Is Italki Good for Learning a Language Like Italian? 

Italian is one of the most popular languages in the world for people to learn (the 4th most studied language, to be exact!), and who can blame them? If you’re reading this, chances are you too are one of the millions who dream of achieving fluency in Italian. But for many learners of Italian, knowing the best way to learn the language can be a confusing and sometimes frustrating process, especially when you’ve tried multiple methods, and you still don’t get the results that you want. 

Currently, one of the biggest online platforms that is often used by many learners of Italian is Italki. Italki connects millions of language learners from all over the world to language teachers. But is Italki actually good for learning a language such as Italian? Can you really learn Italian and become fluent using Italki? 

In this post, we will answer these questions and more. Being a platform with a proven track record of success for our students, we know what works and what doesn’t work when it comes to learning Italian, so you can be sure you’re getting the best advice.

Let’s get right into it!

So What Exactly is Italki?

Italki has grown to be one of the largest online language learning platforms in the world. It is a platform that connects learners of almost every language with independent language teachers. It’s important to note that Italki itself does not provide any kind of language training, it has no language program or course. Italki simply acts as a facilitator for learners of a language to find teachers of their target language. 

Why is Italki So Popular?

It’s a pretty simple formula.

Italki has two major attributes that set it apart:

Convenience and Affordability

At the time of writing this post, there are currently 782 Italian teachers on Italki! That is a LOT of teachers to choose from, with more Italian teachers joining all the time. The teachers set their own availability so with so many to choose from, you will have no trouble finding a teacher available at any time that suits you. 

Lessons take place over a video call platform such as Skype or FaceTime, so you can literally improve your Italian from anywhere (so long as you have internet!).

When it comes to affordability, the prices for lessons on Italki vary significantly, but you will find many teachers who offer their services for very low hourly rates, some even as low as US$5 an hour! You won’t get much cheaper than that.

As for the teachers themselves, there are two categories of teachers on Italki. 

One is the “Professional Teacher”, who is a certified teacher with a verified qualification related to language teaching. Understandably, Professional Teachers charge a higher rate for their lessons. However, “qualified” does not always equal “better”.

The other type of teacher on Italki is the “Community Tutor”. These are not certified teachers, but are just people who have a passion to help others learn their language and give them an opportunity to practice speaking it. They may not necessarily provide structured lessons, but they are great for practicing your speaking in the target language and increasing your confidence.

The Pros and Cons of Using Italki to Learn Italian

Well so far, Italki is probably sounding REALLY good, right?… But it isn’t perfect by any means.

As we’ve already stated, the biggest things that Italki has going for it are the convenience and affordability it offers to learners of Italian. But what about the actual quality of the language-learning experience? How likely is it that you will get results from trying to learn Italian using Italki?

To help you get a clearer idea of both the benefits and potential problems of Italki, we’ve come up with a list of what we believe are the pros and cons of using Italki to learn Italian:

PROS

◉ There are a huge number of Italian teachers and community tutors available to choose from

◉ You can find very cheap lessons

◉ Very convenient 

◉ You can book at any time that suits you and do it from anywhere

◉ It is a great way to practice speaking in your target language

◉ No commitment and low risk 

◉ Book one lesson at a time

◉ Change tutors at any time

◉ You are never locked in

CONS

◉ If you choose to learn with a Professional Teacher, it will be an expensive and inefficient way to learn Italian (You’re essentially paying for a private tutor)

◉ Teacher quality varies significantly (most teachers use old-school and outdated language-teaching methods/approaches, with a heavy focus on grammar perfection, as well as constantly correcting your mistakes – not good!)

◉ The sheer number of teachers and tutors available means it’s definitely a quantity over quality situation (which is why it’s so convenient, but means that you spend a lot of time trying to found someone suitable or even competent)

◉ Teachers on Italki usually do not follow a structured program that is proven to get results

◉ As we mentioned before, having a qualification doesn’t mean you are a good teacher

◉ It may take a lot of time and money to find someone who is right for you

◉ It can be difficult to know what language variety the tutor speaks

◉ Is it a dialect? Is it the standard variety? Do they speak in an “educated” manner or not? 

◉ There is no real accountability for you

◉ You have to make the effort to continuously book sessions, meaning you may not take lessons as often as you need

What You Should NOT Use Italki For

To put it bluntly, you should not use Italki to actually try and learn Italian. 

Wait… What?!

Yes, you read correctly – do not try to learn Italian using Italki. 

Countless enthusiastic beginners of Italian sign up to Italki hoping to achieve their dream of fluency in Italian, only to end up disheartened by their lack of progress.

When we talk about using Italki to learn Italian, we mean finding a Professional Teacher who gives you hour-long lessons once a week or so, which follow a lesson-like format where they actively try to “teach” you Italian. 

Essentially, you are paying for a private tutor (and they aren’t cheap!).

The reasons why we don’t recommend Italki for actual language learning are as follows:

It’s simply too big of a gamble to find a good teacher
It can be hard to know what even makes a good language teacher, especially if it’s your first time learning another language. You’ll probably end up spending a lot of time and money finding someone who you believe is a “good” teacher for you.

