E-Book - Best Free Online Resources To Learn Italian

Ebook by Bjørn Ove Fjellandsbø
25 best FREE Italian learning tools 1st edition 2020 | www.becomeapolyglot.com
25
best FREE Italian learning tools
- from beginner to advanced
© Bjørn Ove Fjellandsbø | BecomeAPolyglot.com 1

25 best FREE Italian learning tools

1st edition, May 2020
Published by BecomeAPolyglot.com
Copyright © 2020 becomeapolyglot.com
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may

be reproduced in any way – mechanically or digitally –
without permission of the author.
22 © Bjørn Ove Fjellandsbø | BecomeAPolyglot.com

Contents
Introduction ........................................................................ 4
#01 - Duolingo..................................................................... 5
#02 - Lyrics Translate........................................................ 6
#03 - Hellotalk .................................................................... 7
#04 - Memrise .................................................................... 8
#05 - Quizlet ........................................................................ 9
#06 - edX - Italian Language and Culture .................... 10
#07 - iTalki......................................................................... 11
#08 - Word Reference....................................................... 12
#09 - Google Translate .................................................... 13
#10 - Reverso Context ...................................................... 14
#11 - Verbix ....................................................................... 15
#12 - Forvo ......................................................................... 16
#13 - Lang-8 ...................................................................... 17
#14 - Easy Italian ............................................................. 18
#15 - Coffee Break Italian ............................................... 19
#16 - Alma.tv – Grammatica Caffè ................................ 20
#17 - Incontro Italian ...................................................... 21
#18 - News in Slow Italian .............................................. 22
#19 - Italy Made Easy ...................................................... 23
#20 - Learn Italian with Lucrezia .................................. 24
#21 - Italiano Automatico ............................................... 25
#22 - Professor Dave Explains ....................................... 26
#23 - Weilà Tom ................................................................ 27
#24 - Oneworlditaliano ................................................... 28
#25 - Online Italian Club ................................................ 29

Introduction
Ciao!
My name is Bjørn Ove Fjellandsbø and I run a blog called Become A Polyglot. Thank you so
much for downloading this ebook!
Since Italian was my first language that I learnt as an adult, I have had to learn how to learn
a language. My own journey of learning Italian has involved researching and trying out
different learning tools and methods.
In this book I wanted to share with you some of the best free online resources that I have
come across when learning Italian. You have to try them out yourself and make your own
judgement about them.
Hopefully you’ll find some useful tools in this book. I wish you the best with learning the
beautiful Italian language! PS! See also my videos: 10 tips on how to learn a language, How
long does it take to learn Italian and How many words do you need to speak a language?
In bocca al lupo! (Good luck!)

#01 - Duolingo
In short:
l What: Duolingo is the world’s l Platform: app + website
#1 language learning tool. It is used by l Level: Beginner to intermediate
300 million people all over the world. l More info: www.duolingo.com
Duolingo is both an app on your smartphone

as well as a website. Duolingo has courses in
32 languages, Italian being among them.
I’ve been recommending Duolingo to every-

one who mentions language learning ever
since I first heard of it. Many of them aren’t
sure where to begin. I usually tell them to start
using Duolingo. Because it is so simple and
easy-to-use, and is just a nice way to start
looking at a new language.
Duolingo is really simple to use. You set up a

profile, choose your target language, set your
weekly goals and then you are all set!
In language blogs on the Internet there is a

heated debate about Duolingo. Some are very
critical of it, others are very positive. I belong
to the latter group. I have used Duolingo as
a tool for learning Italian, and as a supple-
mentary learning tool it absolutely has a great
value.
Duolingo is great for learning and practicing

vocabulary, but not that great for learning
grammar. So it is recommended that you use
Duolingo together with resources to learn the Italian grammar. The lessons of Duolingo will
present you to the full range of language grammar, from the beginner to advanced level. But
in my opinion Duolingo can work as a way to check your understanding of this grammar,
rather than a way to learn the grammar.
MORE INFO ON MY BLOG: Learn Italian Grammar on Youtube (A1)

