My Italian Journey - Italian learning resources

This is probably not the place for it, but it is a convenient place to put it.

I have been learning Italian since April 2018 and the following resources have been extremely helpful. Enjoy.

Quali risorse usi per imparare l'italiano?

Youtube

My favorites:

• Learn Italian with Lucrezia OddoneAn Italian who is fluent in English but teaches Italian in Italian (Immersive learning). She also provides the Italian captions for her videos! (Watch the comprehensible input video to learn why that is important).This has been a great channel for me to play in the car at 0.75 playback speed and use a technique called "shadowing"; I just repeat everything she says, as she says it.
• Italy Made Easy (with Manu)An Italianborn who teaches in English
• QVC ItaliaThis one sounds funny to people when I recommend it. It was actually recommended to me by Manu! Passive listening is an integral part of language learning. It keeps your mind familiar with the sounds and feel and cadence of your target language. The best part about QVC Italia is that they are always streaming live, so the content is fresh and I can keep it on in the background while I'm working. Another great part of the content on this channel, is that they are always talking about a product, something tangible. So complex and abstract ideas is not normally discussed on the channel. It makes it easy to learn new nouns and the adjectives often used to describe them. (You may even find a cool Italian product you want to buy )
• Easy ItalianThis channel essentially nails it when it comes to subtitles. they are easy to read and in both English and Italian! Studies show that comprehension of your target language of video content goes down when you simply read subtitles in English, and it goes up when the subtitles are in Italian, and it goes way up when both languages are present in the subtitles. Also, great content! They interview real people in Italy all the time. Very fun.
• Tom TxxytuAn American who teaches in English
• More channels: https://www.mosalingua.com/en/youtube-channels-to-learn-italian/, https://www.alllanguageresources.com/italian-youtube-channels/

Apps

• Google TranslateThis one is a must! For the most part, it is spoton in translating for you.
• Reverso Translate and Learn (aka Reverso Context)Where Google Translate fails (particularly around idioms) this app cleans up! It references real articles and other literature written and translated by native speakers so you know it is more accurate. Still be careful about the context you use what you learn here.
• HelloTalkThis would be a great one for all of us to join since there is an excellent correction mechanism in the app! By now, I have made lifelong friends through this app.
• DuolingoDuoLingo has helped me expand my vocabulary a lot! And there is a streak mechanism that keeps me focused.
• MemriseNot my favorite app to be honest, but they leverage many of the same psychological hacks that Rosetta Stone does by including 2second videos of real Italians speaking the language.
• LinguaLoopsShortterm memory commits to longterm memory with 1) repetition 2) sleep and 3) high emotional contrast accompanying the new information. LinguaLoops focuses on repetition in the form of cute, catchytunes for the verb tenses.

Podcasts

• Radio 24My favorite is Effetto Giorno, an Italian radio news show. Just keep in mind, this is a real Italian radio show for Italians. It is fast, idiomatic, and uses very unique language since they discuss economics, politics, geography, and other social topics.
• Let's Speak ItalianI think this one is excellent for the beginner. A perfect car ride podcast for expanding your vocabulary.
• SBS ItalianoAnother advanced one, but they include news from Australia which is cool as well as interviews and random community stories. There are news stories, but they are more interesting ones.

Netflix

Tips

• When using Netflix for language learning, this Chrome Plugin is a MUST!
• Change your Netflix localization to Italian! (https://help.netflix.com/en/node/13245)What's nice about this one, is that it only affects your profile, not the whole account! So you can even make yourself an extra account in Netflix for your Italian shows, and keep your regular one.

Shows

I'll list some of the kid shows here, but some of the other Italian shows that I do enjoy, can also be really graphic. So I'll let you just search for "Italian" and discern what is appropriate for you or not
The ones I list here though are clean and I can vouch for!

• PocoyoIt is just cute
• Parole In FestaMy kids and I watch this all the time! The songs are super catchy and give you good Italian baby language to use around kids!
• La SuburraNot kid friendly, but I seriously love the acting, the characters, and the story.

Books

• La Ragazza nella Nebbia by Donato Carrisi [Fiction]
• Quei 10 giorni oltre la vita by Mauro Prosperi [Nonfiction]I purchased my physical copy here
• More books recommended by Lucrezia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-1T09Y2s0U&ab_channel=LearnItalianwithLucrezia, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVSy2TomGFg&ab_channel=LearnItalianwithLucrezia, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBYYj-9Qhzs&ab_channel=LearnItalianwithLucrezia, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LDI0j_p5HM&ab_channel=LearnItalianwithLucrezia

Other Content

• I like this video because it breaks down "comprehensible input" The ULTIMATE language learning hack ever! - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_EQDtpYSNM
• Great Spotify Playlist by Lucrezia Oddone - https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6gHVsQ8qLA4vWEaqasMVKN
• Find movies and shows by searching online to discover if maybe you can get it in Italian! Like Disney movies for instance.I think the Chrome Plugin I mentioned above actually works for Disney+ now

Other Ideas

• Change your Netflix localization to Italian! (https://help.netflix.com/en/node/13245)What's nice about this one, is that it only affects your profile, not the whole account! So you can even make yourself an extra account in Netflix for your Italian shows, and keep your regular one.
• If you feel really daring, you can do this to your phone too!

I hope this helps someone. Happy Italian learning!