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50 Helpful Italian Essay Phrases to Make Writing a Breeze

March 13, 2019 10:00 am

Writing an essay can be nerve-racking. But doing it in a foreign language like Italian? Well, hello anxiety! But you don’t need to worry too much because here in this article, we’ve compiled some of the most useful Italian essay phrases to help you. Try sprucing up your essays with these phrases and take it from there.

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• Italian essays

Italian essays often explore the rich tapestry of Italy's history, culture, and literature, providing profound insights into its society. Students should focus on key themes such as the Renaissance, Italian unification, and contemporary Italian writers to create compelling narratives. Accurate sources and a clear structure will enhance the quality and relevance of your essay.

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What are the roles of protagonists and antagonists in Italian literature?

What is an example of an archetypal character in Italian literature?

What are the benefits of writing Italian essays in education?

Which aspect would you consider when writing an essay about politics and power in Italian literature?

Which literary period's work would you explore to discuss the theme of love and romance in Italian literature?

Which type of Italian essay focuses on describing a person, place, or event in detail?

What should be considered when integrating historical context in Italian essays?

What elements make up the typical structure of an Italian essay?

Why are supporting characters significant in Italian literature?

What are Italian essays known as in Italian?

What are common themes in Italian literature essays?

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Team Italian essays Teachers

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Definition of Italian Essays

Learning about Italian essays can be incredibly enriching, not only for your language skills but also for your understanding of Italian culture. Italian essays are a popular form of writing in Italy and are used in academic, professional, and personal contexts.

What Are Italian Essays?

Italian essays, known as saggi in Italian, are pieces of writing that explore a particular topic or issue. These essays can be descriptive, analytical, or argumentative, and they often reflect the writer's personal viewpoints and critical thinking. The structure and style of Italian essays may vary based on the purpose and audience.

Italian essays : Essays written in Italian that investigate a topic thoroughly, often reflecting personal insights and critical analysis.

Types of Italian Essays

There are several types of Italian essays you can encounter:

• Descriptive Essays : These essays focus on describing a person, place, or event in detail.
• Analytical Essays : These essays break down a topic into parts to understand it better.
• Argumentative Essays : These essays present a point of view and provide evidence to support it.

Each type has its specific features and style, which should be adhered to for clarity and effectiveness.

Example: A common topic for an argumentative Italian essay could be 'La salvaguardia dell'ambiente in Italia,' where you might argue about the importance of environmental protection in Italy, supported by statistics and expert opinions.

Structure of Italian Essays

The structure of an Italian essay typically includes:

• Introduction : This is where you present the topic and your thesis statement.
• Body : This section contains several paragraphs, each presenting a main idea supported by evidence and analysis.
• Conclusion : This part summarises the key points and restates the thesis in light of the evidence presented in the body.

Organising your essay in this manner ensures coherency and helps readers follow your arguments more easily.

Deep Dive: The Italian essay's structure may also reflect the influence of classic Italian literature . For instance, essays may include references to works by prominent Italian authors like Dante Alighieri or Alessandro Manzoni . Understanding these influences can enhance your appreciation and execution of Italian essay writing.

Tips for Writing Italian Essays

Writing an Italian essay can be challenging, but following these tips can help you succeed:

• Plan Your Essay : Outline your main points and organise them logically.
• Use Formal Language : Stick to formal vocabulary and avoid colloquialisms.
• Proofread : Always check your essay for grammatical errors and consistency.
• Read Widely : Familiarise yourself with different types of Italian essays to understand various writing styles and techniques.

Remember to cite your sources correctly when writing an Italian essay to avoid plagiarism and lend credibility to your arguments.

Themes in Italian Literature Essays

When writing Italian literature essays, certain themes frequently emerge. Understanding these themes can help you craft more insightful and engaging essays. They are often deeply rooted in Italy's rich cultural and historical context.

Love and Romance

Love and romance are prevalent themes in Italian literature due to Italy's storied history of romance, from the poetic works of Dante Alighieri to modern romantic novels. Essays on this theme often explore the complexities of relationships, the impact of love on individuals, and the cultural significance of romantic ideals.

When writing about love and romance, consider these aspects:

• The portrayal of romantic relationships in different literary periods.
• The influence of cultural and societal norms on romantic expressions.
• Symbolism and motifs related to love and romance.

Example: In an essay about Dante's 'La Divina Commedia,' you might explore how Dante's love for Beatrice influenced his spiritual journey and the structure of his epic poem.

Politics and Power

Politics and power are essential themes in Italian literature, reflecting Italy's complex political history. Literature often critiques political systems, explores the nature of power, and examines the interplay between authority and the individual. These themes are especially prominent in works set during periods of political upheaval or under oppressive regimes.

When addressing politics and power, your essay might focus on:

• How historical context influences political themes in literature.
• The role of literature in social and political critique.
• Character studies that highlight the impact of power dynamics.

Deep Dive: Niccolò Machiavelli's 'Il Principe' is a seminal work in political literature. An essay on this text can delve into Machiavelli's views on power, leadership, and ethical governance, and how these ideas resonate in contemporary political thought.

Human Nature

Human nature is a recurrent theme in Italian literature, often explored through characters' moral dilemmas, existential questions, and the pursuit of personal identity. Italian writers frequently delve into the depths of human psychology and behaviour to uncover universal truths about the human condition.

In writing about human nature, consider:

• The portrayal of protagonists and their internal conflicts.
• Philosophical questions raised by the text about human nature.
• Comparisons between different authors' approaches to this theme.

Reflect on how authors use specific literary devices, such as symbolism or allegory, to convey complex ideas about human nature.

Characters in Italian Literature Essays

Italian literature is renowned for its well-crafted characters, which play a pivotal role in the narratives. Understanding these characters is essential for writing insightful Italian literature essays.

Protagonists and Antagonists

Protagonists and antagonists are foundational elements in any story, and Italian literature is no exception. The protagonist is the main character around whom the story revolves, while the antagonist opposes the protagonist, creating conflict.

These characters are often complex and multi-dimensional, offering rich material for analysis:

• Analyse their character development throughout the story.
• Examine the motivations driving their actions.
• Consider the impact of their relationships with other characters.

Example: In 'I Promessi Sposi' by Alessandro Manzoni , Renzo and Lucia serve as the protagonists who must overcome various obstacles, while Don Rodrigo embodies the antagonist whose actions create significant challenges for them.

Supporting Characters

Supporting characters often play crucial roles in advancing the plot and developing the main characters. They provide depth and context to the story, influencing the protagonists and antagonists in various ways.

When writing about supporting characters, consider:

• How they contribute to the main characters' journeys.
• Their own subplots and development.
• Their role in highlighting themes and motifs.

Deep Dive: In Luigi Pirandello's 'Sei personaggi in cerca d'autore,' the supporting characters known as 'The Six Characters' serve to explore the boundaries between fiction and reality, offering a unique meta-theatrical twist that challenges conventional storytelling.

Archetypal Characters

Archetypal characters in Italian literature embody universal patterns of human nature. These characters can represent virtues, vices, or fundamental human experiences recognised across cultures and time periods.

Examples of archetypal characters include:

• The Hero: Often on a quest, facing challenges to achieve a goal.
• The Mentor: Guides the hero, offering wisdom and support.
• The Trickster: Challenges the status quo, often causing complications.

These characters provide a lens through which to examine universal themes and cultural values.

Consider how archetypal characters reflect societal norms and cultural ideals in the context of the story.

Importance of Italian Essays in Education

Writing Italian essays holds significant importance in educational contexts. They not only improve your Italian language skills but also enhance your critical thinking and analytical abilities. Italian essays offer opportunities to explore Italy's rich cultural and historical heritage, making you more knowledgeable and culturally aware.

Italian Essay Writing Techniques

Mastering Italian essay writing involves understanding specific techniques that ensure clarity, coherence, and persuasiveness. Here's a breakdown of key techniques:

• Planning: Outline your main arguments before starting to write. This helps in maintaining a clear structure.
• Formal Language: Use formal vocabulary and avoid slang or colloquial expressions.
• Thesis Statement: Clearly state your main argument or thesis in the introduction. This guides the reader on what to expect.
• Evidence and Analysis: Support your arguments with evidence and provide analysis. This demonstrates critical thinking and depth of understanding.

Example: When writing about the influence of Petrarch on Renaissance literature, you could structure your essay to start with his biographical background, followed by an analysis of his works, and conclude with their impact on later writers.

Include quotations from primary sources to strengthen your arguments and provide textual evidence.

Historical Context in Italian Essays

Understanding the historical context is crucial when writing Italian essays. This context provides background information that helps readers understand the significance of specific events, characters, and themes in the literature.

Always consider the following when integrating historical context:

• Time Period: Identify the time period in which the work was written or set. Historical events during this time often influence the themes and characters.
• Author's Background: Explore the author's background and how their personal history might have influenced their work.
• Socio-Political Climate: Consider the socio-political environment of the era. This can provide insights into the narrative's underlying messages.

Deep Dive: For instance, examining the historical context of Alessandro Manzoni's 'I Promessi Sposi' reveals the impact of the 17th-century plague on Milan. Understanding this context highlights how the novel serves as a commentary on social and religious issues of the time, making your essay richer in analysis.

Italian essays - Key takeaways

• Definition of Italian Essays : Italian essays, called saggi in Italian, are writings that delve deeply into a subject, often containing the writer's personal perspectives and critical evaluations.
• Structure of Italian Essays : Typically includes an introduction with a thesis statement, a body with evidence and analysis, and a conclusion summarising key points.
• Types of Italian Essays : Descriptive essays utilise detailed descriptions, analytical essays break down topics for better understanding, and argumentative essays offer a viewpoint supported by evidence.
• Themes in Italian Literature Essays : Common themes include love and romance, politics and power, and human nature, all influenced by Italy's historical and cultural context.
• Characters in Italian Literature Essays : Analyses often focus on the development and motivations of protagonists, antagonists, and supporting characters, exploring their impact on narrative themes.

Flashcards in Italian essays 12

The protagonist is a character who serves as a mentor and provides wisdom.

The Hero, often on a quest, facing challenges to achieve a goal.

They are used primarily for learning colloquial expressions.

Primarily the depiction of mythical creatures

Only works from modern Italian literature

Analytical Essays

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Online Italian Club

How to write an essay in Italian, even if you barely speak the language

June 12, 2014 by Daniel

In 2003 I scraped together my meager savings and signed up for the part-time MBA at Alma Business School, here in Bologna where I live.

At the time, freelance English teaching was keeping me busy all hours, but didn’t generate much of an income.

And as our third child had just been born, I was pretty desperate to get some kind of ‘proper’ career going.

For an MBA, it was amazingly cheap, probably because it was taught in Italian and by professors from Bologna university.

Who wants to do an MBA in Italian?

But still, I thought, “Two birds with one stone!”

It would force me to improve my language skills, and at the same time I’d be working towards a qualification which would hopefully get me my dream job.

The course began and the workload was intense.

There were books to read, lectures to attend, and regular exams to study for, some of which involved writing essays…

While I could scrape by with the reading, and keep a low profile during lectures and group work, it was clear that the written work was going to be an issue.

Up to that time, I had done exactly zero writing in Italian!

Fortunately, I was saved by lurking on the course’s online discussion boards.

There, I was able to read what my fellow students thought about the course topics, pick up some of the key vocabulary, and generally orientate myself.

