{"id":70069,"date":"2018-10-15T20:47:52","date_gmt":"2018-10-16T00:47:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/learn-italian-ebooks\/"},"modified":"2025-01-25T08:57:02","modified_gmt":"2025-01-25T13:57:02","slug":"learn-italian-ebooks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/italian\/learn-italian-ebooks\/","title":{"rendered":"9 Italian E-books for Learners of All Levels"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you don’t like lugging books around with you, there’s even better news for bibliophiles: You can access your books on the go as digital files. E-books are perfect mobile learning tools that can make your Italian studies easy and convenient.<\/p>\n

Here are nine of the best Italian e-books for learning, from instructional manuals for beginners to Italian-language classics for more advanced students\u2014and everything in between.<\/p>\n

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1. “Italian Quickly!”<\/a> by Language Master\"Italian<\/a><\/h2>\n

An e-book to learn basic Italian? That\u2019s a definite on-the-go reading superstar!<\/p>\n

Get your first taste of Italian with this instructional e-book, which explains the basics of conversation, how to form sentences<\/a>, key phrases for getting around in Italy and more.<\/p>\n

It’s not meant to be a thorough guide, but rather to get you started: Use this book if you’re beginning completely from scratch<\/strong> and want a solid foundation to the language that you can build on with other resources.<\/p>\n

2. “Short Stories in Italian for Beginners”<\/a>\u00a0by\u00a0Olly Richards\"Short<\/h2>\n

Short stories are great for mobile reading. They\u2019re small bites of entertainment and even if you\u2019ve got a chaotic schedule, chances are, you can find time to squeeze in a story.<\/p>\n

The eight fast, fun stories in this book were written specifically for learners who are just starting out on their Italian journey<\/strong>. Each story is further broken down into chapters, making them even more manageable for readers to tackle on the go.<\/p>\n

The stories are of varied genres, from science fiction to crime and thriller, which means you won’t get bored! Although there are no definitions within the text (to prevent readers from relying too heavily on them), each story contains bolded words that are defined at the end of the chapters<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Each chapter also has a plot summary and a few comprehension questions to make sure you really understood what you read.<\/p>\n

The author, Olly Richards, speaks eight languages and keeps a blog about language learning. If you enjoy the book, check out his website called StoryLearning<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

3. “Italian Short Stories for Intermediate Learners”<\/a> by Olly Richards \"Short<\/a><\/h2>\n

This is another compilation of amusing tales from Olly Richards, the language learning pro.<\/p>\n

It’s set up in the same way as the beginner short story collection, but this time the language is a bit more advanced. The stories use varied tenses and complex grammatical structures<\/strong> that are meant to test and challenge readers at the intermediate level.<\/p>\n

His books are not only entertaining resources, but they have fun covers, too!<\/p>\n

4. “Italian Reader: Short Stories with Parallel Text”<\/a>\u00a0by\u00a0Alex Kouzine\"Italian<\/a><\/h2>\n

Parallel text language books great learning tools since there\u2019s no need to keep a translation app or dictionary<\/a> at hand. The text is given both in English and Italian, so if you\u2019re stuck on a word or phrase, just read the corresponding English line.<\/p>\n

Avoid the pitfall of relying on the translation,<\/strong> though! When you read these, try to understand the text on your own before you give in and check the meaning.<\/p>\n

This reader offers elementary to intermediate stories. There are five mini-stories at the beginning, intended to prepare readers to tackle the actual stories.<\/p>\n

The volume contains\u00a016 stories by some renowned authors<\/strong>. Works from O Henry, W.S. Maugham and others are translated into Italian and presented side-by-side with the English version. Each English paragraph is followed up by the Italian version, meaning you can read some classic, well-loved stories in both languages.<\/p>\n

Honestly, I\u2019ve read this more than once\u2014and loved it every time!<\/p>\n

5. “Non puoi essere tu”<\/em><\/a> (“You Cannot Be You”)\u00a0by Sonia Ognibene\"Non<\/a><\/h2>\n

Mystery lovers, here\u2019s one for you!<\/p>\n

This modern mystery story<\/strong> is perfect for short, fast reading and has received excellent reviews.<\/p>\n