Many of the “expert” Professional Teachers use outdated methods of language teaching
They may focus too heavily on grammar perfection or on incessant error correction, which we know doesn’t work very well at all (and usually just makes the learner terrified of making mistakes!). The focus should always be on communication and not perfection. Sadly, many qualified teachers do not follow this approach and this is one of the reasons why many learners of Italian feel like they fail.

It’s a very inefficient way to learn a language
Having one or two hour-long private lessons per week is just not enough to successfully learn Italian to the level you desire. Paying for multiple lessons a week then becomes VERY expensive.

There will most likely be no methodical structure
As you book on a lesson by lesson basis, you are not learning as part of a structured sequential program or course. The very nature of Italki does not allow for sustained, consistent and long-term progress with a clear and defined goal of fluency in Italian.

You will not have a community to help and support you
Being part of a community of like-minded language learners is an essential part of any language learning journey, whether that’s in person or online. Learning Italian with a teacher on Italki will be quite an isolating experience, as it’s just you and them for the duration of the lesson and then little to no engagement in between lessons. Having a community of fellow learners of Italian with whom you can interact with and share your thoughts and experiences is a great way to stay motivated and feel like you are part of something bigger.

What SHOULD You Use Italki For 

After everything we’ve just said, you may think that we would just stop there and advise you to not use Italki at all. But no, that’s not what we’re trying to say.

While we believe that you should not use Italki to try and learn Italian, it is still very useful for one BIG thing…

Practicing your Italian speaking with a native Italian speaker!

For the vast majority of people learning Italian, the ultimate objective is one and the same – to be able to speak Italian with Italians! 

And that is where Italki really shines. 

While the quality of Italian teaching is highly variable on Italki, one thing is for sure – Italki has tons of native Italian speakers who are available to simply practice having a conversation in Italian. 

Now, in order to have any kind of conversation, you will, of course, need to have a minimum level of Italian behind you. You don’t need a lot, but you’ll need to have already learned enough to be able to construct even the most basic sentences (we would say to have at least 6 months of beginner Italian under your belt). 

So, for complete beginners starting from zero, Italki is not going to be of any use to you yet. But when the time comes, and you are able to start forming and understanding basic sentences, then Italki will be an invaluable tool for you to improve your speaking skills as you learn more Italian.

Our Tips on the Best Way to Learn Italian Using Italki

Hang on a minute.

Didn’t we just say not to use Italki to learn Italian? And if you’re just using Italki to practice your Italian speaking and conversation skills, how and where do you actually learn Italian?

Well, this brings us to the crucial part of this post. We want to tell you the BEST way to learn Italian and the part that Italki should play in your Italian-learning journey.

Here’s how.

1. FIND A PLATFORM WITH A LANGUAGE PROGRAM THAT ACTUALLY TEACHES YOU ITALIAN

The program should: 

◉ Be structured by a language expert

An effective Italian course must have a logical and sequential structure so that you learn the right thing at the right time.

◉ Be designed to teach Italian to native English speakers 

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to language teaching. English speakers bring certain strengths and weaknesses to the table when it comes to learning Italian, so the Italian program you choose should play to your strengths, taking advantage of what you already know as an English speaker while addressing your weaknesses in detail.

◉ Provide multiple Italian resources to aid your learning

This includes a wide variety of content in video, written and audio format to stimulate your brain in multiple ways so that you absorb and assimilate as much information as possible.

◉ Support you in your learning with a friendly team available to answer any questions

When learning Italian, you are bound to have many questions come up as you encounter new things. Having your questions promptly answered by friendly, expert team members will make a big difference to how you progress with your Italian, so you’ll never be left confused or unsure.

◉ Have a community of language learners to engage with

Being part of a community of Italian learners will keep you motivated and accountable, but will also just make the whole experience a lot more fun and enjoyable knowing that you are not alone. Language is about human interaction, so you should never try and learn a language on your own.

2. USE THE LANGUAGE PROGRAM TO LEARN THE FOUNDATIONAL BASICS OF ITALIAN

The basics that the program should cover include:

◉ How to learn Italian (strategies to successfully learn a language) 

◉ Basics of Italian grammar

◉ Pronunciation

◉ Essential Italian vocabulary

◉ Verbs and conjugation 

◉ Italian sentence structure 

◉ How to express your own basic thoughts in Italian

3. ONCE YOU HAVE A SOLID GRASP OF THE BASICS OF ITALIAN, ONLY THEN SHOULD YOU START USING ITALKI

This is where Italki comes in. Now that you are at a point where you can start to express yourself in Italian, even if only in a very basic manner, it’s time to start practicing speaking with an Italian.

However, when it comes to using Italki for conversation practice, we have one main piece of advice that is VERY important:

Choose a COMMUNITY TUTOR, NOT a Professional Teacher! 

Why you should practice Italian conversation with a Community Tutor: 

1. They are not trained in the old-school way of teaching languages.

2. They are much cheaper than Professional Teachers, meaning you can afford to book conversation practice sessions a lot more often. 

3. They do not give class-style lessons, but rather provide you with the natural Italian conversation practice that you need.

