YouTube and Beyond: Learn Italian with Videos on 10 Terrific Resources
Don’t you wish someone would just explain the Italian language to you?
Wouldn’t it be nice if someone could simplify adverb usage, unpack Italian indefinite articles, explain auxiliary verbs and help you distinguish between essere (to be) and stare (to stay/be)?
I mean, you could take a college course and pay lots of money for that knowledge, but what if you could get it for free?
You can, if you learn Italian with videos.
In the age of the internet, videos explaining these concepts and others like them are bountiful and accessible. In fact, it is nearly possible to learn Italian with online videos alone!
Italian videos expose learners to native Italian speech without having to leave your couch.
Better yet, some videos can be adjusted for speed to help with the comprehension process.
Further, videos allow learners to acquire vocabulary and see grammar concepts in context.
All you need is a guide to the best places to learn Italian with videos. Lucky for you, that is exactly what this post is about.
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
Learn Italian with Videos on 10 Terrific Resources
Check out the 10 best places to learn Italian with videos!
These resources are in ascending order from beginner to advanced learner videos, so no matter what your level is, you can find Italian videos that are perfect for you.
Italian 101 from The Travel Linguist
Italian 101 is a video course from The Travel Linguist. The Travel Linguist creates beginner-level videos for multiple languages such as German, Russian, French and others. This series is for beginner Italian learners or those who have pre-A1 or A1 level according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.
Primarily, the Italian 101 video course includes 20 vocabulary lessons for learning basic Italian. The videos are hosted on YouTube, allowing for subtitles in Italian and English as well as control over speed.
Note that YouTube’s generated subtitles are not always completely accurate, but you can still use them to understand the gist of a video.
Each video recites words related to a beginner topic such as numbers, travel or food in clear Italian and then gives learners a chance to repeat it.
FluentU Italian
FluentU Italian is available for all levels of Italian, with offerings for beginner, intermediate and advanced learners.
FluentU takes authentic videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.
You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Click here to check out the website or download the iOS app or Android app.
Each video includes built-in subtitles in Italian and English that can be toggled on and off. Click on any word in the subtitles to see a definition, example sentence, associated image and even other videos that use the word.
Want to study the word further at a later time? Convert it into a flashcard. Then, use activities and quizzes to help you memorize new words as well as test your understanding of the material you are learning.
The best part is that FluentU tracks what you have learned and bases its review and quizzing provisions on your progress.
FluentU is available to use right from your browser or you can download the iOS or Android app.
In addition, FluentU Italian also has a YouTube channel.
The channel has been created to teach you Italian from scratch in an immersive way. You’ll get clips from movies transformed into language lessons, grammar tips and vocabulary lists, among other interesting stuff.
One example is the following video, catered to complete beginners who are just starting their Italian language adventure:
Beginners might also be interested in this video on the most mispronounced words in Italian:
Learning Italian with the help of engaging and effective videos is now possible with FluentU’s Italian YouTube channel. Subscribe today and hit that notification bell so you don’t miss out on any new content!
Dolce Vita (Sweet Life)
Dolce Vita is another collection of videos aimed at beginner learners who are at the pre-A1 or A1 level. In fact, Dolce Vita has more than 100 uploads for Italian learners who are just starting out.
The videos are hosted on YouTube, so learners can access subtitles in English and Italian and have control over the speed of the video.
Better yet, the videos are in a mix of Italian and English, giving learners the chance to get more exposure to the Italian language without having an advanced level just yet. Videos from Dolce Vita focus on useful expressions, one-word-a-day videos, Italian cooking and beginner Italian vocabulary.
BBC Italian
BBC Italian’s offerings for learning Italian are some of the oldest on the internet, but they have stood the test of time. Their video courses are for beginner learners (A1 learners), and even though this page is archived and no longer updated, the videos are still fantastic for learning Italian.
The BBC’s courses include “La mappa misteriosa” (“The Mysterious Map”) and Talk Italian. Both are interactive courses that mix short videos featuring a conversation or scene completely in Italian and comprehension exercises.
In addition to the video courses, other resources include an Italian proficiency test, lists of useful phrases and slang, access to Italian media and Italian grammar exercises.
Weilà Tom
It is time to level up our Italian! Weilà Tom is a YouTube channel for mid- to late-beginner learners (those at the A2 level). In fact, Tom is an American himself who learned Italian completely on his own, so his videos are relatable and perfect for getting an insider perspective on the learning process.
Tom’s videos are a mixture of grammar explanations, vocabulary hauls and personal vlogs completely in Italian. As with most YouTube channels, the videos have Italian and English subtitles and learners can adjust the speed for their needs.
Weilà Tom also has content exclusively in Italian that is comprised of excellent listening comprehension videos for B1 (intermediate) learners.
Italiano Automatico (Automatic Italian)
Italiano Automatico is a fantastic YouTube channel for emerging intermediate learners at the B1 level.
This channel creates videos in a vlog or podcast-style format. The videos are solely in Italian, which is perfect for intermediate learners to surround themselves in the language, but English subtitles are available. Further, the YouTube interface allows for speed adjustment.
The video topics here include Italian grammar and vocabulary explanations, but they also touch on real-life topics such as personal development, language learning and professional and personal wellbeing.
Easy Italian
Easy Italian is a YouTube channel for mid- to late-intermediate learners at the B1 and B2 levels. It is a video series from Easy Languages, which is well-known for teaching languages through its “on the streets” interview format.
Each video chooses a specific topic such as Italian food, culture or language, then interviews native speakers about the topic in an Italian-speaking location.
While the speech in the video can be a bit quick and speckled with slang and informal language, the videos have built-in Italian subtitles and English translations. I recommend watching the tougher parts with a slower speed and really honing in on the informal aspects of the language—this is how it is actually spoken!
I Learn Italian
I Learn Italian is a website that creates content and videos for high intermediate and advanced learners. These videos are best suited for those at the B2 or C1 level.
The videos with I Learn Italian are longer in length, most between 25 minutes and an hour, and they are largely made up of documentaries. Video topics include art, society and interviews with Italian native speakers who are prominent in their fields.
Best of all, each video includes comprehension and short answer questions.
Only some of the videos include subtitles and speed adjustment, so save the videos without those features for a more concrete C1 level of Italian.
In addition to advanced video content, I Learn Italian also hosts other resources such as song recommendations and grammar lessons for all levels.
LearnAmo
LearnAmo is a YouTube channel for advanced learners at the C1 or C2 level. These videos focus primarily on advanced grammar topics, using concise explanations as well as comprehension questions to teach the topics.
The videos on LearnAmo are completely in Italian but, as usual, YouTube allows for subtitles and speed adjustment. Grammar topics include the Italian congiuntivo (subjunctive), indirect speech, pronoun verbs and more.
In addition to its grammar topics, LearnAmo also has Italian-language vlogs, tests and quizzes.
Unlearningitalian.org
Despite its name, Unlearningitalian.org is perfect for learning Italian at its highest levels—advanced learners at the C1 or C2 level. As such, the videos are completely in Italian.
In fact, there are more than 290 advanced Italian lessons available. Each of these videos includes a concise explanation of the topic as well as topical examples that you can immediately apply to your own Italian.
Being hosted on YouTube like many others on this list, the videos include subtitles in English and Italian and can be adjusted for speed. There are over 50 videos on Italian proverbs as well as videos on advanced Italian verbs and idiomatic expressions.
The videos are between five and 15 minutes in length—perfect for bite-sized advanced language practice.
Plug in your headphones, because it is time to watch and learn. Power up your skills by learning Italian with videos!
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