The plot is intriguing: One evening, Frederica finds the face of her dead friend in some Facebook vacation photos. How could this be?\u00a0Get pulled into the mystery and learn Italian at the same time!<\/strong><\/p>\n

This story is written for learning easy Italian and aimed at level A2-B1 learners (as explained in the Common European Framework for Reference of Languages<\/a>).<\/p>\n

6. “Learn Italian with Short Stories”<\/a>\u00a0by\u00a0Emilio de Marchi\"Learn<\/h2>\n

This volume of short stories by the classic 19th-century Italian author Emilio de Marchi<\/strong> features interlinear text, which means that the translation is instantly available.<\/p>\n

Each sentence is translated word-for-word into English<\/strong> directly under the Italian, so you can enjoy the stories and learn at the same time.<\/p>\n

Having translations at hand is a great benefit for beginners, but it\u2019s also useful for advanced readers. I mean, we all need to look up a word\u2019s meaning sometimes\u2014even in our native languages!<\/p>\n

Gripping stories written by an author of authentic classic Italian works is a super addition to any Italian reading program. This one is part of a series<\/a>, so you can check out the other titles as well.\u00a0<\/p>\n

7. “Harry Potter e la pietra filosofale”<\/em><\/a> (“Harry Potter and the Philosopher\u2019s Stone”)\u00a0by J.K. Rowling, Translated by\u00a0Marina Astrologo\"Harry<\/a><\/h2>\n

Harry Potter fans will love this Italian translation! Like its English counterpart, it’s perfect for both intermediate and advanced readers<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The story is familiar to many<\/strong>, which is a great help, too. Often, if a reader has an idea of what’s going on in the plot, figuring out a random unfamiliar word or phrase is simply a matter of deduction.<\/p>\n

Just remember not to get confused by made-up in-universe words like “muggle” and “Quidditch”\u2014words that you might find in a dictionary (because Harry Potter is\u00a0that<\/em> influential!) but probably don’t need to know on a day-to-day basis.<\/p>\n

8. “L’amica geniale”<\/em><\/a> (“My Brilliant Friend”)\u00a0by Elena Ferrante\"L'amica<\/a><\/h2>\n

Elena Ferrante is an Italian novelist whose work includes four New York Times bestsellers. She\u2019s highly regarded in the literary world and this four-volume series, The Neapolitan Novels, has gotten rave reviews and is even being adapted as an HBO series.<\/p>\n

“L\u2019amica geniale”<\/em> is the first book in the series. I read the first one and moved right on to the next! It’s perfect for more advanced learners<\/strong> who want to try their hand on some authentic reading, written in Italian and meant for Italian readers.<\/p>\n

Set in 1950s Naples, this is a story of frienship, family, love and an entire era. Besides learning Italian, this series also gives you a glimpse into life in Italy in the<\/strong> mid-1900s<\/strong> and brings the history and culture to life through its characters.<\/p>\n

No one actually knows who Elena Ferrante is, as this is a pseudonym, and there\u2019s been speculation about the author’s identity for years. Whoever this is, he or she is writing excellent fiction. It\u2019s entertaining and perfect for leisurely language learning!<\/p>\n

9. “Il nome della rosa”<\/em><\/a> (“The Name of the Rose”) by Umberto Eco\"Il<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Umberto Eco\u2019s “Il nome della rosa”\u00a0<\/em>is stellar in any language! In Italian, this best-seller from a literary giant reads like a masterpiece<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

A curious, Sherlock-Holmsian monk is called upon to investigate suspected heresy in an abbey in\u00a01327. The story that unfolds is gripping and offers a view of old beliefs, some history and a number of very memorable characters and scenes.<\/p>\n

I have to admit, I have it in paperback as well as in e-book form! It’s a wonderful addition to any library, digital or not. It’s also quite a challenge, suitable for advanced readers looking to push their\u00a0Italian<\/strong> that one final step towards fluency.<\/p>\n

Read it, then watch the awesome Sean Connery and Christian Slater movie<\/a> to see how well you understood the text! (And because\u00a0come on. It’s Sean Connery.)<\/p>\n

Where to Find Free Italian E-books<\/h2>\n

If you\u2019re still undecided about choosing your first Italian e-book, why not check out a few spots that offer free e-books? Maybe you\u2019ll find something that speaks to you\u2014and the price is right, too.<\/p>\n