#02 - LyricsTranslate
In short:
l What: Lyrics Translate is a multilingual l Platform: website
translation web community that so far has l Level: All
produced more than 800.000 translations. l More info: www.lyricstranslate.com
To listen to music in Italian is a fun and

engaging way to learn the language. To
maximise the learning effect it is quite
popular to find a translation of the lyrics,
either to print out or to put words and phrases
you don’t know into a flash card system, like
Memrise (see page 8) or Quizlet (see page 9).
The odds are good that your favorite Italian

songs has a translation into English, like for
example the pop song ”Happy” from the
Italian artist Luca Cerboni.
If you can’t find a translation for a particular

song, you as a user can request that someone
translate this into Italian (or any other langua-
ge for that matter).
These translations aren’t always perfect, but

on average they are quite decent and accura-
te. If someone uploads a poor translation of
a popular song it will soon be supplemented
by a better and more precise translation from
another user. There is also a possibility to
comment on translations of other users, and/
or receive feedback on your translations.

#03 - HelloTalk
In short:
l What: HelloTalk is a language learning l Platform: app
app that connects you directly with native l Level: All
speakers on your smartphone. l More info: www.hellotalk.com
HelloTalk is a language learning app that

connects you directly with native speakers, and
gives you a possibility to text and speak with
them on your smartphone.
When you sign up to use HelloTalk, you

enter the language(s) you currently speak, plus
whatever language you intend to practice. You
can also add your level of fluency. HelloTalk
then gives you a list of people who would be
compatible language exchange partners.
The idea behind HelloTalk is to match lan-

guage learners with native/fluent speakers.
When I registered in the app I wrote that I am
a Norwegian, and I want to learn Italian. The
system then matches me with native Italians
that want to learn Norwegian.
As you can see from the screenshot example

to the right from my installed Hellotalk app,
there are useful features in the chat that allows
to correct words and phrases in the dialogue
This way your language partner and you can
correct each other’s grammar and spelling
mistakes.
The interactions are free-form. There is no structured learning content. This app doesn’t of-
fer lessons, exercises, quizzes, or other tools for learning. This means that the value of the app
will depend on the users that you choose to interact with.

#04 - Memrise
In short:
l What: Memrise is a mobile and webbased l Platform: app + website
study application for studying information l Level: All
via learning tools like flash cards. l More info: www.memrise.com
Memrise teaches you words and phrases

through a spaced repetition system (SRS).
Once you’ve learned a word or short phrase,
Memrise will show you that word again in
a couple of days, then again in a couple of
weeks, then again in a month, and so on.
Memrise works best when you use it on a daily
basis.
You can make your own collections of

words and phrases that you use the app to
drill into your longterm memory, or you can
find collections that other people have put
into the system and made public. Do note that
you have no guarantee on the quality of the
user-generated content.
Maybe for this reason, Memrise has also

started to produce complete courses in some
languages. The Italian course has 7 levels.
This course will start with the very basic
words and phrases, and then the material will
move to the intermediate and advanced level.
To set up a Memrise account is free. You

can use the app to learn vocabulary and
characters of different languages, as well as
basic phrases and sentences.

#05 - Quizlet
In short:
l What: Quizlet is a mobile and webbased l Platform: app + website
study application for studying information l Level: All
via learning tools like flash cards. l More info: www.quizlet.com
Quizlet trains students via flashcards and

various games and tests. Just like Memrise,
it teaches you words and phrases through a
spaced repetition system (SRS).
Quizlet has over 300 million user-generated

flashcard sets and more than 50 million active
users, according to Wikipedia.
I think I came across Quizlet for the first time

when I took the edX Italian Language and
Culture course (see page 10), made by Welles-
ley College. One part of that course was the
possibility to download new vocabulary from a
study set made in Quizlet. It was quite easy to
implement.
Again according to Wikipedia, Quizlet is used

by two-thirds of high school students and half
of university students in the United States.
That is quite impressive, and a testimony for
its ease of use.

