https://courses.joyoflanguages.com/real-italian-conversation/

Learn more Italian in the next 6 weeks...

When I try to speak Italian, I seem to forget everything

Do you feel stuck at upper-beginner level when it comes to speaking Italian?

You can understand things and speak a little bit, but you’re far from being fluent.

But you keep coming back because you love Italy and you know that speaking Italian makes travelling so much more fulfilling. And you don’t want to be known as “that tourist” who makes everyone speak English. Or maybe you have Italian family and friends who you'd love to surprise and connect with by speaking to them in their own language.

I feel like I’m much more productive and get more when I’m at home working on Katie’s lessons. It’s fun, it’s interesting. There’s a purpose to it, a method.

- Haley Lamey - USA

How does it work?

Katie learned Italian as an adult. She understands what it feels like to start speaking Italian from scratch and will be by your side cheering you on the whole time.

Presenter of the Easy Italian YouTube series and founder of the 5-minute Italian podcast, Katie believes that the best way to learn Italian is by reading/listening to things you enjoy and connecting with lovely human beings.

Like most people, she struggled with languages at school. In fact, she studied Italian for two years at university and still couldn’t have a conversation.

It was only after moving to Italy that she realised that Italian wasn't an academic subject to be memorised, it was a tool to connect with people.

She started trying to chat to Italians - using the little Italian she had - and learning through real conversations. Turns out this was a much faster and enjoyable to way to learn!

So she vowed never to attend another language class. Instead, she put herself in situations where she could practice having conversations with nice people. Using this method, she’s learnt Italian, Spanish, French + some Chinese and German, without stepping foot in a classroom.

Katie’s mission: to get you feeling confident speaking Italian as quickly as possible.

Katie

Matteo

Is this course for me?

Your main goal is to be conversational in Italian.
You've been studying grammar and vocabulary for a while now and you feel like you need to put it all into practice.
You want a fun course that’s based on communicating with real people (and you’ve had enough of those cheesy textbook dialogues!)
You want to learn common, colloquial phrases that you won’t find in textbooks.
You want to get into a productive routine, and are excited about dedicating at least 30 minutes a day to improving your Italian.
You want to feel a strong connection to Italy for the next 6 weeks
You’re looking forward to sharing your passion for Italian and Italy with others and getting support from a like-minded group

You can learn to speak Italian

And you can do it in a gentle way.

The best way to gain confidence in speaking Italian is to find a comfortable atmosphere with people who encourage you to try things and not worry about making mistakes.

Maybe even where you can prepare a little beforehand so you can figure out how to express what you want to say in Italian and speak freely, without worrying about the mind blanks.

Having a safe space to practise your Italian means you can speak without inhibitions and learn faster. You’ll find that you do have a little more under your belt than you realise, and you’ll be surprised how quickly you’re able to use the things you learn in conversation.

Learning a language is a bit like exercising - to see good results, you need to get into a productive, sustainable routine.

And if you can find a way that you enjoy, you're more likely to keep it up.

But it’s hard to get organised when you’re searching for things on your own and you don’t have a class. You probably struggle with:

Finding good stuff on the internet. You can find a lot of stuff, but it’s difficult to find a resource that actually helps.
Spending more time looking for resources than you do actually studying the language.
Trying to decide what order to learn everything in - you can end up feeling like you’re all over the place, like there’s no rhyme or reason to what you’re doing.
Feeling overwhelmed, and putting so much pressure on yourself to learn that it just isn’t fun anymore.
Finding the time and making it a priority to study on a regular basis.

than you have in the last 2 years!

Real Italian Conversation Course

You...

Have spent ages trying to remember irregular verbs, grammar and vocabulary - it just seems like so much to learn.
Try to reply in Italian, but your mind goes blank. You get all nervous and sweaty when it’s time to speak.
Can communicate on a very basic level, but get frustrated with feeling like a bambino.
Struggle to understand details or follow the colloquial Italian they speak in Italy.
Sometimes worry that your memory is holding you back - and that you might be too old to learn a language.
Have a hard time getting organised and finding the drive to study Italian consistently.

You need structure

To build your speaking skills in Italian, you need something that will help you get into a good routine, enjoy learning and focus on the right things.

In Italy and not able to converse with Italians

You can spend an awful lot of time learning verb conjugations and words, using apps and textbooks. But these things won’t necessarily help you communicate with Italians.

To speak Italian, you need to learn how to:

Join the words you know together to speak spontaneously
Understand and use Italian how it’s actually spoken in real life

Keep up with the speed Italians talk and process what has been said quickly enough to sustain a conversation.

