Study Abroad Archives - All Around Italia

How to Learn Italian Fluently in Italy

S P — Tue, 03 Aug 2021 03:46:34 +0000

How to make the most of your time in Italy to become fluent in Italian.

The time has come! You’re in Italy! Now, you can finally learn Italian and become fluent. Let the magic begin!

Wait a second … what magic?

Unfortunately, just being in a country does not mean you will learn the language.

Take me, for example. Upon arriving for study abroad in Italy, I couldn’t wait to become fluent in Italian. The problem was, however, that I could hardly express myself in basic conversations. It only took a week or so to realize that just being in Italy and “soaking it in” was not going to be enough.

I made a plan to improve my Italian, and I enthusiastically and rigorously followed it.

Over the course of my semester in Italy, I went from barely being able to communicate to doing presentations in Italian in front of an Italian audience. My language skills improved leaps and bounds. I achieved fluency – not perfection – but true fluency: the ability to communicate and understand just about anything on the fly.

If you too are serious about improving your Italian during your time in Italy, this is my guide to set you up for success. It is based on what I did and also what I wish I had done. Following these steps, you will elevate your language skills and improve your fluency!

Choose the Right Study Program

The study program you select will likely make or break your entire experience in Italy and will definitely influence your ability to learn the language. So, do your best to choose the right one for your situation.

There are many factors to consider when deciding which program is best for you. What city or town is the program in? What is that city like? Where will you live? Where and what will you study? How long will you be in Italy? Who else signs up for the program? And more!

To guide you through the decision-making process, see the post Study in Italy to Learn Italian: How to Choose a Program. Again, you reallllly want to get this right!

Brush Up on Your Italian Before Arriving in Italy

Whatever background in Italian you have – classes at your university or just Duolingo – make time to practice before you go. While in Italy, you’ll want to make meaningful improvement in your comprehension and communication skills, not still be trying to memorize basic verb conjugations.

In the post Study in Italy to Learn Italian, I suggest selecting a program that requires you to do some homework before you arrive. Do this homework, and take it seriously. It will help you get ready.

Build a Support Community with Fellow Participants

When you choose a study abroad program where everyone (or nearly everyone) is serious about language improvement, you should have a relatively easy time building relationships as you share a common goal.

If your program shares a list of participants before you arrive, reach out ahead of time to start getting to know each other. If not, start from the day of your arrival in Italy!

Your fellow participants have the potential to be the main force cheering you along and assisting you on your language journey. Beware, though, that they also have the potential to completely derail your progress. If you spend all your time with your fellow program participants speaking English, you will not learn Italian.

On the other hand, if you decide to only speak Italian with each other, to organize trips to museums together, to study together, to make introductions to each others’ Italian friends and acquaintances, you will all benefit and learn (and really enjoy doing so!).

Make Sure Your Housing Works for You

In the post Study in Italy to Learn Italian, I stress the fact that your living mates can help you drastically improve your Italian.

By speaking regularly with your Italian roommates or host family during the ordinary moments of the day (cooking, eating meals, cleaning the house, studying, relaxing), you will get a lot of practice. When you have questions or concerns, you will likely turn to your living mates to discuss.

Ideally, you will form good relationships and also start doing things together out of the house – grocery shopping, going to the movies, running in the park, getting an aperitivo, taking a weekend trip.

If, for whatever reason, your housing situation is not working like this for you (roommates are never home, personalities clash, difficulty sharing common spaces if some people smoke cigarettes and others don’t, etc.), I strongly suggest you talk to your program coordinators ASAP to try and change where you live.

Set Routines for Daily Life Activities

Once you arrive in Italy and get settled, establish some routines. Generally speaking … do your grocery shopping at the same places, get your breakfast at the same bar, take the bus from the same stop at the same time every morning, try to sit next to the same people in class, etc.

Creating a rhythm of seeing the same people will allow you to make acquaintances and build relationships, providing opportunities to have conversations, even if they are brief.

