7 Resources for Italian Conversation Practice That Are the Talk of the Town
No one studies the Italian language to be mediocre at it.
We dream of schmoozing while admiring the art in the Uffici Gallery, writing blog posts about how much the Tower really leans in Pisa or reading a menu in a trattoria in Umbra.
Well, if you want to chat like a local in Rome or blend with residents on the Amalfi coast, you need to be able to converse in Italian.
And the best way to gain conversational fluency is through conversation practice!
Contents
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Online Resources
Taking your conversations online gives both speakers the mobility we all crave—chat anytime, anywhere!
When you choose an online conversation partner, try to find someone who shares your interests or lives in a region that you want to hear about. You could talk sports, get travel tips or fashion advice—there’s no rule about what partners converse about, so look for a partner who you have something in common with.
Potential conversation partners on these sites have profiles. These profiles indicate their native language, any additional languages they speak and other pertinent information. Peruse the profiles to choose the ideal conversational partner!
italki
This program is the a go-to spot for Italian conversation. They have thousands of native-speaking teachers in many languages who are available to either teach a language or help a learner build their skills.
The process is simple. Choose a teacher, schedule a lesson and then the fun begins!
Practicing here means one-on-one learning with a qualified teacher. Any conversational skills you gain will be completely on point!
This resource is a personalized and effective method for gaining confidence in chatting like an Italian!
A bonus with italki is their language exchange program. This enables learners to find other others like them who want to practice their language skills. In return for teaching you Italian, you can teach your partner English (or any other language you know well enough).
Just browse the profiles, choose a partner and begin conversing!
Tandem
Tandem is a conversational speaking app that allows learners to locate native Italian speakers from any region of the country.
This language and cultural exchange tool brings authentic Italian to learners whenever they’ve got a spare minute. With over three million users on the app, there’s always someone to chat with, without the need to schedule a chat session.
Tandem stresses that there are different dialects of Italian spoken in various parts of the country. So if you’re looking to go to a particular place and want to perfect your skills—or even pick up some slangy expressions—connect with a speaker from that area!
Conversation Exchange
This site is gaining new members all the time, so if you don’t see one who shares your conversation and language goals, check back in a few days. Chances are, there will be new profiles, and maybe one of them is your ideal conversation partner!
Each profile clearly states what languages the learner speaks and what method of conversation is preferable. Conversation Exchange has their own partner chat program, so if you’d rather not use Skype, this is an option.
Many members request to be pen-pals in addition to online conversation. So, if you’re looking for a chance to practice your Italian writing, this might be a good option for you.
My Language Exchange
Online Language Exchange is a super spot to find an Italian conversation partner!
There are many language learners from across Italy who are eager to share their language skills with others. This means you’ll be exposed to native speakers so pronunciation should be authentic—and perfectly suited as a model for your own speech.
As the name implies, the focus here is on language exchange: your partner helps you with your Italian and you help your partner gain English skills. What’s not to love?
Although there’s a free member option, some portions of this site require members to sign up and either pay a fee or earn benefits. Sound confusing? It’s not; the options open to free members and paid are all laid out so it’s clear to see what areas are accessible to everyone and what features require members to pay a small monthly fee.
InterPals
InterPals is a global community whose purpose is to match up language practice partners, new friends, travel buddies or cultural exchange learners.
There are profiles from practically everywhere in the world, so meeting someone to practice a language with won’t be difficult.
The great news for Italian language learners is that there are tons of profiles showcasing learners in Italy. They’re native speakers eager for language exchange!
This site requires learners to sign up and create a profile. Once you’re signed in, you’re free to browse the profiles and find a conversation partner who’ll help hone your skills.
Be aware that some members use this as a dating service, but it’s also a great way to meet new people and practice your Italian skills.
In-person Resources
Face-to-face conversations can’t be beat, can they? They really are the ideal way to conduct conversation practice.
Speakers can gauge some clues from facial expressions and body language if they don’t completely understand what’s being said. This makes discerning meanings simpler which builds confidence. And as we know, confidence is a key component of comfortable conversation!
