How to start speaking Italian when you know nothing yet
A practical starting plan for complete beginners: what to learn first, what to skip, and how to practise speaking before a trip.
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Learn Italian with a clear starting point
These notes follow the questions people type before they pick a course: where to begin, what to say on a trip, how to introduce yourself, and how to practise each week.
Italian phrases that cover your first days in Italy
The situations beginners actually meet on arrival: greetings, coffee, directions, and what to say when you miss a word.
Read the guideHow to introduce yourself in Italian
A clear pattern for saying your name, where you are from, and what you do, including the formal and informal difference.
Read the guideA weekly plan that actually sticks
How to split video, audio, and speaking across seven days so beginner Italian does not collapse after the first weekend.
Read the guideWhat a beginner Italian course should include
The ingredients that show up across serious beginner courses, and how to tell a speaking path from a pile of worksheets.
Read the guideHow to order coffee in Italian
The short scripts that get you a coffee at an Italian bar, plus the bar habits that trip up beginners.
Read the guideHow to say hello and goodbye in Italian
Ciao, salve, buongiorno: which greeting to use with whom, and how to not sound too casual with a stranger.
Read the guideItalian numbers 1 to 100, the way you will actually use them
Learn Italian numbers in the order that matters for prices, directions, and time — not as a list to memorise cold.
Read the guideHow to order food in a restaurant in Italian
The lines that carry you from sitting down to paying: ordering, asking for a recommendation, and getting the bill.
Read the guideHow to ask for directions in Italian
A simple pattern for asking where something is, plus the direction words you need to understand the answer.
Read the guidePlease, thank you and excuse me in Italian
The small politeness words that make every interaction smoother in Italy, and how to use them without overthinking.
Read the guideItalian pronunciation for English speakers
The handful of sound rules that make Italian readable aloud, and the traps English speakers fall into first.
Read the guideDays of the week and months in Italian
The calendar words for making plans, reading opening hours, and booking — with the small grammar rules that matter.
Read the guide20 essential Italian verbs for beginners
The verbs that unlock the most sentences early, and why essere and avere come before anything else.
Read the guideCommon beginner mistakes in Italian (and how to avoid them)
The handful of errors that slow beginners down most, from false friends to skipped double consonants.
Read the guideBasic Italian phrases for travel: everything you need before Italy
A complete beginner’s phrasebook organised by the moments of a trip — arrival, coffee, meals, directions, and problems.
Read the guideBest online Italian course for beginners (2026): an honest comparison
Apps, tutor marketplaces, and structured courses compared for absolute beginners — the strengths, the trade-offs, and how to choose.
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