You can’t learn these skills in books and apps.

Besides, you already know rules and you know words. What you really need is a way to make them come out of your mouth. You have all of these little grammar tidbits - like a puzzle. You need a way to refresh the grammar and pull it all together in a way that will foster speaking.

And of course, you need opportunities to practise speaking Italian.

It’s very easy to stay in a book or on paper and not push yourself to converse because it’s so uncomfortable.

But that’s exactly what you need to do to make progress in your speaking.

The good news: it doesn't have to be scary.

From working with 100s of students, Katie is certain about one thing: when you’re struggling to make progress, it's because the method you're using isn't working for you. Many are boring, confusing or both.

Like the time Katie forgot her passport and got stranded in France (and her phone battery was dead!)
What happened when Matteo left his trumpet at his ex-girlfriend's house.
Katie's sneaky tactic to make Italians think she's a wine buff (she isn't).
The time Matteo got food poisoning - and the imaginable consequences - on a 32 hour train ride from Beijing to Chengdu.
How Stefano learned lots of languages, and his tips on how to follow your passions in life.

How will I learn Italian?

Talking to real people!

So we made an Italian course that will help you learn Italian by chatting with us: Katie, Matteo and our Italian team.

All of this seems to be like “Italian in real life” lessons. That’s what makes this different than learning from a textbook. The way the lessons are structured brings the joy of learning back in. Even when you’re living in the US and you’re not there, it can help keep you connected to the language and keep you going. And continue to do something in it every day.

- Cathleen Sohlberg - USA

When your lesson comes, I don’t wait a couple of days to read it, I open it and I look at it immediately because I can’t wait to see what it is. It’s real-life stories, it’s unique, it’s interesting. I don’t feel like it’s out of a textbook. You’re seeing everything how it is really used.

- Haley Lamey - USA

A PRODUCTIVE ROUTINE

Get a fun mini-lesson every day. You can do it from wherever you are and whenever suits you.

CLEAR GRAMMAR EXPLANATIONS

Learn grammar on a need-to-know basis, with simple examples which gradually build on what you already know.

GAIN CONFIDENCE SPEAKING

After learning the grammar and phrases you need to express your ideas, you’ll practise using them in our virtual Italian café

REMEMBER WHAT YOU LEARN

Lessons come with games and activities to help you commit the words and grammar to memory

I’m outside with my dogs, they’re playing, it’s beautiful weather and I’m sitting at the table learning Italian on my ipad. I have more of a drive to learn. I find myself studying more because I’m enjoying it, thanks to the way Katie presents everything.

- Rick Ferraro - USA

- Slow-read audio

- Real speed audio

Tutorials: Grammar and vocabulary lessons.
Italian in the wild: For Katie, Italy is one big classroom - she loves spotting things you’ve studied being used in Italy and sending them to you so you can learn from real-life examples.
Did you notice? We know it's important to review and we’ll point out examples of things you’ve learned recently so you can keep them fresh in your mind.

What will I learn?

Over the 6 weeks, as well as learning lots of handy colloquial phrases, you’ll make progress in the following grammar points:

The past simple vs. the imperfect

The imperative

The subjunctive

Articles

Prepositions

Object pronouns

Ci and ne

Don’t worry if some of these are new to you, all will become clear during the Real Italian Conversation Course!

One of the things I’ve picked up from all of these lessons is that it’s easier than I think it is. And that gives me the motivation to keep going forward. The explanations are very clear. It helps.

- Cathleen Sohlberg - USA

I can actually do it. It has taken away the fear to try and speak. I study, I go through Katie's material, then when I understand I feel at peace.

- Riina Udras - Estonia

Speak Italian in the Virtual Cafè

In our chat room, we’ll post questions designed to help you practice using everything you’ve been learning that week in conversation.

You’ll continue the conversation by posting a video or audio of your answer in Italian, or if you don’t feel comfortable doing that yet, you can start by sending us your answers in the chatbox. You'll have plenty of time to prepare so you can get more out of it and you don’t have to worry about mind blanks!

It’s a safe place where you can interact with the group, practice speaking and help each other learn.

The aim of the virtual café is to help you get comfortable speaking Italian. We won’t “grade” your answers like school teachers or point out every single mistake.

Katie, Matteo and our Italian team will be there to cheer you on, keep the conversation going and give you some corrections and tips.

I’m more comfortable conversing. I feel like I can do it and I will do it. So it's helped tremendously. That’s what I was hoping to get out of our lessons - being able to converse more comfortably.

