Italian Lessons in Ottawa

Con te partirò - Andrea Bocelli

This is a timeless love song performed by one of the most famous Italian singers of all time, Andrea Bocelli. In this piece, the artist dreams of traveling to new places with his lover, so it’s a great opportunity to learn vocabulary related to love and companionship. Also, Bocelli has great diction and enunciates the words clearly, making it a good song for beginners to start training their ears. Some expressions you’ll be learning are “con te” (with you), “su navi per mari” (on ships overseas), “tu mia Luna” (my moon), and more! Listen to this amazing song by Andrea Bocelli!

Almeno tu nell’universo- Mia Martini

Mia Martini is one of the most well-known famous singers in Italy who often sings about heartbreak and disappointment. That is the case of Almeno tu nell’universo, where the poetic protagonist sings about loving a strange man, unique in this world, but who doesn’t pay any attention to her. The song is almost entirely sung in the conditional tense, so it’s great practice for intermediate or even advanced students looking to expand their knowledge of grammar and vocabulary. There is heavy use of adverbs, for example, like davvero (really) or per sempre (forever). Enjoy her song here!

L’emozione non ha voce - Adriano Celentano

This song follows a man who’s confessing his love for a married woman, knowing she will never love him back. Still, he claims that his love will last for life. As the song is slow and Adriano Celentano pronounces each word very clearly, beginner students will find it easy to start training their listening comprehension while picking up some new words, such as “amico” (friend), vita (life), dormir (sleep), and more! The song also uses the future tense a lot, so it’s great if you’re looking to practice that particular grammatical feature while listening to great music. Click here to listen to this hit!

Weilá Tom

Weilá Tom is a YouTube channel for Italian language learners. Tom, the owner, always records positive messages about not giving up when learning Italian, even if the process is slow or difficult. Tom is not an Italian native speaker but an American who has been acquiring the language for the past 11 years. What he does, then, is to share his experience and talks about the things that worked for him as a native English speaker. The videos are suitable for all levels of proficiency, as he speaks Italian very slowly, and all his content has English subtitles. Subscribe to his channel here!

Briller

Learning a language is not only about memorizing rules or acquiring vocabulary. It is also important to feel inspired and to practice with others. So, why not subscribe to YouTube channels that give positive vibes and advice on how to learn Italian more efficiently, like Briller? This channel is run by Bryan, an American who’s been living in Italy for more than 10 years. He shares his passion not only for the Italian language, but also for the country’s culture and traditions. Watch these interesting videos and learn important Italian vocabulary, such as words relating to food, like gnocchi or papardelle. Subscribe to his channel here!

Breaking Italy

Listening to international news is a great way to acquire language fluency, increase your listening comprehension, and learn Italian vocabulary. One great YouTube channel for this is Breaking Italy, which features the hottest topics and trends from around the world, and the European Union in particular. By watching this content, you’ll get familiar with idiomatic expressions and slang in addition to everyday vocabulary. The man behind this show is a native Italian who speaks using very clear pronunciation and at a slow pace (especially when it comes to the news), so students of all levels can benefit from these videos. Subscribe to this channel here!

Fluent U

Watching videos is a great way to put your Italian skills into practice, and even more so if this content is graded by level. Fluent U offers exactly that: they have curated a list of movie trailers, music videos, interviews, and TV programs, and have rated them to suit different proficiency abilities. All these videos have subtitles that people switch on in case they want some help, as well. You can even click on the words that interest you to learn definitions, pronunciations, and examples of how they are used. The app also includes other resources, like flashcards and transcripts, to use on the go! Click here to check out the app.

50 Languages

Playing games is a great way to learn a language, and you can improve your Italian skills with an app like 50 languages. It has puzzles, crosswords, Spot the Difference, and other interactive games that will take your Italian vocabulary to the next level. The app also offers a phrasebook that links audio, text, and pictures, so you can get familiar not only with a word, but also with its meaning, pronunciation, and use. Also, you can check on your progress at any time by taking one of their proficiency tests (written, multiple-choice, word order, or bubble game)! Click here to check out the app.

Mondly

Mondly is a great app to try if you are looking to improve your listening comprehension and expand your vocabulary in Italian. This app features hundreds of real-life conversations, recorded in great quality, that contain target terms and everyday expressions that are useful to know to increase your fluency. Best of all, Mondly can be used to test your comprehension in many different ways, like matching words to their English counterparts or by asking some general questions. The app’s videos are grouped into different proficiency levels, so you’re sure to find materials to practice, whether you’re a beginner or an advanced-level student. Click here to check out the app.