It was also a fantastic place to get Italian writing tips.

I quickly figured out that, while my grammar was surely a lost cause (I’d never done an Italian course) and my vocabulary was desperately limited, the one thing that I could quickly and easily fix was my non-use of ‘linking words’.

The other students sprinkled their writing with words like ‘quindi’, ‘invece’, ‘inoltre’, ‘tuttavia’ and many synonyms thereof, terms which helped connect their ideas in a coherent sequence (and make them sound more ‘figo’.)

So I started to make a list, grouping the more common words into categories, like this:

CONTRAST: invece, mentre, pero, tuttavia CAUSATION: poiche, siccome RESULT: quindi, perciò CONDITION: anche se, almeno che

A quick bit of dictionary work later, and I had a list of typical terms to memorize.

Come exam day, I would be able to supercharge my ‘unusual’ written Italian with expressions I’d copied from my classmates.

And lo, using this approach I managed to write something at least minimally coherent, and passed my first exam.

Time passed, and in 2005 I graduated.

After which I set about becoming rich and successful, by opening my own language school…

All this because of learning to write better!

The Italian writing course consists of five different writing tasks.

There are no fixed deadlines, so you can take as long as you want to get them done.

Your work will be corrected by a professional Italian teacher.

The course normally costs €50 (that’s just €10 per ‘lesson’), but until 20th June you can get it for the special launch price: just €37,50!

A number of OnlineItalianClub.com readers have already signed up.

They’ve been allocated their tutors, and are hopefully getting started right now on improving their Italian writing.

Why not join them?

Go here to find out how.

June 12, 2014 at 5:32 pm

Well if I hadn’t signed up an hour ago, this post would have hooked me in. Those pesky little words are the bane of my life and I only have a handful for each category, so I already have a task, and I haven’t even started yet. As has been mentioned by another poster, the snag is that the range of meanings for each word, doesn’t always quite correlate with English so I have to go with the context. Roll on joined up thinking/writing

Daniel says

June 12, 2014 at 5:42 pm

Practice makes perfect, Karen. Thanks for signing up for the writing course. I hope it’ll prove useful…

John Thomson says

June 13, 2014 at 9:12 am

Le congiunzioni !!!!!!!

Excellent article, as ever Daniel

I would love to see your essay when you passed your exam, which conjunctions you used, where, when and why – akin to adding chopped parsley to a dish how much is “some” is it the same as “Q.B.” “quanto basta” I have looked at a list of 25 conjunctions and selected one English word “although”

Depending on the dictionary one uses (my preferred is Word Reference) This can be translated as

Benche / malgrado / sebbene / quantunque / anche / nonostante / pure / seppure

I am sure there will be more and the same is true, though to a lesser extent, when translating from Italian to English

So how do you choose, is there a regional variation?

The English language tends to use a comma to separate blocks of related text or at best uses “and” or “or” with the odd “while” thrown in

All part of the beauty of la bella lingua !

John P.S. my beautiful wife is buying me your writing course for Father’s day.

June 13, 2014 at 10:07 am

Hi John, When you get a list of ‘synonyms’like that, say from wordreference.com, you need to appreciate the various ways they could differ: – the meaning may not be exactly the same (for example, one version may have other unrelated meanings or uses) – they may be used in a different position in a sentence – there might be a different level of formality – there may be other grammatical ‘issues’ etc.

One way to deal with that is to try to study them formally.

Another option (my preferred one..) is to try to take on board the one or two most common ones for use when you speak and write, while aiming to at least recognize the others when you see or here them

In that way, you don’t immediately have to worry about the bits you don’t know as sooner or later the context will provide that info for you..

Reading a lot helps.

Good on your wife! Hope you enjoy the course, and she enjoys the peace and quiet while you’re busy doing the tasks.

EASY READERS LLP Registered in England, no. OC439580 Tregarth, The Gounce, Perranporth, Cornwall TR6 0JW E-mail: [email protected]

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Italian Culture Essay

This Italy culture essay sample explores different aspects of Italian culture, including religion, art, language, and food. Check out our Italian culture essay to get some inspiration for your assignment!

Italian Culture Essay Introduction

Religion as an element of italian culture, italian beliefs and traditions, italian arts, italian language, italian food, politics of italy, italy culture essay conclusion.

Many scholars consider Italy to be the birthplace of human culture and the cradle of civilization as we know it. Lying under the bright hot sun of the southern part of Europe, Italy has been basking in scrutinizing public attention for as long as it has existed. It is one of the key players in the arena of world importance.

One can say without any exaggeration that, to a degree, the entire world has been affected by Italy’s cultural and belief systems. Of course, Western culture has benefited from Italian teachings the most: its art, science, education, philosophy, and religion all can be traced back to Italy.

Like any country out there, modern Italy and its population are different from those of ancient times. Today, Italian people carry a mixture of cultures and belief systems introduced by immigrants from all over the world. Economically, Italy has also had a far-reaching effect on the rest of the world.

Italy is probably best known for its being the originator of Catholicism practices. That is where the Catholic Church, the largest and most famous Christian branch, started to spread its word. The majority of Italians are Roman Catholics, and the common religious beliefs in the country are based on the teachings of Catholicism. Vatican City, the world-famous “country within a country,” aka “the smallest country in the world,” is the headquarters of the Roman Catholicism.

Although the Catholic Church has mostly separated its affairs from the state, it still has a vital cultural role to play. Catholicism is a natural part of Italian life that is to be taken for granted. It’s an inevitable cultural, social, and political force that Italians take “with the whole package.”

Of course, there are other religions present too: Islam and some other Christian churches occupy around 15% of the country’s religious beliefs. Generally, Italians believe in life after death, and that there will be appropriate consequences for good and bad people, which is an eternity in Heaven or Hell, accordingly.

Italians are famous for having very close family ties and regarding them very highly. Italian family values and connections are a crucial part of the Italian community, with both sides of the family getting equal attention and treatment. Traditionally, marriage used to be an arranged affair in Italian culture. Of course, nowadays, customs in Italy are not strict, and marriage is an exercise of free will.

Only recently, divorce has become possible in Italy. Before that, with the cult of family values and life-long commitment, it was forbidden. Also, it’s important to point out that, although most Italians marry, it’s customary for children to do it later in life and stay unmarried to take care of the family’s older members. As for inheritance, both male and female members of the family are regarded equally.

Traditionally, there was a strict gendered role division in Italian society, which has changed in modern times. Nevertheless, the family is still the basic unit of Italian society. In most cases, husbands are viewed to be the heads of their families.

The high importance of physical appearance for Italians needs to be acknowledged. Dressing style, body stature, and personal hygiene are usually taken great care of. Italians are very fashion conscious, and to them, to produce the right first impression is crucial.

Other than the Catholic Church, Italy is probably only more famous for its arts. Italian tradition is rich in all forms of it – architecture, painting, sculpture, poetry, opera, theater, and many others. Strictly speaking, it’s the arts to be thanked for bringing all of the annual millions of tourists to Italy. It’s not surprising that the arts in Italy get all the support from both the public and private sectors. This support has ensured the world’s undying interest in Italy to this date.

From ancient times, architecture and sculpture have dominated the Italians’ art world. The preserved relics of buildings and statues remain to be the highlights of Italian tourism. Many best-known pieces of sculpture were created in the middle ages and were mostly religious.

Until the 13th century, written literature in Italy was mostly done in Latin. Italian works in poetry, theology, and philosophy continue to shape the modern intellectual world. Music writing also started in Italy, which is why the Italian language is used by music teachers to explain how music should be played to this date.

A lot of people from all over the world share the opinion that Italian is the most musical language. Although it is a very subjective matter, drawing its judgment from personal tastes, there is a common belief that the Italian language is gentle, melodic, and sounds almost like a song. There is a scientific explanation to that – the Italian language enjoys using vowels a lot. For instance, almost all Italian words end with a vowel, and frequent use of double consonants is only adding to sample the musical factor.

Already in pre-Renaissance times, Italian was considered to be the language of the European culture. During this period, the greatest humanitarians and writers of the time flourished to contribute to the scientific world, traditionally writing them in Latin.

Italian was not just the language of science – its recognition as a noble language was achieved through its outstanding works in the musical sphere. The Italian language got its first praises from writers and scholars worldwide as early as the 17th century.

Voltaire, a well known French philosopher and writer, spoke with appreciation of the “beautiful Italian language, Latin’s firstborn sibling.” For James Howell, an English historian, and writer, Italian was “the best-composed language in terms of fluency and smoothness.”

Italian is the official language of the country and is spoken by the majority of citizens. Some dialects are recognized in a few regions, which are sometimes considered to be different languages.

Italian food has also gained worldwide fame – arguably more so than any other aspect of Italian culture. Who hasn’t tried pasta in their life? And pizza’s popularity is hard to argue about – ask any kid, and they will tell you how they love eating pizza most in the world.

Of course, there are specific differences in preparing the food in various regions, but spaghetti, pizza, bread, soup, meat, and vine are common in all areas.

The current Italian constitution came into effect on 1st January 1948. That’s when the people of Italy voted to have a Republic and not a monarchy. Italian parliament consists of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate. The Italian government has three branches: executive, judiciary, and legislature.

The President is elected every seven years and must be less than 50 years old. The prime minister is appointed by the President, whose duty is to form a government. The President is the commander of armed forces, and it’s in their power to dissolve parliament and call for new elections. There is no Vice President in Italy, so, if the President dies, elections will have to be held.

Italy is a member of various organizations, including but not limited to North Atlantic Treaty Organization, European Union, and Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.

Writing about Italy is relatively easy and certainly very pleasant. Whether you are writing an Italian culture research paper or a cultural analysis, there is enough material and ideas for Italian essay topics to cover almost any sphere you wish in your culture project. Italian heritage has its deep imprint on every part of the Western culture, including your essay example.

What is Italian culture known for?

The common associations with Italian culture are art, religion, and food. Italy is the inheritor of the Roman Empire and the homeland of the Catholic Church. It was also the center of the Renaissance, which gave new life to European culture. Italian culture has flourished for centuries, having a significant influence on all aspects of Western culture, politics, and religion.

What makes Italian culture unique?

Italy is widely considered to be the cradle of Western civilization. It’s impossible to deny the superpower of Italian culture, and it’s overwhelming influence on the rest of the world, Western culture in particular. Through the centuries, Italy and its cultural heritage have affected how science, arts, politics, and religion are practiced in the Western world.

Why is Italian food so popular?

One of the first things to associate with Italy and its culture is the famous Italian cuisine. Italian recipes are simple enough, yet they offer great flexibility in the level of intricacy of preparation. In other words, provided the good quality of products, anyone can make pizza or pasta, whether they are a chef or a 10-year-old.

How do Italian Renaissance artists participate in humanist culture?

Humanism defined the Italian Renaissance, emphasizing the individual worth as opposed to a religious figure or the state. Humanism was based on the study of classics, and its philosophy encouraged secular elements in the works of contemporary artists, writers, and philosophers. Human emotions and experiences are the centers of the intellectual and artistic accomplishments of the period.

How is Italian culture different from American?

One of the most noticeable cultural differences noted by travelers from or to America and Italy is the average pace. People usually note that the speed in Italian culture is far slower than in American one. Italians are also said to be not as punctual as Americans and are famous for taking food and leisure breaks seriously.