#06 - edX Italian language & Culture

In short:
l What: An online college course in Italian, l Platform: website
that has reached over 125.000 students l Level: Beginner to advanced
worldwide. l More info: www.edx.org
The course – Italian Language & Culture –

is a course offered on the edX learning plat-
form. It actually consists of three separate
courses that can be taken individually:
Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced.
By the end of the beginner course you will be

able to describe people, events and situations,
both in the present and the past, and you will
have acquired the necessary vocabulary to
communicate about everyday situations.
The course material consists of video

lessons with an Italian professor, download-
able podcasts and grammar charts, and much
more. Each lesson contains multiple-choice
tests to check your learning progress as part of
the edX online learning methodology.
Italian culture is also an integral part of

this course. Through interviews and readings,
you will learn about daily life in Italy, Italian
films and Italian cuisine. You don’t get credit
points for completing this online college
course in Italian, but it is possible to pay
49 USD to receive a certificate of achieve-
ment from edX after successfully completing
these courses with a passing grade.
MORE INFO ON MY BLOG:

Review: Free Italian online courses from Wellesley College (A1-B2)

#07 - iTalki
In short:
l What: iTalki is an online language l Platform: app + website
exchange community, where you can find l Level: All
language exchanges as well as paid tutors. l More info: www.italki.com
iTalki is both a website and a smartphone

application. As of July 2017, italki has more
than 3 million users from more than 100
countries, and 5000 teachers, according to
Wikipedia.
I have personally used iTalki mostly for paid

lessons. Having said that, it can also work for
those looking not to spend any money at all.
iTalki is perhaps best known as the #1 place

to buy a lesson from a tutor in your target
language. But this service also connects the
users and makes it easy to find a language
exchange partner. This part of iTalki is free.
Since there are 3 million users inside the

community, you have a good chance of
finding a language exchange. Normally when
two language learners become friends on
iTalki they will agree on a time to have
a video chat on Skype. For me as a native
Norwegian that has been learning Italian, that
means that my language exchange partner
and I will spend 50% of the time speaking
Norwegian, and then 50% speaking Italian.
I have also done English/Italian, because my
English is quite good and many Italians want to improve their English skills as well.
When you register as a user in iTalki you should write on your profile what is your native
language, what language(s) you want to learn, and also if you know other languages (and at
what level). This way it is easy for both you and others to search and find each other.

#08 - Word Reference

In short:
l What: Online translation dictionary l Platform: website + app
for many language pairs, among them l Level: All
English-Italian and Italian-English. l More info: www.wordreference.com
Printed dictionaries are on the way out, and

are being replaced by online dictionaries. With
today’s smartphones with Internet connection,
there is no need to travel with a heavy paper
dictionary.
Word Reference is one of the world’s most

popular and powerful dictionary translation
website. It is available both as a website and
as an application. Wordreference is a good
choice for looking up simple words, concepts,
and expressions.
When you look up a single word, like eat,

then you not only get the Italian word
mangiare, but a long page with additional in-
formation on related words. For example that
there is a separate Italian word – cenare – for to
have dinner.
It is also very useful to get example sentences

for the different versions of the word that you
are looking up in a dictionary.
If I simply want a translation of a single word

or a simple expression, I often use Google
Translate (see page 13). But if I don’t rely on
the quality of Google’s translation I will need to look the word up in Word Reference. Also
I will not get a detailed explanation with Google. So these are supplementary tools. If I
am reading an article online in the web browser Chrome, and I want to look up a word or
expression in an article, I will use Reverso Context - a Chrome app (see page 14).

#09 - Google Translate

In short:
l What: Google’s free service translates l Platform: app + website
words and phrases between over 100 l Level: All
languages. l More info: https://translate.google.com
Google Translate is a free multilingual machi-

ne translation service developed by Google, to
translate text. This service is available both as
a website and an app.
Google Translate first translates the text to

English and then to the target language.
During a translation, it looks for patterns in
millions of documents to help decide on the
best translation, according to Wikipedia.
Although Google Translate has been both

criticized and ridiculed by many, its accuracy
has improved the latest years.
As an intermediate student of Italian, I will

often notice when Google Translate got it a bit
wrong. For example, it can sometimes confuse
the English word you, and not understand if
you meant tu (Italian singular informal you) or
voi (Italian plural you). But for the most part
I find that Google Translate gets it right,
especially when translating single words, or
shorter, simple sentences.
I use Google Translate as support when I am

traveling in Italy or chatting with my Italian
friends, and I am in doubt – either about grammar or about vocabulary. If – on the other
hand – I am surfing the web and want to look up a word or expression I use Reverso Context
- a Chrome app (see page 14). And if Google Translate can’t translate a certain word, or
I want a more detailed explanation of a word, then I will look it up in the online dictionary
Word Reference (see the previous page).