Start Conversations

No matter where you are – in a place you go to regularly or not – try to strike up conversations with whomever is around you.

Instead of looking at your phone, ask for directions on the street. If you have a slight doubt or curiousity, ask a question in class. Even if you think you already know what you want to order on the menu, ask the waiter for their recommendation. Just talk! This is how you get practice!

I am not an outgoing or talkative person, but with the “excuse” of wanting to learn Italian, it suddenly became easy (and also fun) to start chatting with everyone I met.

Get Involved in the Community

A great way to meet more people, and thus have more opportunities to practice, is to find ways to participate in what is going on in your city or town.

Maybe you can translate for a local publication. Or teach English and get to know a local family. Maybe you want to attend a religious service. Or join a volunteer group. Maybe you want to join a gym. The point is, get out there and get involved!

Accept Invitations

If you’re doing a good job starting up conversations and meeting people, what hopefully will happen is that you will receive invitations for a caffè, aperitivo, or cena with your acquaintances.

When you get an invitation, accept it! There were times I was super tired and aquaintances invited me out, and I still said yes. There were times I felt like I wasn’t jiving well with the acquaintance who invited me out, but I still said yes and just brought another friend along too.

I put in the work to “make my friends”, but they are ones who put in the work that allowed me to really improve my language skills. I learned thanks to their extreme patience and generous willingness to answer my questions. Getting to know people, and ultimately forming true friendships with a few people, can change everything.

Study

Yes, it’s easy to slip into “vacation mode” during study abroad, but I don’t recommend it. Although there is probably no need to be pulling all-nighters to study, if you want to get better at Italian, you should definitely go to class and do your school work.

Go to Class

If you’ve chosen a program that offers classes directly at an Italian university (as recommended in the Choose a Study Abroad Program post), you will likely learn that class attendance at Italian universities tends to be optional. I repeat, you should definitely go to class.

Why go to class if you don’t have to?

First off, it gives you the opportunity to listen to lectures and lessons in Italian which will help your language skills and deepen your understanding of the culture.

Second, it gives you the opportunity to strike up conversations and make friends with classmates.

Third, you are going to have to take the exams (even if they will be for pass/fail credit at your American university), and attending class will boost your possibility of passing

Pass Your Exams

Forgot about exams? Yep, they exist even during study abroad. At Italian universities, exams are primarily oral “interrogations”. Knowing that I would be “interrogated” by the professor in front of my Italian classmates was super motivation to boost my language skills!

Studying for exams is a great exercise in expanding your vocabulary. Write down words you don’t know, and find out the meanings. Study with classmates to get comfortable speaking about the material.

If you get through oral examinations at an Italian university, you will feel more confident in your language skills. When you are more confident, you naturally take more risks and try out more complex ways of expressing yourself. This is how you get better. Nothing boosted my confidence like knowing I was capable of passing exams about sociology, literature, political science, etc. in Italian!

Stay in Italy

You may be tempted to jet set out of town every weekend. Seeing all of Europe when studying abroad is a great opportunity, don’t get me wrong, but seeing Europe is a different goal than improving your Italian.

If you want to be fully dedicated to your Italian language improvement, it doesn’t mean you can’t travel. Just travel to places where Italian is spoken – the 20 regions in Italy! This is what I did, and I was blown away by the differences between the regions. There is so much to see, experience, listen to, and taste. My experience travelling the regions is what inspired this blog!

Remember that experiencing culture is an important part of learning language. The more of Italy you get to know, the better you will understand and be able to use the language.

Make Lots of Mistakes

The last but absolute most important tip! To have success with all the above, you cannot be self-conscious about your language skills. You don’t have that luxury if you want to improve.

Instead, embrace the fact that you are not perfect in Italian. Not being a native speaker is an amazing excuse not to take yourself too seriously and to make lots of mistakes. This is precisely why learning a new language is beautiful – it takes you out of your comfort zone.

