Welcome to the Italian language learning resource! On this page exists links to resources that will aid in your learning of the Italian language and culture. The purpose of this page is to provide you with enough valuable resources to learn how to speak, read, and write Italian as quickly and efficiently as possible.
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Recommended
After researching resources for learning the Italian language, these are the best needed tools currently available if you can choose only one from each category. My research is extensive, but not exhaustive — please DO explore the Detailed Resources section for a more complete list of some of the better resources available for learning Italian.
- Essential Italian Grammar (Basic Textbook)
- Collins Italian Concise Dictionary, 4e (Dictionary)
- Berlitz Italian Phrase Book and Dictionary with CD (Phrase Book)
- My Language Exchange: Italian (Language Exchange)
Detailed Resources
Basic Textbooks
- Essential Italian Grammar — Small, concise, and cheap, Ragusa’s Essential Italian Grammar is a must for the Italian language learner.
Dictionaries
- Oxford-Paravia Italian Dictionary — A large desk reference dictionary, hardcover, 2800 pages. Maybe not the greatest selection if you can choose only one, but this is the dictionary to get if you’re looking for a desk reference.
- Webster’s New World Italian Dictionary: Italian/English, English/Italian — A long-standing defender of the best Italian concise dictionary title, it is becoming a little long-in-the-tooth. Published in 1985, but still very useful today.
- Collins Italian Concise Dictionary, 4e — Recently updated and edited by the same person (Catherine E. Love) as the Webster’s. An excellent dictionary by any means.
- Concise Oxford-Paravia Italian Dictionary — Another excellent concise dictionary, arguably the best in this category. The only major complaint is its hardcover, making a “concise” dictionary heavier than usual. If that’s not a problem for you, grab this one.
- Bantam New College Italian/English Dictionary — For the American learner. This dictionary is published in the U.S. making it more specific to the needs of an American language learner than some of the others. Beware, it is just as old as the Webster’s with a publication date in 1984.
- Larousse Pocket Dictionary: Italian-English/English-Italian — Pocket dictionaries are a good alternative to the concise size. By “pocket,” Larousse means a winter-coat pocket, not your jeans. For jeans, try the mini sized dictionaries.
- Larousse Mini Dictionary Italian English English Italian — Don’t be fooled by its mininess. Larousse publishes some very nice dictionaries, this mini Italian dictionary being one of them.
- Collins Gem Italian, 6th Edition — Another mini dictionary. The Collins gem. Widely known for the super-small dictionaries.
- Italian English Bilingual Visual Dictionary — If you’re a visual learner, this picture dictionary will be a useful resource. Not as good as the Oxford series available in other languages, but delivers just the same.
Phrase Books
- Italian: Lonely Planet Phrasebook — The Lonely Planet phrasebooks are usually a good choice for any language, Italian being no exception.
- Rick Steves’ Italian Phrase Book and Dictionary — Full of interesting phrases, this phrase book is of great value to the language learner.
- Berlitz Italian Phrase Book and Dictionary with CD — Berlitz continues to publish excellent quality language materials. This is their latest Italian phrase book. This particular package includes a CD with a native speaker in listen and repeat style.
- Berlitz Italian Phrase Book and Dictionary — If you prefer the book without the CD for a few dollars cheaper.
- Easy Italian Phrase Book: 770 Basic Phrases for Everyday Use — Cheap! Some of the material is outdated, but 770 phrases three dollars is a deal.
Newspapers and Magazines
- Champs-Elysées Audiomagazines — Bi-monthly editions, chock-full of content. Champs-Elysées magazines offer “an unbeatable combination of entertaining audio, rich annotation, and challenging pedagogy.” This is perfect for those Italian language learners who have already learned the basics and are hungry for more.
- Corriere della Sera
- Il Messaggero
- Il Sole 24 Ore
- Il Tempo
- La Repubblica
- La Stampa
- Il Giornale
Student Readers
- Easy Italian Reader (Easy Reader)
- Italian Stories: A Dual-Language Book
- Eleven Short Stories (A Dual-Language Book)
Audio Courses
Language Exchanges
- iTalki: Italian
- My Language Exchange: Italian — My Language Exchange. A wonderful resource for all your language partnering needs.
- SharedTalk
Travel
To be updated soon — May 31st, 2008.
General
Culture
To be updated soon — May 31st, 2008.
Audio
To be updated soon — May 31st, 2008.
Video
To be updated soon — May 31st, 2008.
Last updated on May 31st, 2008. Suggestions? Do you have other/better recommendations? Please, contact us.
