My Journey Learning Italian
/I’ve had a love and fascination with Italy since I was very young. Was it because I was born in a predominantly Italian and Portuguese community in Northern California? Or maybe it was that first trip to Italy in the ’80s when I felt such a strong physical reaction come over me as I came out of the Termini station in Rome. Or the many years hanging out in the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco which was just a few blocks from my office? Maybe it was all of those things and much more. But all I know is that Italy was always in my heart and that one day I would live there. And now I do!
But before you move to Italy, you need to learn Italian, no? I thought so and tried many different ways but nothing really worked.
Download your free guide to my 5 top tips when Learning Italian
Just before my move, I found Luca Lupo, an Italian teacher originally from Milan but who now lives in Sweden with his family. He offers lessons online privately and in groups via Skype. I liked his style of teaching and having weekly homework - what can I say, I’m a nerd! My goal with Luca was to learn the basics before my move to Italy. But I was so busy with work and a long commute, that I couldn’t retain what I was learning. At that point, I thought “what the hell… just get to Italy and you’ll learn there.”
So How Did I Start to Learn Italian?
I am lucky that I am not afraid to speak no matter how horrible I pronounce something or how wrong it is. That is a godsend for me because so many people tell me that is the one thing holding them back - the fear of speaking.
In my new home, Guardia Sanframondi, the people are very friendly and curious about those of us who have moved here from different countries. Their first question to newbies is usually “Perchè Guardia?” or “Why Guardia?” Despite my lack of Italian, I would try to introduce myself and say I am from the United States and maybe a few other little things that I had practiced. We usually muddled through with hand gestures and a lot of kindness and patience on their part.
I continued trying to speak every time I was running an errand, going for a coffee, or talking to the guys renovating my house. After a few months, I knew I needed more help and reached out to Luca again. Once a week, I took group lessons that included a couple from Sweden and a young man living in Singapore. With the help of these classes and practicing with the locals here in Guardia, I began to gain confidence and learn the basics. At least enough to get by and survive when running errands, ordering food, or taking my road trips throughout Italy. I am still terrified of phone calls but get through them as best I can.
If you are afraid of speaking and don’t think you can come back from an embarrassing mistake, just read about my very first day in Guardia and the huge blunder I made. If I can continue speaking after what happened, so can you!
What was your funniest mistake? Please share!
Making Progress - Piano, Piano (Slowly)
Slowly, I am making progress in learning Italian. I can now tell the difference between Italian and the local dialect. Like many other small villages in Italy, a distinct dialect is spoken and here it is called “Guardiolo.” To me, many of the dialects do not sound anything like Italian, and “Guardiolo” is no different. If you’d like to hear the difference, listen to Giovanni giving us a little lesson.
It took me almost three years to finally understand the best way for me to learn through a lot of trial and error. I still struggle every day with the language but the way I learn is now much different and a lot more relaxed. Here’s a good breakdown of the different ways we learn that helped me to understand my learning style(s). I am a verbal and physical learner no matter if it is a language or something else. Would I be much further along in Italian if I had known my learning style(s) many years ago? I’m not sure. But I do know that now I have more fun, and a lot less fear and stress. Isn’t that the point?
Embrace and Let Go!
GET THIS FREEBIE! I’d like to help you avoid some of the mistakes I made and save you some pain and stress too. Get my 5 Top Tips When Learning Italian below.