Italian Culture: Facts, Customs & Traditions (Live Science)

Italian Culture: Cultural Atlas

Italy – Language, Culture, Customs and Etiquette (Commisceo Global)

Italian cuisine: Takeaway.com

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13 Italian Writing Practice Ideas

I have a simple but effective rule for you to remember: To write, you have to write.

Seems like common sense, I know, but writing is a skill that gets better the more you do it.

In other words, practice is vital. But don’t worry—Italian writing practice doesn’t have to be tedious.

Read on to find 13 fun ideas to add to your language program that’ll send your writing skills soaring!

1. Send Texts: Say TTFN to Procrastination

• 2. X: Keep It Short and Sweet
• 3. Facebook: Log On

4. Make Lists: Do Your Shopping in Italian

5. copy: imitate to learn, 6. songs: listen and write down the lyrics, 7. worksheets: get nostalgic for school, 8. journal: tell all to your dear diary.

• 9. Bullet Journal: Aim for Fluency

10. Write Letters: Send Some Snail Mail

11. read: learn by example, 12. blog: find your audience, 13. write: get creative, and one more thing....

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

The simple text message is a form of writing. This basic form of communication is usually condensed into the fundamental vocabulary that you actually use to communicate.

Core vocabulary is the foundation of reading, writing and speaking!

Whether we like to admit it or not, most of us are pretty proficient texters.

Why not put your texting prowess to extra good use by adding texts in Italian to your daily routine? And while you’re at it, turn your entire phone into a learning machine by changing the language to Italian.

To change your iPhone language follow these simple steps:

Open Settings → Tap General → Select Language & Region → Tap Add Language → Select Language → Confirm

It’s just as simple for Android users:

Open Settings → Tap Languages and Input → Add Language → Activate Language by dragging it to the top of the list of languages (it should now be #1)

Now that your phone is ready, find a buddy or a language exchange partner  and start texting in Italian! You’ll be surprised at how proficient you can become at some basic writing skills just by texting.

2. X : Keep It Short and Sweet

Even so, the average tweet is short and sweet —kind of like eating a sumptuous  bombolone  (donut) for breakfast.

But while eating too many high-calorie breakfasts will impact your waistline, practicing Italian writing while tweeting can never be too much of a good thing.

X is fantastic for writing practice because it forces expression in succinct phrases. That is, we get straight to the point with X. It’s a forum for writing clearly and concisely, and that’s worth practicing in any language!

Need a couple of relevant Italian X accounts to follow? Try ACMilan and become one of the 8.5 million followers who keep track of the Milan football team! If you’re into Formula 1, consider following Scuderia Ferrari .

You can also find your own X accounts to follow by searching for some Italian hashtags.

3. Facebook : Log On

How? By  posting in Italian!

And if you’re not comfortable writing your status updates in Italian, how about commenting in Italian?

Still not quite sure about it? Then why not check out a few Italian Facebook pages and see how much fun—and entirely un-threatening—this can be!

Fatto in casa da Benedetta (Homemade by Benedetta) is a cooking page that always has mouth-watering photographs and incredible recipes. Laura Pausini , the famous Italian singer, keeps a dynamic page with updates about upcoming concerts or new releases.

So log on and start learning!

Writing practice comes in many forms—including lists!

Unless you draw your lists instead of writing them, all the lists we keep count toward writing practice.

But that’s only if you make your lists in Italian!

Your weekly grocery list, daily to-do list and even holiday shopping list are all examples of writing practice.

Lists help with vocabulary acquisition as well as keeping core vocabulary right on the tip of your tongue—figuratively speaking, of course!

One great way to boost your confidence quickly is by copying from others.

That’s right—this is one instance where being a copycat is encouraged! Of course, this is for personal purposes and not as an act of plagiarism. So don’t publish what you copy—keep it to yourself.

What should you copy? Almost anything— Italian quotes , great lines from magazines ,  newspaper excerpts  and easy short stories are all first-rate choices.

The act of copying builds confidence and also gives you “a feel” for writing. Copying passages and sentences builds vocabulary, shows grammar rules at work and is an excellent way to actually see how Italian words are ordered .

Once you’ve gained some confidence, branch out. Look for and then copy down some quotes that are really meaningful to you. They can be about anything—life, love, friendship. The possibilities are endless.

Another way to learn from your copying is by  sentence mining . Dissect everything you write into its components to learn how expertly-written sentences are put together, then use this knowledge to write your own sentences following the same formula.

As well as copying quotes, you could also try writing down song lyrics. Italian songs are great as they are not only fun to listen to , but they can also be used by Italian learners of all levels !

For example, beginner learners could search for the lyrics online and copy them while listening to the song, taking note of sentence structure and any specific vocabulary.

For more advanced Italian learners, a great way to get both writing and listening practice is by listening to the song and attempting to write down the lyrics . Once you’ve finished, you can search for the official song lyrics and compare them to what you’ve written.

Worksheets are language-learners’ friends. They’re especially great for beginners to the language but they’re also useful for more advanced students who want to refresh their skills.

Some worksheets are downloadable and printable while others are meant to be worked online.

For example, on Teachers Pay Teachers , you can find Italian worksheets covering a range of vocabulary and grammar topics. While some of the resources are sold for a fee, there are also plenty of free worksheets available to download.

ToLearnFree has a variety of Italian worksheets to be completed online. They offer the advantage of an instant check feature so you’ll know right away whether your writing makes the grade. It’s good to see what points need improving and this resource provides that instantly.

Click here to discover more helpful resources that you can use to find Italian worksheets.

Working on an Italian journal is a super way to get daily writing practice in. While you’re chronicling your life or keeping memories safe for a later date, your writing ability will be drastically improving.

Thinking in Italian, giving your thoughts form, considering Italian word order and then getting all of that from your head to the page is an epic adventure.

This isn’t a task for a beginner but you don’t need to wait until you’re fluent in Italian to do this, either.

Remember, a journal is for you—write like no one’s ever going to read it!

If you find yourself struggling to come up with topics for your journal, make a journal prompt jar and fill it with ideas. Then, when you’re facing writer’s block, just reach in and pull out a random prompt to write about!

9. Bullet Journal : Aim for Fluency

If you’re feeling a bit more confident, step up the journaling game and keep your life organized with an Italian bullet journal.

A bullet journal is a journal that keeps track of appointments, goals, fitness and dietary routines and any activities on your calendar.

If you commit to keeping a bullet journal in Italian you’re not only prioritizing your life but you’re also working on your language learning!

All the extra writing practice will feel like part of your routine—and that’s exactly how your Italian skills should feel: natural, routine and just part of your everyday life!

Letter writing provides tons of writing practice. And the great part of the whole endeavor is that it offers unlimited potential for language learners at every skill level.

If you’re a beginner, keep the sentences and thoughts brief and simple. More proficient? Add thought-provoking concepts and complicated sentence construction to your missives.

Finding an Italian pen pal is a snap. Check out PenPal World  or Global Pen Friends  to find someone who shares your interests. Then write on—and make a new friend!

Reading provides an excellent opportunity for writing practice by giving you content and a theme.

Remember the old-school book reports many of us wrote when we were in school? We read, then wrote about what we read. That’s still a useful practice.

There are amazing Italian books to choose from, and translation apps can help provide explanations for words or phrases you’re unsure of.

Take notes. Write a review. Form an online book club with other Italian language learners, then read and discuss books in Italian.

FluentU takes authentic videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.

You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app or Android app.

P.S. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)

Try FluentU for FREE!

Blogging is like writing a journal with an audience. It’s a great way to  improve your writing skills, get some feedback on your Italian and even start a conversation.

Blogs allow you to share your hobbies, ideas or travel experiences with others.

You could start a page to discuss Italian restaurants or share information about interesting podcasts . Or you might want to document your Italian learning program. The choices are endless!

For extra practice, you could also provide an English translation of what you’re writing in Italian.

The only limit to a blogging journey is the writer’s imagination. So put on your thinking cap and start writing!

Are you feeling especially brave?

Think you’d like to see your name on a cover someday?

If that’s the case, open a file or a notebook and write your own story , play, novel or article in Italian! Jump right in—right away and write away!

Searching for story ideas? Try the daily writing prompts at “ Story A Day ” and you’ll never be at a loss for words!

There’s no fast track to achieving proficiency in certain skills.

Want to ride a bicycle? Practice.

Want to paint? Practice.

Want to write? Practice!

Practice is the key to all of these—and many more—life skills. But practice doesn’t need to be a hassle. It can be entertaining, too.

Incorporate a few of our fun Italian writing practice exercises into your daily language routine and you’ll hardly feel like you’re studying Italian!

Buona fortuna! (Good luck!)

If you're as busy as most of us, you don't always have time for lengthy language lessons. The solution? FluentU !

Learn Italian with funny commericals, documentary excerpts and web series, as you can see here:

FluentU helps you get comfortable with everyday Italian by combining all the benefits of complete immersion and native-level conversations with interactive subtitles . Tap on any word to instantly see an image, in-context definition, example sentences and other videos in which the word is used.

Access a complete interactive transcript of every video under the Dialogue tab, and review words and phrases with convenient audio clips under Vocab .

Once you've watched a video, you can use FluentU's quizzes to actively practice all the vocabulary in that video. Swipe left or right to see more examples of the word you’re on.

FluentU will even keep track of all the Italian words you’re learning, and give you extra practice with difficult words. Plus, it'll tell you exactly when it's time for review. Now that's a 100% personalized experience !

The best part? You can try FluentU for free with a trial.

Start using the FluentU website on your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes or Google Play store. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)

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6 Tips To Help You Write An Essay In Italian

Writing an essay in Italian can seem like a daunting prospect. However, it also marks a significant achievement, in that you have secured the basic grammar rules of the language and have sufficiently developed your Italian vocabulary to be able to write an essay.

For many people, however, it can be easy to get too focused on the grammar and spelling and forget how to make the essay creative and interesting. Here are 6 simple tips to help you write an essay in Italian .

1. Understand The Purpose And Target Audience Of The Essay

Begin by identifying what the essay is asking you to do and who it is you are writing for. This will help you to establish the type of language you will need to use and the style of essay you will be writing (for example, narrative , persuasive or descriptive ).

When doing your research, try to look for sources and references in Italian.

3. structure your essay.

You can use the basic five-paragraph format to ensure that your essay is well structured, including when writing in Italian . This will include an introduction, in which you outline your thesis statement. The main body or arguments of the essay will usually be divided into three paragraphs, each consisting of a point, explanation and example. Finally, provide your readers with a conclusion in which you restate the thesis statement and wrap up all loose ends.

2. Research In Italian

Once you are clear about what it is you are writing, brainstorm your ideas for the essay. Begin by listing all the things you already know about the topic and what areas you need to research further. Try to make your notes in Italian , as this will help you practice and develop your writing skills further.

“When doing your research, try to look for sources and references in Italian ,” suggests Diane Silver, an educator at Paper Writing Service and Boomessays . “Make sure that you make notes in Italian and that you keep a detailed record of your references to use in your essay.”

You can use the basic five-paragraph format to ensure that your essay is well structured, including when writing in Italian.

4. useful phrases to help your essay flow.

Even though you might be more conscious of your grammar and spelling because you are writing in Italian , instead of your native language, try to allow your own voice and expression to come through in your writing. If you’re unsure how to properly use a complex sentence, break it up into two simple sentences instead.