#10 - Reverso Context (Chrome)

In short:
l What: An app that you can install in your l Platform: app for web browser (Chrome)
Chrome web browser that offers both the l Level: All
translation and pronunciation of words. l More info: www.reverso.net
Reverso Context is an app that you can install

in your Chrome web browser, both on a PC
and a Mac. It offers you a direct translation in
the context of your page anywhere on the web
for free.
An easy way to find out what a native speaker

would say: translate selected words and entire
paragraphs, discover new words each week.
Collect your new Italian words and add them
to your favorites, synchronize them on your
mobile and learn them anywhere. This, of
course, requires you to register an account at
the website, and then install the app on your
smartphone as well.
Reverso Context will always help you to un-

derstand foreign texts on any website and even
in PDF documents. Select a word and it will
automatically identify the relevant expressions
in your text. Select a sentence or paragraph
and get its translation on the page itself, in-
stantly. Listen to pronunciation and discover
real-life examples of usage.
Another cool feature that I just recently disco-

vered is that you could play an Italian movie
inside Netflix with Italian subtitles, and then whenever you want during the movie you can
click on a word or an expression inside the subtitles. The movie will pause, and you can in-
stantly get the correct English translation (or the translation into your own language).
So you can learn Italian as you are watching an Italian movie. This great translation feature
works on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube and TED Talks.

#11 - Verbix.com
In short:
l What: A website to look up all verb l Platform: website
conjugations for Italian (as well as a bunch l Level: All
of other languages). l More info: www.verbix.com
Every serious student of Italian will at one

point start having the need to look up the
correct conjugation of a specific verb in a
certain tense, for example Passato prossimo
(Present Perfect).
The website Verbix.com is a useful tool for just

that. Here you plug in the infinitive version of
the verb you wish to conjugate and receive an
impressive, if somewhat intimidating, array of
the verb’s various conjugated forms.
Verbix is a great tool, whether you’re only just

learning a language as well further along on
your language journey. Even though you know
that the Italian verb for ’to eat’ is mangiare,
then maybe you have forgotten how it is
conjugated for 1st person singular in the
Imperfect Tense (Imperfetto). The answer:
mangiavo.
Verbix does not offer the English translation,

by the way. But as you progress from beginner
to intermediate, and then over to an advanced
student, you will gradually understand more
and more of the different conjugations and
their correct translations into English or your
own native language.
At the moment I am a student of Italian at the B1/B2 level, therefore I know that
avevo mangiato translates into ’I had eaten’ in English. This is the conjuagation for mangiare
for the 1st person singular in the Past Perfect Tense (Trapassato prossimo”).

#12 - Forvo
In short:
l What: An online pronunciation l Platform: app + website
dictionary with more than 100.000 l Level: All
pronunciations in Italian. l More info: www.forvo.com
Have you ever wondered how a specific word

is pronounced correctly in a foreign language?
Forvo gives you the solution. You just write the
word (or expression) you want to pronounce in
a search box. Then Forvo will show you how a
native speaker pronounces it correctly.
Italian is one of the languages on Forvo

that has more than 100.000 registered
pronunciations.
Forvo is an online pronunciation dictionary.

The content is crowd-sourced, which means
that anyone registered with the site can add
their own voice and pronunciation of chosen
words. Forvo has a database of more than
1 million words in hundreds of languages.
It’s quite impressive.
Language learners can review words they

think they know in, for example, Italian, and
find out how a native speaker pronounces a
word in a different language. Forvo’s audio
clips are on average 2,5 seconds long, which
seems to be long enough for most words to be
spoken.
Forvo can be used in many ways. Some

download the pronunciation as mp3-files and include these on digital flashcards. Others are
content to just search up a word on the site to listen to the pronunciation. If you come across
a word in Forvo that does not yet have an audio file recording with a native pronunciation,
you can post a request for it. You’ll usually have the answer within 24 hours.

