Suggestions for Learning travel Italian.......

YouTube is probably the simplest way to learn some basic phrases.

I tried duolingo but didn’t really learn much from it. What worked for me was enrolling in a college level course. I was able to enroll for a nominal fee (15.00) as a senior citizen auditor. So I did not receive a final grade but I did do the work. Perhaps there is a summer session near you. I took two semesters, both at the height of Covid. So my classes were online with native speakers as professors. I learned a lot and really enjoyed it. Right now I’m putting it to use for the first time. I find that I am able, albeit slowly, to formulate sentences, such as “Do I need a reservation for dinner this evening” or “Do you have this dress in another size?” My comprehension, however, needs a lot more work. People answer me back in rapid Italian and I’m often lost. People seem to appreciate the fact that you try. A number of Italians have commented on the fact that I speak Italian (One even added “well”). Full disclosure. One waiter yelled at me to speak English and to go home and learn Italian for a year and then come back and try to speak it. But it’s fun to try and the more I do, the more comfortable I become.

I would start with this video on the website under Watch, Read, Listen.
https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/video/travel-talks/italian-language

I always thought The Italian Travelmate from Chronicle Books was best at cutting through the clutter - long out of print, I'm sure, but maybe second-hand:

https://www.amazon.com/Italian-Travelmate-Phrase-Important-Phrases/dp/087701874X

It's not for everybody, but I really like Rosetta Stone's method.
Most guide books will have the vital phrases for you to memorize, but don't discount using google translate to obtain some useful phrases.

Personally, I spend the few weeks before the journey watching some YouTube instructionals as well as using some little travel phrase books I have accumulated over the years. I studied German for a total of 4 years, but not using it day-to-day means I am pretty rusty and still need to brush up. Never took Italian or French, but by doing what I described above has worked for me in the past. YMMV.

Hi Carol,

For starters, I’m not very good at languages - rusty intermediate French is the best I do. I also wanted to learn (some) Italian before my March-April trip to Sicily and Rome. There were no courses available through the local university, community college, high schools, or Dante Society, though those might be available to you. I had a good plan to work with Pimsleur and slow news and ultimately online line conversation, but I didn’t carry it out that well, mostly because so much of my planning time was spent in trying to put together flights, Covid test requirements and such, I got discouraged or tired or both!
My point being you need a realistic plan that works for you, given your language facility, time, actual travel plans, etc.

I second the suggestions above to check out the Rick Steves intro “course,” because it’s immediately available and you can start hearing yourself speak a few Italian words. I used the RS Italian phrase book throughout my trip - of course there are many others. Also make sure you know how to use Google Translate; though I don’t like to use it for attempted conversation, it can be very helpful, e.g., reading signs. And I agree You Tube is your friend - in addition to learning-specific videos, there are lots of “site visits” that provide visual as well as sound exposure.

I like the Pimsleur approach for language learning though some do not. I check the CDs out of the public library. It looks like you have time, at 25 minutes/day, to get through parts A and B of the first course. I haven’t tried Duo Lingo- lots of people like it. A search on the Forum should lead you to sites for conversation, too.

I only got to rudimentary level - mostly niceties, nouns and a little menu, but I could have done somewhat better by sticking with it every day. Responding to others was the hardest thing for me and sometimes I answered in French! Repeated “reading” of a detailed map of Rome taught me the many words for “street.” You can focus your learning on your actual travel plans. For example, I knew I would do very little shopping so I was willing to point and say “costa?” Covid required me to learn some vocabulary for the farmacia; when I needed Tylenol and cold medication, though, I used Google to find the Italian equivalents and wrote them out. I also learned numbers by counting out reps and time when exercising in Italian.

In my experience, especially in Sicily, it is not true that “everybody” knows (or admits to knowing) English. But language is no barrier to having a great trip!

The most important words to learn are Buongiorno, Buona sera, and Grazie, just to be polite, especially to older people who don’t know English very well. Generally, especially in the popular towns and cities, everyone you come into contact with will speak English, and it is frustrating for them if you begin a conversation in what Italian you know, and they respond but you can’t understand it. Like the waiter a previous poster mentioned.

"The most important words to learn"

A couplea per favores, here and there, wouldn't hurt your cause either.

Along with parli inglese, also nice to throw out the scusa non parlo italiano, if the situation presents itself.

I’ll add that dove (where) is a great word to know!

Yes Dove is a good word to know if you can understand the answer! Like if they point.

If you're a podcast person, Coffee Break Italian is great! I listen on Spotify, although I'm sure it's widely available on various platforms. I've used Duolingo (a free app that's similar to Rosetta Stone), but it teaches a lot of words/phrases that aren't useful for travel. Coffee Break Italian lessons are manageable (between 20-30 minute episodes) and focus on conversations. It's co-hosted by a native Italian who also provides cultural insights as well.

I second Pimsleur which I checked out digitally from our library. I also enrolled in Italian 101 through MOOC.org. It’s free and is an online class offered through Wellesley College taught by a native Italian. You could get through as much as you want depending on how much time you wish to spend on it each day.

Good luck & ciao!

I listened to Pimsleur CDs in my car while commuting, and that was very helpful. But I know most new cars like mine don't have CD players anymore. Duoingo was part of my daily routine during the first few months of COVID, but it wasn't travel/conversationally oriented.

I agree with suggestions to use Rick Steves' or another travel phrase book, get comfortable with Google translate, and YouTube. I like the channel Easy Italian. for short videos about different things. You can search their channel for the topics of interest to you. it's good to hear the spoken Italian when they speak with Italians on the street asking different questions. It gives a little insight on what Italians think.

I commend you for wanting to go to the effort to learn some basic Italian. As others have mentioned, even if you crash and burn, they appreciate you tried.

We learned a few phrases before we went, such as "Please", "Thank You" and "Where's the Bathroom?" (It turns out that while an effective method of communication, holding your genitals while dancing on your tip toes is frowned upon.) Even with our pitiful grasp of the language, we were never unable to communicate. The one time an Italian shopkeeper didn't speak English, she went to the back and dragged out her teenage granddaughter who spoke English fluently. We considered it a small triumph when we successfully shopped at the local COOP grocery store without speaking a word of English!

We were there just before Christmas and the only guests at our agriturismo. Our server, Marco visited with us at breakfast every morning at our insistence. He took the opportunity to practice his English and to expand our Italian vocabulary. We had a great time and made a new friend. We even exchanged Christmas presents at the end of our visit. Tears were shed by all when we said goodbye.

I listened to Pimsleur CDs in my car while commuting, and that was very helpful. But I know most new cars like mine don't have CD players anymore. Duoingo was part of my daily routine during the first few months of COVID, but it wasn't travel/conversationally oriented.

Pimsleur has a smartphone app now with all the lessons on it. I've been using it on my commute for the past couple of months - seems pretty good