You might also want to use some Italian useful phrases or sentence starters to give your essay more individuality and flair. For example:

First of all – Prima di tutto Firstly – In primo luogo Moreover – Inoltre Likewise – Allo stesso modo Similarly – In modo simile As well as – Come pure However – Tuttavia Instead – Invece On the other hand – D’altra parte For example – Ad esempio To conclude – In conclusione

5. Edit And Proofread The Essay

Once you have written your essay, it’s important to spend some time editing and proofreading it. Read through your entire essay and see if you have successfully conveyed your main point and cited all your sources. Read it again a second time, this time focusing on the grammar and spelling. If you’re struggling with proofreading, consider using a service like OXEssays , Bigassignments , Eliteassignmenthelp or Best Writing Services to help you improve your essay.

6. Keep Writing And Reading

The best way to improve your essay writing skills in Italian is to keep practicing. Learn from your mistakes and view these as learning opportunities, instead of being disappointed. Try to read in Italian , as this will help to develop your vocabulary and improve your writing skills.

“If you can, try to write something in Italian each day . It can be as simple as keeping a diary or writing a short paragraph of your opinion on a news topic. Crucially, daily writing will help you to develop your confidence and overall writing ability,” says David Monroe, an essay writer at Paper Fellows and Essayroo .

Try to read in Italian, as this will help to develop your vocabulary and improve your writing skills.

Writing an essay can be daunting in any language, but even more so when it’s in a foreign language. When writing an essay in Italian , remember to identify who it is you’re writing for and try to conduct all of your research and planning in Italian. Use helpful phrases to add more fluency to your essay and remember to proofread it at the end.

Emily Henry

About the author: Emily Henry is an experienced writer at Personal Statement Help , where she regularly writes about essay writing. She also offers tips on how to improve essay structure and the correct use of references at Stateofwriting . Emily is passionate about writing and enjoys sharing tips and advice with others to help them improve their writing and she is also a tutor at Book Report Writing . When not writing, Emily enjoys spending time reading and learning new foreign languages.

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Useful Phrases for Advanced Italian Students

We have been concentrating on beginners’ Italian in our language lessons so far but we know that some of you are quite advanced in your Italian studies. So we are going to give you some “link phrases” that you can use in discursive essays or in formal discussion situations. We have grouped the words and phrases into categories and we’ll start with giving opinions, agreeing and disagreeing.

secondo me /a mio parere / a mio avviso in my opinion

sono del parere / d’avviso / d’opinione che…. I’m of the opinion that..

penso / reputo che... I think / consider that..

sostengo che.. I maintain that..

è opinione comune che... it’s a common opinion that...

è una questione d’opinione... it’s a matter of opinion...

pare / sembra che [+ subjunctive] ... it seems that...

essere pro ... to be for...

sono della stessa opinione... I think the same..

sono assolutamente d’accordo... I agree wholeheartedly...

è un’idea convincente... it’s a persuasive idea...

sono d’accordo con quelli che dicono che... I agree with those who say that...

c’è molto da dire in favore dell’una e dell’altra parte... there’s much to be said on both sides...

è risaputo che... it’s accepted that...

Disagreeing

essere contro... to be against...

non sono d'accordo ... I disagree / take the opposite view...

dall'altro canto ...  conversely / on the other hand...

contrariamente a ciò che lei dice... contrary to the claims made by..

essere contrario/a a... to be opposed to...

è vero il contrario... the opposite is true...

osteggiare un progetto.. to be against a plan..

non c'è una base logica per questa affermazione .... there’s no sound basis for the argument..

è una politica destinata al fallimento... it’s a policy doomed to failure...

è un approccio datato... it’s an outdated approach...

è un modo superficiale di affrontare un problema difficile... it’a a casual approach to a difficult problem...

non vedo possibilità di riuscita... I see no prospect of success...

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Teach Yourself Italian

My relationship with Italian takes place in exile, in a state of separation.

Every language belongs to a specific place. It can migrate, it can spread. But usually it’s tied to a geographical territory, a country. Italian belongs mainly to Italy, and I live on another continent, where one does not readily encounter it.

I think of Ovid, exiled from Rome to a remote place. To a linguistic outpost, surrounded by alien sounds.

I think of my mother, who writes poems in Bengali, in America. Almost fifty years after moving there, she can’t find a book written in her language.

In a sense I’m used to a kind of linguistic exile. My mother tongue, Bengali, is foreign in America. When you live in a country where your own language is considered foreign, you can feel a continuous sense of estrangement. You speak a secret, unknown language, lacking any correspondence to the environment. An absence that creates a distance within you.

In my case there is another distance, another schism. I don’t know Bengali perfectly. I don’t know how to write it, or even read it. I have an accent, I speak without authority, and so I’ve always perceived a disjunction between it and me. As a result I consider my mother tongue, paradoxically, a foreign language.

As for Italian, the exile has a different aspect. Almost as soon as we met, Italian and I were separated. My yearning seems foolish. And yet I feel it.

How is it possible to feel exiled from a language that isn’t mine? That I don’t know? Maybe because I’m a writer who doesn’t belong completely to any language.

I buy a book. It’s called “Teach Yourself Italian.” An exhortatory title, full of hope and possibility. As if it were possible to learn on your own.

Having studied Latin for many years, I find the first chapters of this textbook fairly easy. I manage to memorize some conjugations, do some exercises. But I don’t like the silence, the isolation of the self-teaching process. It seems detached, wrong. As if I were studying a musical instrument without ever playing it.

In graduate school, I decide to write my doctoral thesis on how Italian architecture influenced English playwrights of the seventeenth century. I wonder why certain playwrights decided to set their tragedies, written in English, in Italian palaces. The thesis will discuss another schism between language and environment. The subject gives me a second reason to study Italian.

I attend elementary courses. My first teacher is a Milanese woman who lives in Boston. I do the homework, I pass the tests. But when, after two years of studying, I try to read Alberto Moravia’s novel “La Ciociara” (“Two Women”) I barely understand it. I underline almost every word on every page. I am constantly looking in the dictionary.

In the spring of 2000, six years after my first trip to Italy, I go to Venice. In addition to the dictionary, I take a notebook, and on the last page I write down phrases that might be useful: Saprebbe dirmi ? Dove si trova ? Come si fa per andare ? Could you tell me? Where is? How does one get to? I recall the difference between buono and bello . I feel prepared. In reality, in Venice I’m barely able to ask for directions on the street, a wakeup call at the hotel. I manage to order in a restaurant and exchange a few words with a saleswoman. Nothing else. Even though I’ve returned to Italy, I still feel exiled from the language.

A few months later, I receive an invitation to the Mantua literary festival. There I meet my first Italian publishers. One of them is also my translator. Their publishing house has a Spanish name, Marcos y Marcos. They are Italian. Their names are Marco and Claudia.

I have to do all my interviews and presentations in English. There is always an interpreter next to me. I can more or less follow the Italian, but I can’t express myself, explain myself, without English. I feel limited. What I learned in America, in the classroom, isn’t sufficient. My comprehension is so meagre that, here in Italy, it doesn’t help me. The language still seems like a locked gate. I’m on the threshold, I can see inside, but the gate won’t open.

Marco and Claudia give me the key. When I mention that I’ve studied some Italian, and that I would like to improve it, they stop speaking to me in English. They switch to their language, although I’m able to respond only in a very simple way. In spite of all my mistakes, in spite of my not completely understanding what they say. In spite of the fact that they speak English much better than I speak Italian.

They tolerate my mistakes. They correct me, they encourage me, they provide the words I lack. They speak clearly, patiently. Just like parents with their children. The way one learns one’s native language. I realize that I didn’t learn English in this fashion.

Marco and Claudia give me this turning point. In Mantua, thanks to them, I finally find myself inside the language. Because in the end to learn a language, to feel connected to it, you have to have a dialogue, however childlike, however imperfect.

The Conversations

Returning to America, I want to go on speaking Italian. But with whom? I know some people in New York who speak it perfectly. I’m embarrassed to talk to them. I need someone with whom I can struggle, and fail.

One day I go to the Casa Italiana at New York University to interview a famous Roman writer, a woman, who has won the Strega Prize. I am in an overcrowded room where everyone but me speaks impeccable Italian.

The director of the institute greets me. I tell him, in Italian, that I would have liked to do the interview in Italian. That I studied the language years ago but I can’t speak well.

“Need practicing,” I say.

“You need practice,” he answers kindly.

In the spring of 2004, my husband gives me something. A piece of paper torn from a notice that he happened to see in our neighborhood, in Brooklyn. On it is written “ Imparare l’italiano ”—“Learn Italian.” I consider it a sign. I call the number, make an appointment. A likable, energetic woman, also from Milan, arrives at my house. She teaches in a private school, she lives in the suburbs. She asks me why I want to learn the language.

I explain that I’m going to Rome in the summer to take part in another literary festival. It seems like a reasonable motivation. I don’t reveal that Italian is an infatuation. That I cherish a hope—in fact a dream—of knowing it well. I don’t tell her that I’m looking for a way to keep alive a language that has nothing to do with my life. That I am tortured, that I feel incomplete. As if Italian were a book that, no matter how hard I work, I can’t write.

We meet once a week, for an hour. I’m pregnant with my second child, who will be born in November. I try to have a conversation. At the end of every lesson, the teacher gives me a long list of words that I lacked during the conversation. I review it diligently. I put it in a folder. I can’t remember them.

At the festival in Rome I manage to exchange three, four, maybe five sentences with someone. After that I stop; it’s impossible to do more. I count the sentences, as if they were strokes in a tennis game, as if they were strokes when you’re learning to swim.

In spite of the conversations, the language remains elusive, evanescent. It appears only with the teacher. She brings it into my house for an hour, then takes it away. It seems concrete, palpable, only when I’m with her.

My daughter is born, and four more years go by. I finish another book. After its publication, in 2008, I receive another invitation to Italy, to promote it. In preparation I find a new teacher. An enthusiastic, attentive young woman from Bergamo. She, too, comes to my house once a week. We sit next to each other on the couch and talk. We become friends. My comprehension improves sporadically. The teacher is very encouraging, she says I speak the language well, she says I’ll do fine in Italy. But it’s not true. When I go to Milan, when I try to speak intelligently, fluently, I am always aware of the mistakes that hamper me, that confuse me, and I feel more discouraged than ever.

In 2009, I start studying with my third private teacher, a Venetian woman who moved to Brooklyn more than thirty years ago, who brought up her children in America. She’s a widow, and lives in a house surrounded by wisteria, near the Verrazano Bridge, with a gentle dog that’s always at her feet. It takes me nearly an hour to get there. I ride the subway to the edge of Brooklyn, almost to the end of the line.

I love this trip. I go out of the house, leaving behind the rest of my life. I don’t think about my writing. I forget, for several hours, the other languages I know. Each time, it seems like a small flight. Awaiting me is a place where only Italian matters. A shelter from which a new reality bursts forth.

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I am very fond of my teacher. Although for four years we use the formal lei , we have a close, informal relationship. We sit on a wooden bench at a small table in the kitchen. I see the books on her shelves, the photographs of her grandchildren.

Magnificent brass pots hang on the walls. At her house, I start again, from the beginning: conditional clauses, indirect discourse, the use of the passive. With her my project seems more possible than impossible. With her my strange devotion to the language seems more a vocation than a folly.