#13 - Lang-8
In short:
l What: A website to post texts in Italian l Platform: A website and an app
that you have written, and that you’ll want l Level: Intermediate to advanced
corrected and get feedback on. l More info: https://lang-8.com
Lang-8 is a website where you can write

posts in your language of study, and have it
corrected by native speakers. In return, you
correct the posts written by learners of your
native language.
In most Italian courses, be they evening

courses or at a university, you’ll not get that
much practice in writing in Italian and get
feedback from the teacher. So Lang-8 is
actually a great tool to start writing in Italian
and get feedback on your texts.
I recommend Lang-8 for those of you that

have hit an intermediate or moderately
advanced level of fluency. For the beginners,
it is better to use Duolingo (see page 5) to gain
some experience and confidence in
writing sentences in Italian.
Lang-8 requires patience. You also have to

be willing to make mistakes and to accept
corrections from native speakers. If you keep
posting your texts over time, and take notice
of the corrections you recieve, you will make
noticeable improvement.
It is also important that you take the time to give corrections in your native language to other
users within the Lang-8 community. For me, that will be in Norwegian.

#14 - Easy Italian

In short:
l What: A Youtube channel with a series of l Platform: Youtube
videos called ”Learning Italian on the l Level: Beginner to intermediate
streets” – with a range of topics. l More info: Easy Italian on Youtube
Easy Italian is a channel on Youtube to help

you learn Italian in an authentic and fun way.
The team currently consists of Katie and
Matteo, who are based in Milano. They inter-
view people in the streets of Milano and other
cities of Italy. All of their videos have subtitles
in Italian and English.
Even though they offer a playlist called

”Italian for beginners” with 8 episodes,
I would still recommend this channel mainly
for the students on the A2/B1 level.
As an intermediate student, you’ll want to

focus on their playlist ”Learning Italian from
the streets” that at the moment has over
30 videos. I find the contents of these videos
quite interesting, ranging from cultural and
societal topics to explaining specific words and
expressions in the Italian language.
This channel posts new Italian videos on

every other week, so make sure you both
push the subscribe button and check off the
bell-button to get notifications when new
videoes are published.
By the way, I advise you to create your own Youtube user account, so that you can
subscribe to this and other channels and have a history of videoes that you have seen. As
a bonus, Youtube will always suggest related channels and/or videoes. I have come across
many great Youtube channels this way myself.

#15 - Coffee Break Italian

In short:
l What: A podcast for learning Italian from l Platform: Podcast
scratch. Very well made, and suited for l Level: Beginner to intermediate
beginners. l More info: Coffee Break Italian podcast
With the podcast ’Coffee Break Italian’ you

can learn Italian where and when it suits you,
be it at home or out on your daily walk or
when you are commuting to/from work – in
your car, on the bus or on a train.
Season 1 has a total of 40 episodes each

lasting about 20-30 minutes and is aimed at
complete beginners. You’ll join teacher Mark,
learner Katie and native speaker Francesca.
Coffee Break Italian is like going for a coffee

with your friend who happens to speak Italian
and is helping you to learn in a relaxed,
enjoyable way. The team behind this podcast
adds a carefully constructed pedagogy which
ensures that you as a language learner
progress through the lessons.
The Coffee Break Italian podcast is a highly

recommended way to pick up Italian. The
lessons introduce new topics at a nice pace,
building on what you already know so you
don’t forget anything.
This was the very first podcast I came across

and started to listen to as a beginner student
of Italian. I highly recommend it, especially for the beginners, because they really take things
in a step-by-step manner, that will not feel overwhelming.

#16 - Alma.tv – Grammatica caffè

In short:
l What: ALMA.tv is a video website l Platform: Website
dedicated to Italian language, grammar l Level: Intermediate to advanced
and culture. l More info: Grammatica caffè
ALMA.tv is a website dedicated to Italian

language and culture. Here you can refresh
your knowledge about Italian and practice
your language skills.
The publisher is ALMA Edizioni, who is a

leading publisher of materials and course
books for teachers and students of Italian.
This website is best suited for the intermediate

to advanced students of Italian. I recommend
the ’Grammatica caffè’ section, where you
can watch many 4-5 min videos on different
grammar topics by Roberto Tartaglione,
who is the author of many ALMA Edizioni’s
books. His videos are in Italian, so you really
have to have a solid foundation before being
able to enjoy his videos. I recommend you
to be at the A2+ or B1 level in your Italian.
Roberto Tartaglione explains the more subtle

and finer points in the Italian language in an
engaging and easy-to-learn way.