Often a much more relaxed, less rigid environment, so you will feel more comfortable just speaking about anything.

How to Find a Good Community Tutor to Practice Your Italian Speaking With

The first thing you need to do is to search through the profiles of the Community Tutors for Italian (of which there are MANY). You can see how highly-rated they are, how many sessions they’ve completed, what they charge for a trial and an hour-long session, what their availability is, and what languages they speak (although you only want them to speak Italian with you).

Every Community Tutor has a presentation video where they introduce themselves, what they offer, and their approach to “teaching” Italian. You can go to their profiles where you can read about their experience and approach in more detail as well as read the reviews from other learners who have had sessions with them.

What Exactly You Should to Look For in a Community Tutor

1. You love their personality in the presentation video

They look and sound like someone you would really enjoy having a conversation with.

2. High production quality of their video 

You should be able to tell that they have a good camera, good lighting, and very good audio quality (most important) >> You want to be able to hear them well when they are speaking to you.

3. They do not present themselves as teachers, but rather as conversation partners

Remember, you don’t want someone that is going to try and “teach” you Italian, you just want to practice your Italian speaking with a native speaker who will facilitate a natural conversation.

4. Their intro video is not all in English 

You need to hear their Italian in order to know what their Italian is like. Also, if they do speak a lot of English in their introduction, they are more likely to use English during your session, which is NOT what you want. You want someone who will only speak Italian with you.

5. You like the way they speak Italian

This is purely subjective, but if you find their voice and pronunciation pleasant and clearly articulated then you will have an easier and more enjoyable time conversing with them. 

As you search through the profiles of Community Tutors, create a shortlist of those who meet the criteria above. You can do this by putting them in your Favorites by clicking on the heart symbol on their profile. Once you have a good collection of shortlisted Community Tutors, you can start doing trial sessions with each of them one at a time.

This is a great strategy for two main reasons:

1. Trial lessons are only half an hour and are very cheap

2. This allows you to trial everyone on your shortlist so by the end you will know who you prefer and wish to book a full speaking session with.

Questions to Ask Yourself After the Trial Lesson

Once you finish each trial lesson, there are some important questions to ask yourself, so you can determine if the Community Tutor is right for you?

Here are the things you should consider:

Time to Start Learning Italian!

Now you have the information you need for the best strategy to learn Italian using Italki. You know that you need Italki to practice your Italian-speaking once you have the foundational basics, but where do you go to actually LEARN ITALIAN?

Well, that’s where Italy Made Easy comes in!

If you are really committed to learning Italian then we have the perfect program for you – From Zero to Italian. The name says it all. We will take you from a complete beginner all the way to fluency.

How?

At Italy Made Easy, we don’t just teach Italian, we guide our students on a journey that makes Italian second nature to them. Our students don’t just learn Italian words and phrases, they actually learn how the Italian language works. They gain an incredibly deep understanding of the language so that they can express themselves naturally and authentically in Italian, even at a beginner level.

With our Beginner Italian Level 1 course of From Zero to Italian, you will learn the foundational basics of Italian that you need to get you off to the absolute best start possible. By the end of this first course, you will already have a solid grasp on how Italian works and be able to construct your own simple sentences in Italian.

THEN…

You will be ready to practice your Italian speaking with Italki Community Tutors!

Find the Community Tutor that connects with you the most and continue regular chat sessions with them as you progress with From Zero to Italian. If you commit to the course and keep up regular conversation sessions on Italki then you will really see your Italian skyrocket!

Why this Approach Will Work For You

◉ You will learn all the ins and outs of Italian with a program that is PROVEN to get students results 

◉ The courses in From Zero to Italian are expertly structured and sequential, so you learn the right thing at the right time

◉ Italki then gives you the opportunity to simply practice speaking in Italian, which is an essential part of learning Italian and will compliment your learning with Italy Made Easy

When it comes to the value of this approach, it’s a no-brainer.

Our From Zero to Italian courses:

◉ Have over 60 hours of lessons that you can rewatch anytime and anywhere

◉ Are packed with a variety of downloadable resources 

◉ Have community forums where you can ask Italian-related questions to our dedicated and friendly team, as well as interact with your fellow learners of Italian

◉ Once enrolled in, are yours for life!

Compare this to paying for 60 hours of lessons with a private tutor, whether it’s online on Italki or in person. Not only would you be paying an astronomical amount for those 60 hours of lessons (consider the hourly rate of a professional private tutor), but the quality of the lesson content and the amount of resources available to you pale in comparison to what you will get with Italy Made Easy.

After all, we are the experts of teaching Italian online to English speakers. Your success in learning Italian is our number one priority.

Now that we’ve laid out the strategy, the rest is up to you.

Are you ready to start learning Italian the right way? 

Well, if you follow the approach that we have outlined here, then you simply can’t go wrong.

Learn Italian with Italy Made Easy, use Italki to practice your speaking, and we guarantee that if you stick with it all the way through to the end of the From Zero To Italian program, then you will finally achieve your dream of fluency in Italian.

CHE BELLO!

What are you waiting for?

ENROL IN FROM ZERO TO ITALIAN NOW!