We talk about our lives, about the state of the world. We do an avalanche of exercises, arid but necessary. The teacher corrects me constantly. As I listen to her, I take notes in a diary. After each lesson I feel both exhausted and ready for the next. After saying goodbye, after closing the gate behind me, I can’t wait to return.

At a certain point the lessons with the Venetian teacher become my favorite activity. As I study with her, the next, inevitable step in this odd linguistic journey becomes clear. At a certain point, I decide to move to Italy.

The Renunciation

I choose Rome. A city that has fascinated me since I was a child, that conquered me immediately. The first time I was there, in 2003, I felt a sense of rapture, an affinity. I seemed to know it already. After only a few days, I was sure that I was fated to live there.

I have no friends yet in Rome. But I’m not going there to visit someone. I’m going in order to change course, and to reach the Italian language. In Rome, Italian can be with me every day, every minute. It will always be present, relevant. It will stop being a light switch to turn on occasionally, and then turn off.

In preparation, I decide, six months before our departure, not to read in English anymore. From now on, I pledge to read only in Italian. It seems right, to detach myself from my principal language. I consider it an official renunciation. I’m about to become a linguistic pilgrim to Rome. I believe I have to leave behind something familiar, essential.

Suddenly, none of my books are useful. They seem like ordinary objects. The anchor of my creative life disappears, the stars that guided me recede. I see before me a new room, empty.

Whenever I can—in my study, on the subway, in bed before going to sleep—I immerse myself in Italian. I enter another land, unexplored, murky. A kind of voluntary exile. Although I’m still in America, I already feel elsewhere. Reading, I feel like a guest, happy but disoriented. Reading, I no longer feel at home.

I read Moravia’s “Gli Indifferenti” (“Time of Indifference”) and “La Noia” (“The Empty Canvas”). Pavese’s “La Luna e i Falò” (“The Moon and the Bonfires”). The poetry of Quasimodo, of Saba. I manage to understand and at the same time I don’t understand. I renounce expertise to challenge myself. I trade certainty for uncertainty.

I read slowly, painstakingly. With difficulty. Every page seems to have a light covering of mist. The obstacles stimulate me. Every new construction seems a marvel, every unknown word a jewel.

I make a list of terms to look up, to learn. Imbambolato , sbilenco , incrinatura , capezzale (dazed, lopsided, crack, bedside or bolster). Sgangherato , scorbutico , barcollare , bisticciare (unhinged, crabby, sway, bicker). After I finish a book, I’m thrilled. It seems like a feat. I find the process demanding yet satisfying, almost miraculous. I can’t take for granted my ability to accomplish it. I read as I did when I was a girl. Thus, as an adult, as a writer, I rediscover the pleasure of reading.

In this period I feel like a divided person. My writing is nothing but a reaction, a response to reading. In other words, a kind of dialogue. The two things are closely bound, interdependent.

Now, however, I write in one language and read exclusively in another. I am about to finish a novel, so I’m necessarily immersed in the text. It’s impossible to abandon English. Yet my stronger language already seems behind me.

I think of two-faced Janus. Two faces that look at the past and the future at once. The ancient god of the threshold, of beginnings and endings. He represents a moment of transition. He watches over gates, over doors, a god who is only Roman, who protects the city. A remarkable image that I am about to meet everywhere.

I arrive in Rome with my family a few days before the mid-August holiday. We aren’t familiar with this custom of leaving town en masse. The moment when nearly everyone is fleeing, when almost the entire city has come to a halt, we try to start a new chapter of our life.

We rent an apartment on Via Giulia, a very elegant street that is deserted in mid-August. The heat is fierce, unbearable. When we go out shopping, we look for the momentary relief of shade every few steps.

The second night, a Saturday, we come home and the door won’t open. Before, it opened without any problem. Now, no matter how I try, the key doesn’t turn in the lock. There is no one in the building but us. We have no papers, are still without a functioning telephone, without any Roman friend or acquaintance. I ask for help at the hotel across the street from our building, but two hotel employees can’t open the door, either. Our landlords are on vacation in Calabria. My children, upset, hungry, are crying, saying that they want to go back to America immediately.

Finally a locksmith arrives and gets the door open in a couple of minutes. We give him more than two hundred euros, without a receipt, for the job.

This trauma seems to me a trial by fire, a sort of baptism. And there are many other obstacles, small but annoying. We don’t know where to take the recycling, how to buy a subway and bus pass, where the bus stops are. Everything has to be learned from zero. When we ask for help from three Romans, each of the three gives a different answer. I feel unnerved, often crushed. In spite of my great enthusiasm for living in Rome, everything seems impossible, indecipherable, impenetrable.

A week after arriving, the Saturday after the unforgettable night, I open my diary to describe our misadventures. That Saturday, I do something strange, unexpected. I write my diary in Italian. I do it almost automatically, spontaneously. I do it because when I take the pen in my hand I no longer hear English in my brain. During this period when everything confuses me, everything unsettles me, I change the language I write in. I begin to relate, in the most exacting way, everything that is testing me.

I write in a terrible, embarrassing Italian, full of mistakes. Without correcting, without a dictionary, by instinct alone. I grope my way, like a child, like a semiliterate. I am ashamed of writing like this. I don’t understand this mysterious impulse, which emerges out of nowhere. I can’t stop.

It’s as if I were writing with my left hand, my weak hand, the one I’m not supposed to write with. It seems a transgression, a rebellion, an act of stupidity.

During the first months in Rome, my clandestine Italian diary is the only thing that consoles me, that gives me stability. Often, awake and restless in the middle of the night, I go to the desk to compose some paragraphs in Italian. It’s an absolutely secret project. No one suspects, no one knows.

I don’t recognize the person who is writing in this diary, in this new, approximate language. But I know that it’s the most genuine, most vulnerable part of me.

Before I moved to Rome, I seldom wrote in Italian. I tried to compose some letters to an Italian friend who lives in Madrid, some e-mails to my teacher. They were like formal, artificial exercises. The voice didn’t seem to be mine. In America it wasn’t.

In Rome, however, writing in Italian is the only way to feel myself present here—maybe to have a connection, especially as a writer, with Italy. The new diary, although imperfect, although riddled with mistakes, mirrors my disorientation clearly. It reflects a radical transition, a state of complete bewilderment.

In the months before coming to Italy, I was looking for another direction for my writing. I wanted a new approach. I didn’t know that the language I had studied slowly for many years in America would, finally, give me the direction.

I use up one notebook, I start another. A second metaphor comes to mind: it’s as if, poorly equipped, I were climbing a mountain. It’s a sort of literary act of survival. I don’t have many words to express myself—rather, the opposite. I’m aware of a state of deprivation. And yet, at the same time, I feel free, light. I rediscover the reason that I write, the joy as well as the need. I find again the pleasure I’ve felt since I was a child: putting words in a notebook that no one will read.

In Italian I write without style, in a primitive way. I’m always uncertain. My sole intention, along with a blind but sincere faith, is to be understood, and to understand myself.

The Metamorphosis

Shortly before I began to write these reflections, I received an e-mail from a friend in Rome, the writer Domenico Starnone. I had been in Rome for a year. Referring to my desire to appropriate Italian, he wrote, “A new language is almost a new life, grammar and syntax recast you, you slip into another logic and another sensibility.” How much those words reassured me. They contained all my yearning, all my disorientation. Reading this message, I understood better the impulse to express myself in a new language: to subject myself, as a writer, to a metamorphosis.

Around the same time that I received this note, I was asked, during an interview, what my favorite book was. I was in London, on a stage with five other writers. It’s a question that I usually find annoying; no book has been definitive for me, so I never know how to answer. This time, though, I was able to respond without any hesitation that my favorite book was the Metamorphoses of Ovid. It’s a majestic work, a poem that concerns everything, that reflects everything. I read it for the first time twenty-five years ago, in Latin, as a university student. It was an unforgettable encounter, maybe the most satisfying reading of my life. To understand this poem I had to be persistent, translating every word. I had to devote myself to an ancient and demanding foreign language. And yet Ovid’s writing won me over: I was enchanted by it. I discovered a sublime work, a living, enthralling language. I believe that reading in a foreign language is the most intimate way of reading.

I remember vividly the moment when the nymph Daphne is transformed into a laurel tree. She is fleeing Apollo, the love-struck god who pursues her. She would like to remain alone, chaste, dedicated to the forest and the hunt, like the virgin Diana. Exhausted, the nymph, unable to outstrip the god, begs her father, Peneus, a river divinity, to help her. Ovid writes, “She has just ended this prayer when a heaviness pervades her limbs, her tender breast is bound in a thin bark, her hair grows into leaves, her arms into branches; her foot, a moment before so swift, remains fixed by sluggish roots, her face vanishes into a treetop.” When Apollo places his hand on the trunk of this tree “he feels the breast still trembling under the new bark.”

Metamorphosis is a process that is both violent and regenerative, a death and a birth. It’s not clear where the nymph ends and the tree begins; the beauty of this scene is that it portrays the fusion of two elements, of both beings. The words that describe Daphne and the tree are right next to each other (in the Latin text, frondem / crines , ramos / bracchia , cortice / pectus ; leaves/hair, branches/arms, bark/breast). The contiguity of these words, their literal juxtaposition, reinforces the state of contradiction, of entanglement. It gives us a double impression, throwing us off. It expresses in the mythical, I would say primordial, sense the meaning of being two things at the same time. Of being something undefined, ambiguous. Of having a dual identity.

Until she is transformed, Daphne is running for her life. Now she is stopped; she can no longer move. Apollo can touch her, but he can’t possess her. Though cruel, the metamorphosis is her salvation. On the one hand, she loses her independence. On the other, as a tree, she remains forever in the wood, her place, where she has a different sort of freedom.

As I said before, I think that my writing in Italian is a flight. Dissecting my linguistic metamorphosis, I realize that I’m trying to get away from something, to free myself. I’ve been writing in Italian for almost two years, and I feel that I’ve been transformed, almost reborn. But the change, this new opening, is costly; like Daphne, I, too, find myself confined. I can’t move as I did before, the way I was used to moving in English. A new language, Italian, covers me like a kind of bark. I remain inside: renewed, trapped, relieved, uncomfortable.

Why am I fleeing? What is pursuing me? Who wants to restrain me?

The most obvious answer is the English language. But I think it’s not so much English in itself as everything the language has symbolized for me. For practically my whole life, English has represented a consuming struggle, a wrenching conflict, a continuous sense of failure that is the source of almost all my anxiety. It has represented a culture that had to be mastered, interpreted. I was afraid that it meant a break between me and my parents. English denotes a heavy, burdensome aspect of my past. I’m tired of it.

And yet I was in love with it. I became a writer in English. And then, rather precipitously, I became a famous writer. I received a prize that I was sure I did not deserve, that seemed to me a mistake. Although it was an honor, I remained suspicious of it. I couldn’t connect myself to that recognition, and yet it changed my life. Since then, I’ve been considered a successful author, so I’ve stopped feeling like an unknown, almost anonymous apprentice. All my writing comes from a place where I feel invisible, inaccessible. But a year after my first book was published I lost my anonymity.

By writing in Italian, I think I am escaping both my failures with regard to English and my success. Italian offers me a very different literary path. As a writer I can demolish myself, I can reconstruct myself. I can join words together and work on sentences without ever being considered an expert. I’m bound to fail when I write in Italian, but, unlike my sense of failure in the past, this doesn’t torment or grieve me.