Also, it doesn’t hurt that Italians tend to appreciate your effort with their language, encourage you, and compliment you even if you don’t really deserve it.

While in Italy on a mission to improve my Italian, I realized that showing your vulnerability is a positive thing. It can really open up doors … not just for language learning but for life in general!

If you have other tips, please comment below! Buono studio e Buon divertimento!

The post How to Learn Italian Fluently in Italy appeared first on All Around Italia.

Study in Italy and Learn Italian: How to Choose a Program

S P — Tue, 03 Aug 2021 03:27:41 +0000

How to evaluate and choose the best study abroad program for you.

Are you considering studying abroad in Italy to learn Italian?

Even before starting college, I knew I wanted to spend a semester in Italy. Not only did I want to learn more about my family’s roots, I wanted to learn Italian! To really learn it: to be able to understand, communicate, read, and write.

When deciding where to study in Italy, I did tons of research, solicited opinions, and carefully weighed my options. As this experience would be once in a lifetime, it was important to find the best program to support my goals.

This post is a guide on how to select the right study program for YOU. The steps have been inspired by my personal experience, the experience of friends, as well as by my time managing university relations for an Italian company.

Let’s get started!

Identify the Ideal City or Town

Before combing through the details of programs, identify which cities/towns you may want to live in. To do this, you’ll want to consider a few things:

Who resides there, and how much focus is there on tourism?

Who is in the city or town? Mainly families, students, tourists?

What type of atmosphere will best encourage you to talk with others and make friends? A town with a more family-oriented vibe or a city bustling with students?

I’d recommend trying to choose a place with relatively limited tourist flow. This will ensure you’ll regularly hear Italian around you and that locals won’t be overly accustomed to speaking English with foreigners.

How big is the city or town?

Big vs. small; one is not better than the other, but they each have their pros and cons.

In a small town, you’re likely to bump into people more often and may have an easier time meeting others.

Larger cities, however, likely have more to offer in terms of volunteering, social groups, activities, or internships, which can be excellent opportunities for meeting people and getting experience.

Which environment would you thrive in based on your personality and preference?

How well connected is the city or town to the rest of Italy?

In Italy, dialects and regional differences are alive and well! The general population only began to speak standard Italian around the 1950s with the diffusion of television.

If you’d like to travel to regions with different dialects and accents, you’ll benefit from being based somewhere with a train station. For example, I love the Amalfi Coast, but it is certainly not the easiest place to get to and travel from.

If you prefer to learn the Italian spoken in one place and don’t care too much about travel, then you may elect to be somewhere more remote and removed.

Evaluate the Academics

Although learning while abroad certainly does not only happen in a classroom, it is wise to make the most of all formal class and study time.

Are classes in Italian?

In general, study abroad programs offer a course on Italian language. In addition, students must take classes related to their major or home university’s curriculum. When in Italy, I highly recommend you take all your classes in Italian.

Especially if your Italian is beginner level, the notion of taking all classes in Italian may seem intimidating. I promise you, though, that this is one the best ways to fast-track your language skills. Moreover, most American universities allow study abroad classes to be for pass/fail credit, meaning your GPA won’t be at risk if you don’t ace every class. But who knows? Maybe you will ace them all!

To motivate you, take me for example … I was too intimidated to take Economics at my American university and then wound up taking it in Italian at the Università di Bologna. Trust me, if I could do that, you will be fine!

Are classes at an Italian university?

If you should be taking all classes in Italian, what better place to do it than directly at an Italian university?

In addition to having a multitude of Italian-language classes from which to choose, there are two other major benefits to studying at an Italian university: 1) you will meet Italians and 2) you will have a cultural experience.

Conversations and friendships with Italian classmates may end up being of greater value than the content of courses. If you study at a university for foreigners, you will mainly meet foreigners in class. If you study at an Italian university, you will primarily meet Italians in class.

