Free Italian Lessons Online for Beginners

According to various polls, Italian is one of the world’s 10 most learned languages. People learn Italian for various reasons, like academic studies, business trips, immigration, or leisure. But can you learn it from scratch without paying for a course fee? We have reviewed several free Italian lessons online for beginners to help you choose the right one based on your specific needs and preferences.

Basic Courses

1) EDX – Italian Culture and Language: Beginners

EDX is an online learning platform that offers both free and paid courses.

To enroll in this course, you just need to have a free EDX account and to click on the enroll button. This course comprises 4 units that encompass the most important elements of Italian grammar. Each unit includes several sections with written lessons, audio/video resources, and tests.

In each unit, you will also encounter different real-life contexts (Italian cities, family, leisure, Italian cuisine) to help you learn various aspects of Italian culture.

This course also includes a free discussion forum on which you can interact with other online learners. If you reach an overall score of 60% (or higher) on all tests, you can receive a certificate but, unlike the course itself, it’s not for free.

WHAT LEARNERS SAY ABOUT IT:

“I take language classes in school too and I can honestly say that this course far exceeds them.”

“This is the first time I’ve been successful in learning a language. Thank you!”

2) One Italian Club – A1 Level 

One of the largest free resources available for Italian learners.

You can choose from six learning levels depending on your current knowledge of Italian. Most beginners start with the A1 level, which offers basic Italian grammar lessons, exercises, and resources to improve your listening skills. After completing the basic training, you can move to the A2 level (Pre-Intermediate).

Plus, you can use this website to work on specific areas (grammar, listening, conversation, and vocabulary).

WHAT LEARNERS SAY ABOUT IT:

“Thank you for all you and the team do to make learning a language such a pleasure. This site must be one of the best of its type on the Internet.”

3) One World – Free 37-unit Italian course

This website offers several learning resources to online Italian learners, including a free 37-unit Italian language course.

Every unit revolves around a specific topic (introductions, traveling, shopping, etc.) and focuses on specific words and specific grammar rules. This makes the learning process less boring and more dynamic. In each unit, you will also practice your listening skills and complete exercises to check your advancement.

This website also offers other free resources (like video exercises, a grammar reference, and sections dedicated to proverbs, idioms, and culture) in case you want to improve your Italian in specific areas.

WHAT LEARNERS SAY ABOUT IT:

“These lessons are really good. I have done many different programs and I don’t want to say that those programs are not good because you can learn from everybody. However, these lessons are really good for me and have a good teaching style. I am American so English is my first language, not one of the Latin languages but these lessons’ style really helps with the grammar.”

“I like these lessons. They are entertaining and they teach you a lot.”

YouTube Channels

1) Italian Made Easy

This YouTube channel has over 100,000 subscribers and over 400 free videos.

It is updated often and alternates grammar lessons, vocabulary lessons, tips for Italian learners, and videos on Italian culture and lifestyle. It also offers live Italian classes and Q&A webinars from time to time.

The channel manager and teacher is a native Italian speaker who is also very fluent in English and is very good at explaining basic grammar rules in a clear and effective way. He is also very likable and watching his videos is a pleasant learning experience.

If you need some structure you can start by visiting the channel’s playlist section. Here you will find videos organized into categories like verbs, pronunciation, essential Italian expressions, and so on.

Here’s a helpful introductory video to this channel:

WHAT LEARNERS SAY ABOUT IT:

“This format is very effective. Bravo! You’re an excellent teacher.”

“I love watching these videos where we can experience live, unscripted conversations in Italian. This was an interesting, fun learning experience.”

2) Learn Italian with Lucrezia

With over 250,000 subscribers, this is one of the most popular Italian learning channels on YouTube.

It has over 550 videos and very frequent new uploads.

Some videos are in the form of actual language classes in which Lucrezia teaches you Italian grammar, vocabulary, and other essentials with the help of a whiteboard.

Other videos are more casual and discuss common aspects of Italian life and culture, allowing you to learn unfamiliar words and expressions by listening and by reading the subtitles.

This is an excellent combination, which makes the learning process more enjoyable and less boring.

WHAT LEARNERS SAY ABOUT IT:

“These videos are very informative and useful.”

“These videos are a must if you are serious about learning Italian.”

3) LearnAmo

With over 200 videos and 80,000 subscribers, LearnAmo is another great free resource for those who want to learn Italian.

If you are a total beginner in Italian, there’s no better place to start than this playlist that focuses on the basic aspects of Italian grammar. It begins with very simple videos on how to pronounce Italian letters and numbers before moving on with lessons on articles, nouns, verbs, and sentence construction.

This channel is managed by two teachers and it uses subtitles to help you understand long Italian sentences and learn new words.

WHAT LEARNERS SAY ABOUT IT:

“This channel is a gift. Thanks a lot for the work you put to prepare such an excellent learning resource.”

“The teachers are very friendly. I am working hard to learn Italian and thanks to these videos I can learn and practice the language easily.”

Learning Languages is a Slow Process

Learning a new language is a process that requires time and patience.

Sure you can learn a few local words and expressions before taking a short trip to a foreign country but if your goal is to communicate effectively in that language and to understand native speakers without an automatic translator, then you need a long-term study plan.

Unless you have a specific business or academic reason for learning a language fast (in which case we recommend you look for an intensive course), studying one hour a day for one year is typically more effective than studying ten hours a day for one month.

Try to enjoy the learning process and don’t forget that mistakes are the best teacher. Don’t be afraid to speak the language with native speakers or with other learners. Many people focus a lot on grammar rules but freeze when they have to go out there and use what they have learned.

Feel free to leave a comment below if you have questions about the websites and channels we just reviewed or if you want to share your experiences in learning Italian online. By the way, have you checked the other articles in the language category?