If I mention that I’m writing in a new language these days, many people react negatively. In the United States, some advise me not to do it. They say they don’t want to read me translated from a foreign tongue. They don’t want me to change. In Italy, even though many have encouraged me to take this step, many support me, I’m still asked why I have a desire to write in a language that is much less widely read in the world than English. Some say that my renunciation of English could be disastrous, that my escape could lead me into a trap. They don’t understand why I want to take such a risk.

These reactions don’t surprise me. A transformation, especially one that is deliberately sought, is often perceived as something disloyal, threatening. I am the daughter of a mother who would never change. In the United States, she continued, as far as possible, to dress, behave, eat, think, live as if she had never left India, Calcutta. The refusal to modify her aspect, her habits, her attitudes was her strategy for resisting American culture, for fighting it, for maintaining her identity. Becoming or even resembling an American would have meant total defeat. When my mother returns to Calcutta, she is proud of the fact that, in spite of almost fifty years away from India, she seems like a woman who never left.

I am the opposite. While the refusal to change was my mother’s rebellion, the insistence on transforming myself is mine. “There was a woman, a translator, who wanted to be another person”: it’s no accident that “The Exchange,” the first story I wrote in Italian, begins with that sentence. All my life I’ve tried to get away from the void of my origin. It was the void that distressed me, that I was fleeing. That’s why I was never happy with myself. Change seemed the only solution. Writing, I discovered a way of hiding in my characters, of escaping myself. Of undergoing one mutation after another.

One could say that the mechanism of metamorphosis is the only element of life that never changes. The journey of every individual, every country, every historical epoch—of the entire universe and all it contains—is nothing but a series of changes, at times subtle, at times deep, without which we would stand still. The moments of transition, in which something changes, constitute the backbone of all of us. Whether they are a salvation or a loss, they are moments that we tend to remember. They give a structure to our existence. Almost all the rest is oblivion.

I think that the power of art is the power to wake us up, strike us to our depths, change us. What are we searching for when we read a novel, see a film, listen to a piece of music? We are searching, through a work of art, for something that alters us, that we weren’t aware of before. We want to transform ourselves, just as Ovid’s masterwork transformed me.

In the animal world metamorphosis is expected, natural. It means a biological passage, including various specific phases that lead, ultimately, to complete development. When a caterpillar is transformed into a butterfly it’s no longer a caterpillar but a butterfly. The effect of the metamorphosis is radical, permanent. The creature has lost its old form and gained a new, almost unrecognizable one. It has new physical features, a new beauty, new capacities.

A total metamorphosis isn’t possible in my case. I can write in Italian, but I can’t become an Italian writer. Despite the fact that I’m writing this sentence in Italian, the part of me conditioned to write in English endures. I think of Fernando Pessoa, a writer who invented four versions of himself: four separate, distinct writers, thanks to which he was able to go beyond the confines of himself. Maybe what I’m doing, by means of Italian, resembles his tactic. It’s not possible to become another writer, but it might be possible to become two.

Oddly, I feel more protected when I write in Italian, even though I’m also more exposed. It’s true that a new language covers me, but unlike Daphne I have a permeable covering—I’m almost without a skin. And although I don’t have a thick bark, I am, in Italian, a tougher, freer writer, who, taking root again, grows in a different way. ♦

( Translated, from the Italian, by Ann Goldstein. )

Italian Writing Examples

The following shows writing examples at various proficiency levels. These were produced by real language learners and may contain errors. See Writing Section Tips at the bottom of this page.

Italian Proficiency Tests and Resources

Writing Examples

At this level, I am able to create individual words that have no extended meaning.

I can share some simple vocabulary, which deals with the prompt/task/situation, but I tend to struggle to connect those words to create meaning.

giochi tv carte da gioco di calcio

At this level, I am beginning to develop the ability to create meaning by grammatically connecting words.

Specifically, I can connect some basic subjects and verbs or verbs and objects, but I may be inconsistent at doing this.

I am often limited in my vocabulary to Novice level topics that I experience in my every-day life or that I have recently learned.

giochi tv giocare a giocare a carte di gioco di calcio

At this level, I can create simple sentences with very basic grammatical control and accuracy.

There are often errors in my responses, while at the same time I might have good control with some very simple structures and functions of the language that I have just learned or studied.

At the Novice levels, errors are expected as I try to create simple sentences. Generally, the sentences that I am able to create are very basic and simple with few, if any, added details.

i ragazzi giocano guardare le ragazze tv studiare. Gioco ai giochi

At this level, I can create simple sentences with some added detail; such sentences help create VARIETY.

At the Intermediate Low level, simple sentences are enhanced by use of prepositional phrases, helping verb usage, as well as some adverbs and a variety of adjectives.

I generally create independent sentences (ideas) that can be moved around without affecting the overall meaning of the response. There are still a number of errors in my response, but I have fairly good control of more basic sentences. I am feeling more confident in using different structures and expanding vocabulary and taking more risks with my responses.

Nella mia epoca, io andava al parco a giocare a calcio, a correre con gli amici e giocare qualcosa, fuori. Ma allore gli ragazzi soltanto stanno nel computer, telefoni

At this level, I can now create enough language to show groupings of ideas.

My thoughts are loosely connected and cannot be moved around without affecting meaning.

I can also create a few sentences with complexity and am able to use some transition words.  I am also able to use more than just simple present tense, but often make mistakes when I try to use other tenses.

My vocabulary use is expanding and I am able to use more than the usual, high frequency or most common vocabulary. I feel that I am able to create new language on my own and communicate my everyday needs without too much difficulty.

Quando ero piccolo, non avevo un telefonino nelle elementari. Ma ho ricevuto un telefonino quando ho cominciato a frequentare le medie. Penso che i ragazzi che frequentano le elementari non debbano avere i telefonini. Quando io frequentavo le medie, avevo bisogno di telefonare ai miei genitori quando scoula ha finito, o quando mi sono divertito con i miei amici. Quando i ragazzi hanno più anni, loro escono più spesso. Ma i ragazzi giovanissimi non escono. I telefonini non sono buoni per le elementari, perché i ragazzi devono crescere e giocare normalmente.

At this level, I have good control of the language and feel quite confident about an increasing range of topics.

There are still some occasional errors in my language production, but that does not hinder my ability to communicate what I need to share.

I can use circumlocution to explain or describe things for which I do not know specific vocabulary or structures. I can understand and use different time frames and am just beginning to develop the ability to switch most time frames with accuracy. I can use transition words and concepts with some ease. My language has a more natural flow, but I still may have some unnatural pauses or hesitations.

L'uso dei cellulari si sta spargendo sempre di più, soprattutto tra le generazioni più giovani. Io penso che bambini delle elementari non dovrebbero avere un proprio telefono. È un mezzo elettronico non utile e pericoloso per bambini così piccoli. Per esempio, tramite il cellulare e internet, i bambini posso navigare e accedere a siti pericolosi e non adeguati per la loro età. É stato creato per comunicare tramite chiamate e messaggi, ma io penso che a bambini così piccoli non serva. Per esempio, se i bambini volessero usare i cellulari per uscire con i propri amici, potrebbero chiedere ai propri genitori di aiutarli. Infine, penso che l’uso dei cellulari debba essere vietato per i bambini delle elementari. É un mezzo che puó crere dipendenza e problemi nella vita del bambino.

At this level my response contains a number of complexities with higher degree of accuracy.

Such language allows me to address each aspect of the prompt more completely and with more depth of meaning.

I am able to use Advanced vocabulary or Advanced terms, conjugations etc. with confidence. I feel that I can create natural flow using as much detail and descriptive language as possible to create a clear picture. Errors with more complex structures may still occur. My ability to switch time frames begins to increase in accuracy.

I telefonini stanno diventando sempre più diffusi fra le giovani età, specialmente bambini e giovani adolescenti. Si é spesso dimostrato che l'uso continuo del telefonino potrebbe dannegiare la vista e rallentare il processo di socializazzione e apprendimento nei bambini. Molti genitori permettono ai loro figli di avere accesso al telefonino per farli stare calmi mentre loro sono troppo occupati per prendersi cura dei bisogni dei loro figli. Penso che i bambini dovrebbero avere un accesso limitato ai telefonini. Da piccola io non ho mai avuto bisogno di avere un telefono cellulare pero d'altronde spesso si dice che i tempi sono cambiati e oggi giorno ci sono molti più pericoli dai cuali bisogna stare lontano. Ho avuto una meravigliosa infanzia e invece di stare tutto il giorno a vedere video sul telefono, io giocavo a nascondino e a saltare la corda con i miei amici.Se mia madre voleva sapere dove fossi lei doveva semplicemente strillare il mio nome e io gli rispondevo subito, solitamente ero a casa della mia vicina. Io penso che i cellulari sono molto importanti se gli dai un buon uso e penso anche che i bambini dovrebbero avere accesso ai telefonini solo se non sono "telefoni intelligenti" anche chiamati "smartphone".

At this level my response demonstrates my ease with the language.

I am able to create a response which not only addresses each aspect of the prompt, but delves into each point with clarity and concise language.

I am able to incorporate a number of more complex structures as well as Advanced vocabulary and Advanced phrases with a higher degree of accuracy throughout the majority of the response.

The language I create has a natural flow due to the way I incorporate a variety of patterns and complexities into my response. My response shows my ability to create language that has sophistication of language skills and syntactical density. My ability to switch time frames accurately is evident, if called for in the prompt.

È vero che i cellulari sono dappertutto nella nostra società ma i bambini della scuola elementare non dovrebbero avere i cellulari. La prima ragione per cui i bambini della scuola elementare non dovrebbero avere i cellulari e che non ne hanno bisogno per comunicare. Ragazzi di ques'età non dovrebbero essere senza adulti mai così non avranno bisogno di telefonare nessuno. Anche ragazzi di quest'età dovrebbero imparare che ci sono altri modi di comunicare con altri. È importante che imparino come parlare con altre faccia a faccia senza un cellulare. Parlare faccia a faccia è un modo di comunicazione che perdiamo come una società perchè della tecnologia. I ragazzi non dovrebbero perdere quest'abilità semplicemente perchè della tecnologia. Inoltre i ragazzi hanno bisogno di imparare cosa fare in situazioni di emergenze senza un telefono perchè un telefono non è sempre disponibile. I bambini dell scuola elementare non dovrebbero avere i cellulari con l'Internet perchè non è uno strumento utile per insegnargli come pensare ed imparare. Secondo me perchè abbiamo i cellulari con l'Internet non dobbiamo pensare o ricordare quasi niente oggigiorno. Per esempio, se io volessi visitare un luogo nuovo userei il GPS sul cellulare per le indicazioni e come risultato non imparerò come arrivare a quel luogo. Vedo sempre adulti che parlano di un programma televisivo o un film vecchio e quando non possono ricordare i nomi degli attori o delle dettaglie guardano direttamente ai loro cellulari per le risposte. Non hanno bisogno di ricordare o di pensare di niente! Questa non è una qualità che dovremmo passare ai nostri bambini. I cellulari non sono necessari per i bambini di scuola elementare perchè non arricchiscono le loro abilità di comunicare, pensare, imparare o ricordare.

Writing Section Tips

Additional resources can be found in the Power-Up Guide and on our Video Tutorials page.