As for the cultural experience, a key part of learning a language is understanding culture. Italian universities run their lessons and exams quite differently than we do in America. Their grading system is out of 30; most grades are based on a single exam; the exam is typically an oral exam.

Having to take an oral examination – sometimes in front of your classmates – will motivate you to improve your Italian. Equally importantly, you will experience what going to university in Italy really means. You can’t truly know language without cultural context.

Does the program require pre-work before arrival in Italy?

Although no one necessarily likes to do homework, if a study abroad program requires you to do some before you go, it is probably a good indication the program is serious about language skills. Plus, pre-work is a good way to get your Italian up to speed before departure.

Ask about pre-work when selecting a program … and then be ready to actually do the work!

Investigate Who Participates in the Program

Who else signs up for the program? Talk to the coordinators and find out how many other students enroll and what their main goals are. Better yet, ask to be connected with a few former participants to hear about their experience. Evaluate if language improvement seems to be the top priority.

If everyone is focused on language improvement, you will find ways to work together and plan activities around your common goal. If language learning does not seem to be the top priority for most participants, you will have to “go it on your own”, which will be harder.

My fellow American study abroad participants became a great support community. We decided to speak only in Italian together. We introduced each other to our Italian friends (how I met my husband!). When someone was having a rough day with the language, we offered encouragement. Being surrounded by equally motivated people pushed me to get better – and made the journey more fun!

Find Out How the Program Helps You Meet Locals

Do housing arrangements support language improvement?

Who you live with can be key in helping you learn Italian. Make sure the program puts participants in houses where you will have to speak Italian.

Well-organized homestays with Italian families or living in an apartment with Italian roommates can make an exponential difference in your exposure to Italian language and culture.

In the program I participated in, my Italian roommates were obligated to speak Italian with me at all times. They were also given a stipend to do activities with me outside of the house. This made getting to practice Italian on a daily basis very easy and enjoyable!

What tandem or language buddy opportunities does the program facilitate?

One of my favorite parts about my study abroad program was the “language buddy” component. Each American student was assigned an Italian student who was available to help them practice the language and adjust to living in Italy. It was so helpful to be in touch with a local from Day One. Many students ended up forming great friendships with their buddy, as well as with their buddy’s friend group.

Not every program offers language buddies, but many have structures in place to support introductions with Italians. Some run language exchange/tandem nights regularly. Others give language- support responsibilities to students’ Italian roommates.

Make sure to ask what any programs you are considering do to help connect you with locals.

Decide the Timing of Your Stay

As you can assume, the longer you are able to stay in Italy, the better you will get at Italian. It takes a month or so to get acclimated to your surroundings and even longer to build relationships.

If you can study abroad for a year, do it! However, I realize this is definitely easier said than done.

If you are going for a semester (like I did), I recommend going in the spring so you don’t have the pressure of immediately going home for the holidays and next semester of classes. Spring semester gives you the option of travelling throughout Italy at the end of the program, staying with Italian friends, or working a summer job or internship in Italy.

If your only study abroad option is a summer program that lasts one or two months, it is certainly better than not having the opportunity to go at all. Check out the post Learn Italian in Italy to make the most out of your time abroad.

Don't Forget about Scholarships and Financial Aid

If you find your ideal program but the cost seems prohibitive, don’t fret! Most universities offer financial aid packages for eligible students. Scholarships are also likely available from your school and from Italian or Italian-American organizations. Applications can take time and effort to complete, so just make sure to plan ahead.

Good luck, and have fun exploring programs!

If you think I’ve forgotten anything that’s important to consider when preparing to study in Italy to learn Italian, please comment below.

After you’ve made your decision, applied, and been accepted, it’s time to prepare for your time in Italy at your perfect program! Check out this post to make the most of your time in Italy to become fluent in Italian.

The post Study in Italy and Learn Italian: How to Choose a Program appeared first on All Around Italia.