Practice Speaking Italian
Why you should practice speaking Italian with a native speaker.
Italian is a beautiful old world language, the closest living relative to Latin, and the third most spoken language in the European Union with 65 million native speakers. However, the many regional dialects of the language can make learning Italian quite difficult, as not many people in Italy actually speak ‘Italian.” There is quite a bit of difference between the language you hear on the streets of Milan, and the countryside of Sicily. Even many Italians have a hard time understanding each other’s dialects. That’s why the best way to become fluent in Italian, is to practice speaking with native speakers from all over the country.
What we think of as Italian is actually the dialect which originates in the region of Tuscany around Florence. This is the standardized language which is taught in textbooks, and spoken on the news. All Italians can understand and speak standardized Italian, however, when among friends or family, most will speak their own regional dialect. Sometimes these dialects are so different from one another that even other Italians cannot understand each other, and have to revert to speaking standardized Italian as a form of lingua franca.
If you want to speak Italian like a native, it’s best to practice with native speakers. That way you can flavor your language with some local spice, and don’t sound like you’re reading from a book. A trip through Italy will introduce you to all the different dialects the country has to offer, but if you don’t have the time or the resources for a long journey, there are plenty of ways you can find conversation partners online.
Why Tandem is the perfect way to practice Italian.
You can find native Italian speakers from every region of Italy at any time on Tandem. All of them are eager to share with you their language and culture, and help you speak Italian like a native. On Tandem you can meet tons of exciting new people who share your interests. If you decide to take a trip to Italy, not only will you already know plenty of people to show you around, you can even talk with them in their own language. How cool is that? On Tandem you can:
- Practice your Italian with native speakers.
- Learn the local dialect from all the places you’d like to visit.
- See how different people live in different parts of Italy.
- Practice speaking whenever you have a spare moment.
- Connect with people who share your interests.
On Tandem, you could learn to sing like a Venetian, swear like a Sicilian, and flirt like a Roman all in the same day. There are always people ready to teach you how to speak their language on Tandem, and who knows who you might meet! It’s the all-in-one language learning community, where you chat, message, and talk with other language learners from all around the world at the press of a button. It couldn’t be easier. And best of all, it’s free.