How to measure your level in a language
What are the grammar points at the A1, A2 and B1 levels in Italian?

#17 - Incontro Italiano

In short:
l What: Incontro Italiano is a podcast l Platform: Website + Podcast
about Italian society, food and culture, l Level: Intermediate to advanced
with more than 400 episodes. l More info: Incontro Italiano Podcast
This podcast is a summary of the

Incontro Italiano audio-magazine, and to
listen to these short 3 minutes episodes is free.
You will learn about different places, art, food,
customs and the people of Italy.
This podcast is a good resource for non-native

Italian speakers who want to improve their
listening comprehension, vocabulary, and
grammar. It is best suited for upper intermedi-
ate to advanced students of Italian.
Each episode is made entirely in Italian, and

they will let you get used to Italian normal rate
of speech.
The full audio and accompanying digital

magazine is available for subscribers from the
website. The magazine contains the complete
transcript of the audio and additional voca-
bulary and exercises to help you learn Italian
and get to know Italy.

#18 - News in Slow Italian

In short:
l What: A podcast that offers weekly news l Platform: Website + iTunes Podcasts
in slow-spoken Italian, that makes it easier l Level: Intermediate to advanced
to follow along. l More info: www.newsinslowitalian.com
As a language learner you’ll want to start to

listen to Italian podcasts and radio stations
as soon as possible. But starting to early can
often lead to frustration. The natural pace of
spoken Italian is quite fast, and it can be diffi-
cult for a beginner and even an intermediate
student of Italian to follow along.
The podcast ’News in Slow Italian’ has

tried to offer a solution. Every week they give
you the news and other timely topics, but in
slow Italian. Each episode lasts only for 3-4
minutes, so measured in time they should be
easily digestible.
Even though the language has been slowed

down, it can still be hard to understand
sometimes, but only because of the
vocabulary. It is said that the Italian has been
simplified somewhat, but it is still on quite a
high level, so you should be on a B1 level in
your Italian before you’ll start to appreciate
the content. And even then you’ll need to
concentrate as a listener.
If you start to listen to this podcast on

a regular basis your vocabulary will expand
and your comprehension skills will also improve a lot.

#19 - Italy Made Easy

In short:
l What: Italy Made Easy is a Youtube l Platform: Youtube
channel from Manu Venditti that offers l Level: Beginner to intermediate
400 free Italian video lessons. l More info: Italy Made easy on Youtube
Italy Made Easy is a Youtube channel made

by Manu Venditti, an Italian man living in
Australia. He is a linguist and has worked as a
language professor in a university parallel to
building up his Youtube channel with 80.000
+ followers around the world.
Manu offers around 400 free video lessons.

He is really productive and I have been really
impressed with the quality and volume of the
free content he is sharing on his channel.
He mostly publishes easy to follow Italian

grammar lessons for beginner or intermediate
students of Italian but also has videos for
advanced students as well. He also hosts
regular interactive live lessons on Youtube,
which you can watch live or as a recording
later on.
Manu has an engaging style of teaching, and

he explains difficult concepts in such a way
that they will stick in your head. I really can’t
praise him enough for the work and effort he
has put into his videos, and he is truly among
the very best Italian teachers on Youtube.
Manu has also a great command of the English language, and it was so great to come across
his Youtube channel early on. He explained Italian grammar topics on the A1 and A2 levels
in English in an easy-to-understand way. As an intermediate student, you’ll enjoy Manu’s
videos that are made entirely in Italian, but as a beginner student, you really appreciate
having Manu explain to you the basic grammar in English.

#20 - Learn Italian with Lucrezia

In short:
l What: A Youtube channel with a mix of l Platform: Youtube
Italian and English lessons and video logs l Level: Intermediate
from Lucrezia Oddone (Rome, Italy). l More info: Lucrezia’s Youtube channel
I have followed Lucrezia’s Youtube channel

for a long time, and I find her videos both fun
to watch and informative.
She uploads new videoes every week, and

always with a nice variety of subjects. Some
of them cover general topics and others are
in response to questions from users. In other
words: It can be worth leaving a comment or
two on the videos.
Lucrezia lives in Rome, and many of her vlogs

are from famous sites around in the eternal
city. If she is traveling, the camera is always
with her.
I think her Youtube channel is best suited for

intermediate students of Italian because she
speaks mostly in Italian in both her video
lessons as well as her vlogs.
Lucrezia got her bachelor’s degree in

Applied Interlinguistic Communication in
Trieste, and it was during these years that
she started her “teaching Italian to the world”
adventure. She first started a blog and then
added her Youtube channel because she felt it
was necessary to add visuals and sound to the whole thing. Lucky for us learners of Italian!
Lucrezia Oddone has a master’s degree in Modern Languages for International

Communication at Università di Roma Tre.