Here are two resources for adding in-person conversations to your Italian language program.
TUTOROO
Use this service to find a language tutor near you.
To find a tutor in your area, simply put your location into the search engine. Browse the list of nearby tutors. Hire one and start speaking!
Honestly, it’s that easy.
There’s no minimum time or lesson commitment, so you’re free to take as few or as many lessons as you’d like.
The only drawback is that the service is currently only available in a number of locations worldwide, but they have plans to expand more in the coming years, so keep an eye on this one if it isn’t available in your location yet.
Meetup
Meetup puts like-minded people in contact with each other. No matter what your interests are, there are probably others who share them on this site!
Language learning is a focal point on this site. At the top right of the homepage, there’s a section targeted at language and culture. If you click onto it, then submit your location information on the next page, you’ll find a listing of all the Italian conversation or language meetings in your area.
Join a meetup group and head to the next meeting they host to find lots of local conversation partners!
Even More Local Options!
Want even more ways to find a local Italian conversational partner? Here are some ideas!
- Colleges and universities are super places to find conversation partners. Contact the language studies office of your local institution and ask what kind of Italian social groups they have.
- Libraries are also excellent spots to find an Italian language partner. Even small-town libraries have bulletin boards that list activities, events and people looking for all kinds of situations.
If you don’t find an ad for a language partner, tack a note to the board asking for an Italian conversation partner, yourself. You might find someone just like you who’s hoping to practice speaking!
- Craigslist isn’t just for car sales, job listings and apartment rentals. Nearly every city’s site has an “activities” section. That’s where you’re likely to find a local language partner.
Again, if there are no listing for conversation partners, consider placing the ad yourself. The goal is to find someone to speak with, so spread the word!
- Italian cultural groups like to celebrate and share all things Italian—including the language! Most big cities have cultural groups and most of those groups can hook people up with conversation partners.
But don’t assume that only big cities like New York and Los Angeles host cultural groups. Look close to home, even if you’re in a small town. The group you find may be a few towns away but it could be well worth the drive to practice your conversational skills!
Why Italian Conversation Practice Is Important for Learners
We’ve all heard that practice makes perfect. And it’s true: Practicing Italian speaking will get you close to that sought-after goal of perfection.
You need to be comfortable with lots of vocabulary and understand basic grammar rules. You should be familiar with the nuances, idioms and cadence of the language.
Comfort and confidence both come with practice. The more you practice, the better you’ll get at it and the less intimidating all these language issues become.
Conversation practice can improve communications skills by helping to nail down vocabulary (we need all those beautiful Italian words to speak, right?) and solidifying grammar usage. Parts of speech begin to fall into place when they’re used regularly. Conjugating verbs becomes second nature with practice.
Language exchange lets you put what you’re learning into practice. If you’re already using a language learning program, you can make a mental note to use the most recent lessons in conversation.
If you’re not learning with a program already, I recommend choosing one that focuses on immersion—these can be very complementary to language exchange. For example, FluentU lets you fire up authentic Italian videos, watch them with interactive subtitles that help you understand everything and then practice your speaking skills to complete its quizzes. Getting exposure to the way natives speak in your program can help you feel more prepared before your language exchange starts.
Practicing your conversation skills also powers up all your other Italian language skills. Even reading, provided you incorporate some of the written word into your conversations! Reading aloud and then discussing what you’ve read with someone is a super way to do that. Book club, anyone?
So schedule conversation practice into your Italian language program the same way you schedule vocabulary drills, learning grammar rules, fun reading time and thoughtful listening practice.
There’s no doubt about it. The best way to gain Italian conversation skills is to practice.
And practice.
Then, practice some more.
Luckily, conversation partners are everywhere!
Make honing this skill a priority of your language program.
You’ll have lots of great experiences, maybe make some new friends and be fully prepared to chat like a local on your next visit to The Boot!
Good luck—and have fun!
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
