italians won’t expect you to be fluent. That said, Italians will definitely appreciate it if you have taken the time to learn a few Italian phrases for your Italy villa holiday. So today we’re sharing our guide to some of the best apps to learn Italian. Alongside that we’ll include some other tools such as podcasts to make your Italian language lessons that bit more fun. Our list of top 10 best apps to learn Italian will also help you to confidently speak Italian during your holiday, even if you’re far from fluent now.
Italian Translator and Dictionary
From language experts, Vidalingua, the Italian Translator App can be really useful for travellers. It’s particularly helpful if you’re on holiday in Italy and need to find out some specific words or you’re needing some stock phrases. The dictionary allows you to search for any word. But, importantly, it also has the option of hearing how to pronounce that word in Italian. Not only that. It then aslo shares some examples of when to use it in a sentence. The stock phrases are divided into categories – asking directions, going out and weather to name a few. Some of the most commonly asked questions will appear in each so that you can easily find the information you need. It also has a translation tool and a handy verb section so that you can easily find out the past participle or correct verb ending to use! We think this is a perfect app to learn Italian on holiday. It’s ideal when you have some basic knowledge of Italian but perhaps don’t have enough to cover all situations you’ll find yourself in.
Lingidy
Lingidy is another iPhone language app from Vidalingua. It has the same benefits in that it’s also available offline so perfect when you’re in Italy. It’s also free! It very much focuses on real life situations. As a result, it’s a quick route to talking and understanding the Italian you’re likely to actually need on holiday. It boasts 101 lessons in total and over 1000 phrases and more than 4000 exercises. As a result, there is plenty to get those brain cells working. But all is aimed at giving you the knowledge to speak in Italian in a situation you’re likely to find yourself in on holiday such as finding things to do, getting directions or checking in to hotels.
Memrise
Memrise allows you to set your learning level. So, whether you’re a complete novice or already have some Italian up your sleeve, this app can work for you. Memrise can very much be tailored to suit you. You can choose videos based on your interests and you can get plenty of language practice by speaking with MemBot, their AI language speaker. With nearly 50,000 conversations between native speakers available for you to listen to, it’s also a great option to brush up on your accent.
Duolingo
A firm favourite amongst our clients, Duolingo is a fun and free way to learn Italian. The app breaks lessons into easy, bite-size chunks and teaches reading, writing, listening and speaking skills.
Combining AI with language science, the downside is that it can feel like there is a lot of repetition when using Duolingo. But this means that what you are learning will stick! This is a great app for families too. It’s certainly child friendly so that even the youngest family members can learn Italian confidently too.
Babbel
Babbel is another language learning app which allows you to practice speaking, writing and listening. Arguably, the exercises tend to be a little more challenging than with Duolingo. This can work in its favour if you’re looking to progress faster. But, on the flip side, we would argue that the lessons are sometimes a little more tedious too. We’d recommend Babbel to those that already speak more than one language and are more confident language learners rather than to complete novices. It is possible to use the app for free but you’ll be limited to how far you can progress without making payment.
Coffee Break Italian
Coffee Break Italian is a fantastic free podcast series, perfect to improve your Italian on the go. Listen during your daily commute or when it suits you. Alternatively, if you’re looking to progress things further, they also offer online courses at the Coffee Break Academy along with a Coffee Break Club. Describing the latter as ‘like Netflix for language learners’, it allows you to improve and maintain your language skills with an on-demand library of language lessons. You can either opt for an annual or monthly subscription.
Rosetta Stone
Rosetta Stone prides itself on being able to build the confidence to speak a language well. It offers a language learning program and mobile app and focuses on the application of language in real-world conversations. Users are encouraged to speak from the very first lesson. The built-in speech recognition engine – ITruAccent® – will provide users with real-time feedback allowing you to fine tune your accent. In short, it’s not just about building vocabulary but having the confidence to actually use it. Whilst you will need to pay to use Rosetta Stone, they do offer a 30 day money back guarantee if you find it doesn’t work for you.
Lingoda
Lingoda is a slightly different concept. Rather than an app which you can use to learn Italian in your own time, Lingoda users sign up to online lessons at a specific time and at a frequency to suit you. Download lesson plans to prepare in advance for your classes and enjoy learning online with others and with the expert guidance of your teacher.
Ripeti con me
The penultimate tool on our guide to the best apps to learn Italian, Ripeti con me is an Italian audio course that constantly prompts you to speak. If you’re using an app that doesn’t get you speaking, you’ll probably find that you’re at a loss for words when you get to your holiday in Italy. Speaking is a vital part of learning a language. This is an app that claims it will get you thinking directly in Italian rather than translating in your head before speaking. With no screen to look at, this audio course is also a great option to take if you’re short of time. After all, it can easily be enjoyed whilst working out or on your daily commute.
Pimsleur
Pimsleur is an American language learning company. The Pimsleur method is a traditional way of learning a new language. Their focus is very much on verbal communication rather than reading and writing skills. Whilst this may work well for some, others may find the lack of reading and writing an issue. Lessons are broken down into 30 minute sessions and users are encouraged to take a lesson each day. It’s arguably not the most exciting language learning tool on offer, but many may like its classic style.
Now that you’re fluent in Italian, it’s time to book your next holiday in Italy!