#21 - Italiano Automatico

In short:
l What: A Youtube channel with a lot of l Platform: Youtube
videos with easy-to-understand Italian l Level: Intermediate
from Alberto Arrigini (Brescia, Italy) l More info:Alberto’s Youtube channel
This is the channel of Alberto Arrighini

from the city of Brescia, close to Milano.
Alberto posts new videos every week, from his
life together with his family, including his
grandmother (”la nonna”) and his Brasilian
wife Isa, both of them often take part in his
videoes from everyday life.
Alberto created his Youtube channel “Italia-

no Automatico” in 2013. He wanted to offer
comprehensible input for students of Italian.
He is a very productive person, and at the
moment of writing his channel has more than
500 videos, and with new videos coming out
every week.
Alberto is also into self-development and this

topic comes up in his videos now and then,
which just adds additional value. Not only can
we practice and learn Italian when we watch
his videos, but we can also get great tips and
advice on how we can improve our habits and
read inspirational books.
As with the Youtube channel recommended

on the previous page, also Alberto’s channel is
a channel best suited for the intermediate stu-
dent. Alberto speaks in Italian in his videos, so you’ll want to have a solid foundation before
you can start to appreciate his videos. Be sure to also check out his blog.

#22 - Professor Dave Explains

In short:
l What: Youtube channel to learn Italian l Platform: Youtube
grammar. l Level: Beginner to intermediate
l More info: Professor Dave on Youtube
This is one of my more recent discoveries

on Youtube. It is kind of a strange channel
because it is a channel mostly about natural
sciences: chemistry, physics, etc. But in the
midst of all this, we find a playlist of Italian
language and grammar.
The videos that ’Professor Dave’ offers on

Italian ar really awsome. They are clear and
concise, and really presents Italian grammar
in a way that makes it easy to learn.
These videos are the result of a collaboration

between Dave and his mother, Patrizia Farina,
a native Italian who has taught the language
to undergraduates for the past 30 years.
So when you follow the videoes you will follow
her curriculum for both beginner and inter-
mediate students of Italian.
This channel with its playlist of videoes on

Italian language and grammar is highly
recommended. The videoes are well made
and make use of graphics in a manner that
makes learning really easy.

#23 - Weilà Tom

In short:
l What: Youtube channel to learn Italian l Platform: Youtube
grammar. l Level: Intermediate
l Tom’s Youtube channel
Tom is an experienced student of Italian, and

his YouTube channel aims to help English
speakers learn Italian (and Italian speakers
learn English). He has recently started publis-
hing learning videos on the French language
as well, after studying that language for the
past 4 years. Tom is fluent in both Italian and
French.
Tom also has learned Spanish. As soon as he

reaches fluency in that language as well he can
call himself a polyglot: A person who speaks
4+ languages well/fluent.
I started to follow Tom’s channel because this

was one of the very first Youtube teachers of
Italian that I discovered. I found his teaching
style to be very easy to follow.
He has made more than 40 videos that focus

on the very basics of Italian, including
grammar.

What is a polyglot?

#024 - Oneworlditaliano
In short:
l What: A Youtube channel with lessons l Platform: Youtube
in Italian for all levels. The teacher l Level: Intermediate
Veronica has a unique teaching style. l More info: OneWorldItaliano
On One World Italiano’s Youtube channel

the school offers an Italian language video
course from A1 (elementary) to B1 (inter-
mediate) level, divided into 25 lessons and
always accompanied by 3 extra videos at the
end of each level with a review, exam and
exam solutions.
The teacher, Veronica, has a clear and

effective teaching method and makes
grammar subjects light and fun.
I felt really lucky when I came across this

free course on Youtube. It starts from the
very beginning, and her first lessons are in
English. But soon you will follow along
Veronica’s lessons in Italian only. This
transition was so smooth that I can’t say
I can really remember exactly which
episode/lesson that happened.
The lessons usually start with Veronica

telling you a story, where she is actively using
grammar that she wants to teach you. In the
second part of the video she explains the
grammar used. Whether it is a past tense, the
future tense or prepositions.