- Haley Lamey - USA

The questions are very good for a conclusion. They're the best part because it’s like gymnastics for my brain. I think about them throughout the week.

- Riina Udras - Estonia

Get private conversation lessons with expert Italian teachers

If you’d like more focused conversation practice, you can take weekly 1-to-1 lessons online with Katie or an experienced teacher from our Italian team.

In these lessons, you’ll speak Italian for the whole hour.

We’ll give you individual attention and help you find the confidence you need to speak Italian by:

Putting you at ease and asking the right conversation questions to help you talk.
Helping you find the words and grammar you need to express yourself.
Giving you gentle corrections when you get stuck.

We'll send you notes after the lesson to help you remember what you learned and give you the personalised guidance you need to make fast progress in speaking Italian.

Katie is exactly the type of teacher I was looking for. Her method of correcting is very gentle, she’s not harsh at all. That to me is very important. I wanted someone who had an effervescent personality and a good sense of humour.

- Rick Ferraro - USA

I’ve often heard you need to “seek out a native speaker”. But for the level I’m at I think the reverse is true. It’s been so helpful that Katie’s a native English speaker but her level of Italian is amazing so I’ve actually preferred this than trying other routes.

- Cathleen Sohlberg - USA

There’s an Italian lady at my club - I never had the courage to speak to her in Italian, I was worried about what she’d think. Now, after a few weeks with Katie, when I see this Italian lady, I talk and chat, and she loves it! Now I’m on my way. I have the courage to be able to start a conversation in Italian. Before the course with Katie, I’d say nothing. Un’esperienza meravigliosa!

- Mardie Holton-Cleave - Australia

Who will be my Italian teachers?

Naples born and bred Matteo is on a mission to share the Italian language and culture with people from all over the world.

After years of studying English grammar at school and not getting very far, he discovered a passion for languages after practicing speaking English with Katie's friends and family. That’s when he realised languages are meant to be lived, not studied.

In many ways, Matteo’s a typical Italian. He’s a fantastic cook, knows a lot about wine and loves being by the sea.

But not always - he’s soft-spoken, always arrives early and doesn’t talk with his hands.

Matteo wants to help you stop feeling like a tourist, get to know the real Italy and of course, speak Italian!

Italian polyglot Stefano knows how to learn languages (he speaks 10!) and is always happy to offer advice on language learning techniques.

He has a unique teaching style where he helps students improve their speaking skills quickly and teaches grammar through conversations.

A fun and patient teacher, Stefano's enthusiasm for his native language is contagious - he's always happy to explain, just ask ;)

Stefano

You’re a complete beginner or near beginner.
You can’t dedicate a few hours a week to learning Italian.
You prefer traditional classroom methods of learning.
You're preparing for an exam and want to learn formal writing skills.
You prefer learning alone and don’t want to team up with other learners.

It’s the most effective thing I’ve done to improve my Italian. I think I’ve made a bigger leap in ability over the last few weeks than I have in 2 and a half years.

- Cathleen Sohlberg - USA

Join the waitlist for Real Italian

Looking forward to chatting in Italian with you!

Katie and Matteo

What makes learning a language fun and worthwhile?

You'll learn Italian grammar and vocabulary through our real-life stories...

We'll start the week by sending you a diary entry with a real-life story from Italy. You’ll also get the story in two different audio formats:

Monday

Listening to the audio as you go about your day will help you make a huge leap in understanding spoken Italian.

The slow audio helps you focus on the details and absorb the grammar and vocabulary.
The fast audio helps you get used to how Italians actually speak and follow natural conversations.

Tuesday to Friday

For the rest of the week, we'll send you mini-lessons to help you understand the phrases and grammar from the story and use them in conversation.

How will I manage my time?

The course is designed to be studied in regular, bite-sized pieces. We recommend getting into a routine of 30 minutes per day or more.

However, if this doesn't fit well with your schedule, you can use the lessons in whatever way works best for you. If you prefer to study at the weekend, you can use that time to catch up.

Real Italian Premium

Real Italian is for you if...

Real Italian isn't for you if...

If you have any questions, we're here to help.

Contact: katie@joyoflanguages.com

And get a free mini Italian lesson every Sunday

You'll find some slightly embarrassing old photos of us in there too!

Focus on speaking real Italian

Your conversation skills will come on leaps and bounds because you'll practice chatting with us in our virtual Italian café. You'll continue the conversation by telling us about your own experiences, just as if you were having a casual chat with some Italians over a coffee.

You'll also see real-life examples of the grammar and vocabulary being used in Italy, in our “Italian in the wild” sections.