• Be a ‘show-off’ – this is the time to show what you can do!
• Be organized in your writing.
• Challenge yourself to go above and beyond what you normally write.
• Be creative and don’t stress out over possible errors. Perfection is not the goal!

Simply do your best and enjoy creating and communicating in the language that you are learning.

How do I type in Italian?

Read our Writing Input Guide to learn how to type in Italian.

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How to Learn Italian as an Intermediate Learner

An interactive lesson guiding you from key takeaways to expert insights. Comes with Q&A, useful vocabulary, interactive audio, quizzes and games.

• How to learn Italian

Key Takeaways

Unlock the beauty of Italian! Dive into our guide for intermediate learners, packed with tips and resources to elevate your language skills.

• Master Italian grammar by understanding verb conjugations, sentence structure, and articles and pronouns.
• Expand your vocabulary using lists, flashcards, idioms, and reading Italian books and articles.
• Improve speaking and listening skills by joining conversation groups, watching Italian shows, and listening to podcasts and music.
• Enhance writing skills through handwriting practice, writing essays, and proofreading for errors.
• Test your proficiency with exams like CELI, CILS, and PLIDA, and get feedback from native speakers.

Stefano's Insights

Quick facts, how can understanding verb conjugations enhance italian fluency, what role does sentence structure play in learning italian, why is it important to learn italian articles and pronouns, how can vocabulary lists and flashcards speed up language learning, how do idioms and expressions improve conversational italian, what makes reading italian books and articles beneficial, how can italian conversation groups boost speaking skills, why should one watch italian shows and movies, how do podcasts and music contribute to language learning, why is continuous evaluation important in language learning, audio images.

Main Article

Mastering italian grammar.

To master Italian grammar at an intermediate level, you need to understand verb conjugations, learn sentence structure, and familiarize yourself with articles and pronouns. These three sub-sections can help you improve your Italian language skills and better comprehend the intricacies of Italian grammar .

Understanding verb conjugations in Italian

Verbs are essential for mastering Italian grammar. Conjugations can be tricky . It’s vital to understand how regular verbs change due to tense and subject. Irregular verbs don’t follow any rules, so they must be memorized.

Knowing tenses and moods in Italian is key- present, imperfect, future, and past perfect tense, as well as indicative, subjunctive & conditional mood. You must also recognize the verb endings for AR, ER, and IR verbs.

Verb types have unique changes, so be aware of these when learning. Commonly used verbs like ‘essere’ (to be) and ‘avere’ (to have) are essential.

My friend found it tough to conjugate Italian verbs in formal settings. With practice using textbooks and language-learning apps, they improved and became fluent.

Italian sentence structure is like solving a Rubik’s cube with words!

Learning Italian sentence structure

Italian language learners must master sentence structure. It starts with a subject , followed by a verb , then an object or complement . Prepositions come before articles , adjectives follow nouns .

Questions usually start with the verb , then the subject , and end with a question mark . Pronouns change depending on whether they’re subjects or objects.

Studying and practicing are key to mastering Italian grammar. Compound-complex sentences can be mastered with regular practice. It takes diligent effort and patience to speak and write fluently .

Fun Fact: The Renaissance period saw scholars such as Dante Alighieri codify Italian grammar into what is now known as ‘Vulgar Latin.’ Pronouns and articles are tricky, but at least you don’t have to deal with 26 ways to spell ‘the’ in English!

Familiarizing with Italian articles and pronouns

Italian is a language packed with articles and pronouns. Understanding them will help you communicate better. Articles modify nouns as definite or indefinite, while pronouns replace them.

You’ll need to know gender, number, and determinacy to use them well. Consider learning colloquial expressions too.

The roots of the articles and their phonetics can help you memorize them quickly.

Examples include “ il ” (masculine singular nouns), “ la ” (feminine singular nouns), and “ i ” (masculine plural nouns). Possessive pronouns like “ mio ” (my) and “ tuo ” (your) also require knowledge of gender.

Note special cases related to prepositions too. For example, “ lo ” replaces “ il ” when referring to singular nouns that start with s + consonant or z. Don’t mix up possessive adjectives with personal pronouns.

Mastering Italian grammar involving articles and pronouns brings lots of benefits . You’ll express ideas accurately and hold more conversations without English translation apps.

You’ll be able to understand how info flows between subject and object fluently . This will help you to integrate into Italian culture .

If you want to be successful in Italian, you must master this vital element thoroughly. You’ll be able to converse with native speakers at a higher level.

Remember: learning Italian words is like adding toppings to a pizza – the more, the better!

Expanding Italian vocabulary

To expand your Italian vocabulary beyond the basics , level up your language skills with the help of Italian vocabulary lists and flashcards, practice Italian idioms and expressions, and read Italian books and articles. These sub-sections will provide you with effective ways to enhance your Italian vocabulary as an intermediate learner.

Using Italian vocabulary lists and flashcards

Mastering vocabulary is an important part of learning Italian . Using lists and flashcards can help you increase your vocabulary.

• Organize words into topics that interest you.
• Make flashcards with the new words.
• You can even use online tools to help.
• With practice, you’ll be able to learn and remember words faster.

Create your personalized list of words that have meaning to you. It can make a big difference in your understanding of the language. Incorporate Italian vocabulary lists and flashcards into your daily routine.

Then, you’ll be able to speak Italian!

Practicing Italian idioms and expressions

Learning Italian expressions and phrases can be tricky yet rewarding. Try these four ways to practice and master them:

• Watch Italian films and listen to Italian music with native speakers.
• Read Italian books and articles with idiomatic expressions.
• Converse with native Italian speakers or language partners.
• Attend language schools for classes on idioms and expressions.

Understanding the culture and context in which these expressions were created can help you use them properly. Collocations, phrasal verbs, and regional dialects should also be taken into account.

My friend once used the idiom “ prendere lucciole per lanterne ” (to mistake fireflies for lanterns) wrongly with someone from the south who didn’t know this expression used in the north. It just shows how important understanding context is.

In conclusion, using common idiomatic expressions can improve your communication skills abroad or with Italian-speaking colleagues. Reading Italian books and articles is fun and improves your vocabulary.

Reading Italian books and articles

Expand your Italian vocab by immersing in written material. Read books, articles, and other works to learn grammar, words, and phrases.

Spend just minutes a day reading the Italian version of your favorite book or the latest news. This is cost-effective and you can pick up from where you left off any time during the day.

Reading helps understand context clues and increases vocabulary knowledge .

Simulate an immersive environment with online articles or magazines entirely in Italian . This requires fewer resources than traveling.

Create flashcards when you discover new words. Periodically review dictionaries, with detailed explanations, synonyms, and antonyms. The regular  review helps retain what has been learned .

Remember, improving your Italian speaking and listening skills is as important as ordering a pizza with the right toppings!

Improving Italian speaking and listening skills

To improve your Italian speaking and listening skills throughout your intermediate journey, you can level up by joining Italian conversation groups or language exchange programs. Watching Italian shows and movies is also a great way to immerse yourself and improve your language comprehension.

You can also listen to Italian podcasts and music to train your ears to the language’s rhythm and intonation .

Joining Italian conversation groups or language exchange programs

To level up your Italian speaking and listening, think about joining Italian chat groups or language exchange programs.

• Look for language clubs or groups in your area, attend their meetings, and participate in the conversations.
• Sign up for online chat rooms or language swap sites that will link you with native speakers.
• Employ conversation-based language-studying apps on your phone to learn and practice speaking with others.
• Attend cultural events hosted by Italian people to connect with the language and culture directly.”

Nowadays, you have more options than ever before to converse in Italian. For example, you can talk with native speakers from around the world using Skype calls or group chats; this way you can get in-depth, real-time training.

Plus, you can reach out to individuals or organizations with a shared interest in Italian . This way, you can make a support system that gives you useful advice and enthusiasm.

In conclusion, conversing in Italian groups is an amazing way to develop your speaking and listening abilities. It gives you a safe learning space and allows you to build self-assurance in speaking natural Italian while getting prompt corrections from others.

So, grab some popcorn and vino and get ready to dive into the beautiful language with some Italian cinema therapy.

Watching Italian shows and movies

Dive into Italian shows and movies to improve your speaking and listening skills . Exposure to the language through various forms of media helps train your ear and pick up new vocabulary and grammar rules.

Watching with subtitles aids in comprehension and pronunciation practice. Gaining insight into Italian culture is also possible.

Uniquely, you can learn regional dialects and slang by watching shows set in different parts of Italy.

My friend vastly improved her Italian speaking abilities by watching one Italian movie a week with subtitles on . She made it a fun activity by having an “Italian movie night” with friends to discuss the plot while practicing their conversational skills.

For further fluency, listen to Italian podcasts and music. Nothing screams ‘fluency’ like singing along to Italian pop songs in the shower!

Listening to Italian podcasts and music

Ah, the joys of Italian podcasts and music ! So romantic, so delightful. Enhancing your Italian listening and speaking skills is a cinch with these lovely resources. Here are some tips for making the most of them:

• Listen to Italian language podcasts regularly – find ones that pique your interests or expand your knowledge base!
• Start with podcasts featuring slow-paced dialogue and gradually move up to faster ones as you get more confident.
• Pay attention and take notes – jot down new words, phrases, or expressions you encounter in the podcast.
• Make a special playlist just for Italian music ! Explore different genres like pop, rap, rock, or classical.
• Listen closely to the lyrics – identify new words and learn them in context.
• Connect with Italian speakers from around the world in online forums, and talk about your favorite podcasts or music.

For an extra special experience, choose content that matches your skill level and practice regularly. As a bonus, use transcriptions for the spoken content to improve pronunciation and comprehension speed !

Enhancing Italian writing skills

To enhance your Italian writing skills, you need to take the next step towards mastering the language as an intermediate learner.

With the sub-sections, such as practicing Italian handwriting and spelling , writing Italian essays and short stories, and proofreading and correcting errors in Italian writing, you can elevate your Italian writing from basic to advanced level.

Practicing Italian handwriting and spelling

To improve your Italian writing skills, start by perfecting your handwriting and spelling! Practicing Italia’s calligraphic style and correct spelling of words boosts fluency and confidence.

Set aside time to write out phrases, sentences, and even entire texts in Italian. As you progress, increase difficulty with longer passages or translation exercises.

Utilize online tutorials and reference guides for calligraphy and orthography. Many mobile apps offer lessons on Italian alphabet handwriting . Use these resources to learn grammar, punctuation, and other essential areas.

For extra practice, combine pronunciation with handwriting . This will help you to recognize what’s being said when reading aloud. Spice up your Italian writing skills – let’s write stories tastier than Nonna’s cooking!

Writing Italian essays and short stories

To create an impressive Italian essay or short story, one should focus on organization, grammar, vocabulary , and word choice . Additionally, it’s key to use textual evidence to support arguments.

To express emotions effectively and provide readers with a realistic perspective, make use of sensory appeal in narratives or descriptive essays.

It’s essential to adhere to the standard practices of the language, such as following noun-adjective agreement and verb conjugation rules . Always proofread multiple times before submitting the final work.

To improve my writing skills, read well-written Italian works from respected authors and become more confident in expressing ideas. Remember: finding mistakes in Italian writing is like finding a needle in a haystack – but with a red pen and patience, you can get there!

Proofreading and correcting errors in Italian writing

Developing writing skills? Error detection and correction in Italian writing are essential. Identifying and rectifying syntax, grammar, and semantic mistakes boosts the quality of any piece.