Learn Italian Grammar on Youtube (A1 beginner)

#25 - Online Italian Club

In short:
l What: A great grammar resource for l Platform: Web
all levels, plus a dialogues and listening l Level: Beginner to advanced
section, as well as a vocabulary section. l More info: www.onlineitalianclub.com
Online Italian Club is free to use.

Everything on this site is accessible to all,
‘member’ or not.
On this site, you can access grammar lessons

on all levels (A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2). If you
are not quite sure of your own level of Italian
you can take a free level test.
As you progress through the levels, there are

downloadable checklists for each level, so you
can monitor your progress.
This website boasts many dialogues and

listening topics. The listening section can also
divide the material into the above-mentioned
levels (A1, A2, etc.), which is useful so that you
can easily find material that you can mostly
understand.
There is also a vocabulary section that has also

been divided into the levels A1, A2, etc.
Finally, you’ll find over 600 common

(and less common) Italian verbs conjugated
in different tenses and with links to grammar
explanations. A useful tool for students,
although I personally prefer using sites like Reverso.net (see tip #10) or Verbix.com
(see tip #11) for looking up verb conjugations.

How to measure your level in a language

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Ebook by Bjørn Ove Fjellandsbø

25 best FREE Italian learning tools 1st edition 2020 | www.becomeapolyglot.com

© Bjørn Ove Fjellandsbø | BecomeAPolyglot.com 1

25 best FREE Italian learning tools

Copyright © 2020 becomeapolyglot.com

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may

22 © Bjørn Ove Fjellandsbø | BecomeAPolyglot.com

© Bjørn Ove Fjellandsbø | BecomeAPolyglot.com 3

In bocca al lupo! (Good luck!)

4 © Bjørn Ove Fjellandsbø | BecomeAPolyglot.com

Duolingo is both an app on your smartphone

I’ve been recommending Duolingo to every-

Duolingo is really simple to use. You set up a

In language blogs on the Internet there is a

Duolingo is great for learning and practicing

MORE INFO ON MY BLOG: Learn Italian Grammar on Youtube (A1)

© Bjørn Ove Fjellandsbø | BecomeAPolyglot.com 5

To listen to music in Italian is a fun and

The odds are good that your favorite Italian

If you can’t find a translation for a particular

These translations aren’t always perfect, but

6 © Bjørn Ove Fjellandsbø | BecomeAPolyglot.com

HelloTalk is a language learning app that

When you sign up to use HelloTalk, you

The idea behind HelloTalk is to match lan-

As you can see from the screenshot example

© Bjørn Ove Fjellandsbø | BecomeAPolyglot.com 7

Memrise teaches you words and phrases

You can make your own collections of

Maybe for this reason, Memrise has also

To set up a Memrise account is free. You

8 © Bjørn Ove Fjellandsbø | BecomeAPolyglot.com

Quizlet trains students via flashcards and

Quizlet has over 300 million user-generated

I think I came across Quizlet for the first time

Again according to Wikipedia, Quizlet is used

© Bjørn Ove Fjellandsbø | BecomeAPolyglot.com 9

#06 - edX Italian language & Culture

The course – Italian Language & Culture –

By the end of the beginner course you will be

The course material consists of video

Italian culture is also an integral part of

MORE INFO ON MY BLOG:

10 © Bjørn Ove Fjellandsbø | BecomeAPolyglot.com

iTalki is both a website and a smartphone

I have personally used iTalki mostly for paid

iTalki is perhaps best known as the #1 place

Since there are 3 million users inside the

© Bjørn Ove Fjellandsbø | BecomeAPolyglot.com 11

#08 - Word Reference

Printed dictionaries are on the way out, and

Word Reference is one of the world’s most

When you look up a single word, like eat,

It is also very useful to get example sentences

If I simply want a translation of a single word

12 © Bjørn Ove Fjellandsbø | BecomeAPolyglot.com

#09 - Google Translate

Google Translate is a free multilingual machi-

Google Translate first translates the text to