Free! Free! Free! Everybody loves free. I know I do, and I assume that you do too, so I thought I would take a break from telling readers how to buy the best software and, instead, tell you how to learn Italian for free (or almost free). I will do so by giving you 4 great Italian learning activities that you can do without spending a dime. These activities will be categorized by learning types, according to the Theory of Multiple Intelligences, by Professor Howard Gardner of Harvard University.
Learn Italian for Free--Exercise 1
Our first learning activity is for logical-mathematical learners. These people like figuring stuff out, so for them I suggest doing Italian word games and puzzles. If you live in a big city, you can grab an Italian newspaper and complete the puzzles there. If not, don't worry. These kinds of games are all over the Internet. Type "Italian Word Games" into Google and you get almost 30 million results! Of course, when doing these word puzzles you have to remember that you are trying to learn Italian for free, not just pass the time. So, when playing, make sure you are doing something useful. For example, improve your Italian pronunciation by saying the words out loud. Or, after completing a puzzle, use your new words to write out complete sentences.
Learn Italian for Free--Exercise 2
This activity is for linguistic learners, people who think in words rather than in more abstract terms. If you're a linguistic learner, you'll love good old-fashioned flash cards. Flash cards are, in my opinion, the best way to learn Italian for free. You can use them to memorize vocabulary words, for sure, but you can also use them to memorize responses to phrases. For example, write, in English, the phrase "I'd like a Coke please." On the other side is the question phrase, written in Italian, "What would you like to drink?" For best results, make stacks of flash cards based on situations. For example, "Restaurant Italian," or, "Making travel arrangements in Italian."
Learn Italian for Free--Exercise 3
You've got to practice speaking to improve your Italian pronunciation, right? But what if you're in intrapersonal learner, someone who tends to shy away from social situations? Don't worry! You can get your speaking practice over the Internet, right from the comfort of your own home. All you do is find a native Italian speaker and do a language exchange. You help him or with his or her English speaking, and he or she helps you with your Italian pronunciation. This exercise is fun, easy, and, best of all, free! To find a partner, just visit an Italian language learning forum. To speak with each other, use Skype or MSN.
Learn Italian for Free--Exercise 4
Interpersonal learners, as opposed to intrapersonal learners, love social situations. If this is you, you're lucky! There are tons of ways for you to practice speaking Italian for free. One of the best ways is to join an Italian group of some sort. It can be an Italian hiking group, an Italian cooking group, a political group--any kind of group where people speak Italian. Again, the Internet is your friend. You can use sites like MeetUp.com, or you can just do a Google search for a group in your city. Have fun!
Mastering the Italian language can be a long, boring experience that causes you much grief, or it can be a fun and exciting learning experience that encourages you to do more and go further. Choosing learning activities that are both useful and enjoyable is very important. I hope that these free Italian learning activities set you on a path of enjoyment and success.
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Ryan Wiley is a language learning professor, blogger, and English language textbook author. He has published 12 language learning textbooks to date