Verb tense application, alphabetization, and language used must be uniform for clarity . Proofreading aids in spotting missing prepositions, wrong conjunctions, and redundant words.

Fixing these errors ensures the reader understands the message.

Traditional proofreading methods such as reading aloud, analyzing sentence structure, and consulting dictionaries are great. But adding Natural Language Processing Tools (NLP) takes quality to the next level.

NLP recognizes contextual errors, not just spelling mistakes. Auto-correction features catch errors that humans often miss.

Grammar knowledge assists with corrections, yet time pressures can lead to mistakes. Combining formal instruction with techs like Spell-checkers, Language translators, and Style enhancers helps keep writing top-notch.

Don’t risk your work by skipping proofreading! The Tale of Transcription Error highlights the importance of editing documents carefully. Put your Italian to the test – just hope the examiner isn’t a native speaker with an axe to grind .

Testing Italian proficiency

To test your Italian proficiency and track your progress towards fluency, take Italian proficiency tests such as CELI, CILS, and PLIDA. You can also receive feedback from native Italian speakers and continuously evaluate your progress to set language goals.

These sub-sections will help you to achieve mastery in Italian as an intermediate learner.

Taking Italian proficiency tests (CELI, CILS, PLIDA)

Italian proficiency tests can measure a person’s Italian skills. CELI, CILS, and PLIDA are the most popular.

A table can compare them. CELI is for general language use, CILS for academics, and PLIDA for business. Time, difficulty level, exam format, and cost are columns.

The exam format changes with the level of proficiency ( A1-Beginner to C2-Proficient ). For more information, contact an authorized test center or check their website.

Italians think hand gestures are important when talking. They help explain things better. (source: BBC)

Getting advice from Italian speakers is like getting pizza advice from an Italian chef. I hope they give you good advice!

Receiving feedback from native Italian speakers

Native speakers testing Italian proficiency offer invaluable feedback. Evaluations from fluent Italian speakers can identify areas to improve, show progress, and enhance conversational skills.

This input not only improves language but also introduces novel cultural experiences, such as idiomatic expressions and nuances specific to the region – which are hard to learn through textbooks or traditional language learning methods.

Interacting with native speakers allows language learners to gain confidence and skill at a faster rate than studying alone. The advantages of receiving feedback from Italian experts are plenty: pinpointing areas to focus on and building context-specific vocabulary through meaningful exchanges with native languages.

Boosting one’s Italian proficiency brings the opportunity to connect with others who share similar interests or cultures . Talking to natives or locals while traveling immerses the learner in diverse perspectives and makes them more culturally aware.

The Tuscan dialect served as the foundation for modern Italian during the Renaissance period (15th-16th centuries). This development demonstrates Italy’s cultural history, solidifying its status as a romantic destination for tourists seeking art, cuisine, and architectural wonders.

Receiving feedback from Native Italian Speakers is essential for improving one’s Italian proficiency .

Through meaningful engagements, learners can develop their language by gaining confidence and building context-specific vocabulary, while simultaneously being exposed to diverse perspectives which foster an appreciation of Italy’s rich cultural history . Setting language goals is easy – make them realistic and aim to become fluent in Italian.

Continuously evaluating progress and setting language goals

Measuring Italian language proficiency requires assessing linguistic abilities and setting achievable language objectives. Periodic assessments and observing conversational fluency can show progress. Setting goals through clear, measurable criteria helps learners reach their desired level of competency .

To succeed, use authentic materials and feedback from native speakers. Evaluations identify strengths and areas for improvement , keeping learners engaged and motivated.

Italian proficiency is essential for those wanting to immerse in Italian-speaking cultures. The Guardian found Italian to be one of the world’s most sought-after languages due to its history and significance in art, literature, and music .

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: how do i know if i’m an intermediate learner of italian.

A: Intermediate learners of Italian are typically those who already have some basic understanding of the language, such as knowing common phrases and vocabulary, and can hold simple conversations. You’re likely an intermediate learner if you can understand and respond to simple questions and sentences in Italian.

Q: What are some effective ways to master Italian as an intermediate learner?

A: To master Italian as an intermediate learner, it’s important to practice reading, writing, speaking, and listening daily. You can also try watching Italian movies or TV shows, reading Italian books or newspapers, and practicing with a language exchange partner or tutor.

Q: How long does it take to become fluent in Italian as an intermediate learner?

A: It’s difficult to determine an exact timeline as fluency depends on various factors, including how often you practice, your language goals, and your natural ability for language learning. However, with consistent practice and dedication, intermediate learners can reach fluency in a few years.

Q: What are some common mistakes intermediate learners make when learning Italian?

A: Common mistakes that intermediate learners make when learning Italian include not practicing enough, relying too heavily on translation instead of immersing themselves in the language, and failing to work on grammar and pronunciation.

Q: How can I improve my pronunciation in Italian as an intermediate learner?

A: To improve your Italian pronunciation as an intermediate learner, try listening to audio recordings of native Italian speakers, practicing reading Italian out loud, and working with a tutor to receive feedback on your pronunciation.

Q: Should I focus on grammar or vocabulary when learning Italian?

A: Both grammar and vocabulary are important when learning Italian. It’s essential to have a strong foundation in grammar to properly construct sentences and understand the language’s structure while having a diverse vocabulary allows you to better communicate and express yourself in Italian.

Test your knowledge in 10 quick questions

Studiare i verbi irregolari è essenziale per padroneggiare la grammatica italiana.

Studying irregular verbs is essential for mastering Italian grammar.

Leggere libri italiani aiuta ad ampliare il vocabolario e a comprendere meglio le espressioni idiomatiche.

Reading Italian books helps expand vocabulary and better understand idiomatic expressions.

Partecipare a gruppi di conversazione ti permette di migliorare le abilità orali e ascoltare diversi accenti italiani.

Joining conversation groups allows you to improve speaking skills and listen to different Italian accents.

La scrittura regolare di saggi in italiano ti aiuterà a rafforzare le tue capacità di scrittura.

Regularly writing essays in Italian will help strengthen your writing skills.

Superare un esame di certificazione come il CELI può dimostrare la tua competenza linguistica.

Passing a certification exam like the CELI can demonstrate your language proficiency.

Match the Phrases

Memory game, one response.

I can’t wait to try out these tips and take my Italian skills to the next level! Thank you for sharing!

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Learn the Most Useful Advanced Italian Phrases

Have you been studying Italian for a while? If so, it’s time to step up your skills and venture into more advanced scenarios. In this guide, we have listed a great number of advanced phrases, structures, and idioms that will help you show competence and confidence in the most diverse of environments.

It is important to study advanced Italian phrases because it will allow you to fit right in wherever you are. For example, if you plan on attending an Italian university, knowing advanced phrases will help you write an essay or perform well in an oral exam. Or, you might need to submit your resume to apply for your dream job; advanced phrases will definitely help with that while also giving you more confidence when it’s time for your interview. And how about participating in business meetings? Do you have the necessary skills? In any of these situations, our guide to the most useful advanced Italian phrases will help you demonstrate your Italian proficiency.

So, let’s start right away: prendi due piccioni con una fava . Learn useful advanced Italian phrases while having fun with ItalianPod101! And if you want to know what that phrase means, just keep reading until the end, where you’ll find a fascinating chapter about Italian idioms.

Are you ready for some advanced Italian phrases?

• Advanced Italian Phrases for Academic Writing
• Advanced Italian Phrases for Your Cover Letter
• Advanced Italian Phrases for Business and Meetings
• Advanced Italian Idioms, Sayings, and Proverbs for Everyday Usage

1. Advanced Italian Phrases for Academic Writing

Italian universities offer great opportunities for foreign students to study topics related to Italian culture and to take advanced economy or science courses. Although you can find classes in English, being enrolled in an Italian university—especially for advanced studies—means that you’ll need to know sufficient Italian to sustain complex conversations, hold interviews, and write structured and coherent text for assignments and essays.

Below, you’ll find several advanced Italian phrases you can use to structure your essay , organize your thoughts, prove your point, and present your opinion or thesis. 

To write a good essay, you first have to organize your thoughts.

2. Advanced Italian Phrases for Your Cover Letter

Writing the perfect cover letter is an art … 

First of all, it’s essential that your cover letter be personalized for each job you’re applying to. You will need to research every company you’re sending an application to so that you can say something in your letter that applies directly and only to them.

It’s also necessary that you use phrases and concepts that stand out. You want to be memorable, but at the same time, you don’t want the employer to think you’re trying too hard.

Here are some advanced action phrases that will help you get your dream job. You can also use them in your interviews to make sure you leave a great impression.

Writing the perfect resume is an art!

And finally, here are a few ways to end your letter:

3. Advanced Italian Phrases for Business and Meetings

It’s normal to be a little nervous before a business meeting . Sometimes, the stakes are high; this makes it important to be clear and to get everybody on board. This is why good preparation for a meeting starts with organizing what you want to say and how.

You can begin by clarifying what you’re trying to achieve and showing the meeting agenda. Doing a good job of preparation will boost your confidence and set you up for a successful meeting. But don’t forget that meetings can be fun and relaxed, so don’t be afraid to use informal or slang expressions.

To help you prepare, here’s a list of advanced Italian phrases to help you perfectly manage meetings and groups in any situation.

Business meetings don’t have to be stressful…

4. Advanced Italian Idioms, Sayings, and Proverbs for Everyday Usage

To end this guide to advanced Italian phrases, we couldn’t omit the idiomatic expressions. These, along with sayings and proverbs , represent the backbone of communication in any language. But while they’re used by native speakers every day and comprise an essential part of Italian for advanced learners, you’ll have a hard time finding them in textbooks. 

In your everyday conversations with Italians, you’ll find that they tend to pop up all the time. Do your homework here, and surprise your Italian friends and colleagues by using just the right idiom or expression. 

Per prima cosa, bisogna rompere il ghiaccio. (“First of all, we need to break the ice.”)

5. Conclusion

In this guide, you have learned many advanced Italian phrases that you’ll be able to use for cover letters, business meetings, and other social interactions. Did we forget any important structure or expression you’d like to learn more about? Feel free to let us know in the comments below!

Keep having fun with ItalianPod101 and our great variety of free resources designed to help you practice grammar and learn new words. Make sure you check our free vocabulary lists as well, where you can find useful words (along with their pronunciation) spanning a vast range of topics. 

Remember that you can also use our Premium PLUS service, MyTeacher , to get personal 1-on-1 coaching. Your own private teacher will help you practice with advanced phrases and more, give you assignments, provide personalized exercises, and record audio samples just for you.

Not sure where to start? We recommend creating your free lifetime account and checking out the Level 5 pathway for some advanced Italian lessons. 

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Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History Essays

Architecture in renaissance italy.

Recto: Temple Types: in Antis and Prostyle (Vitruvius, Book 3, Chapter 2, nos. 2, 3); Verso: Temple Types: Peripteral (Vitruvius, Book 3, Chapter 2, no. 5).

Attributed to a member of the Sangallo family

Villa Almerico (Villa Rotunda), from I quattro libri dell'architettura di Andrea Palladio (Book 2, page 19)

Andrea Palladio

I quattro libri dell'architettura di Andrea Palladio. Ne'quale dopo un breue trattato de' cinque ordini (Book 2, page 19)

Department of European Paintings , The Metropolitan Museum of Art

October 2002

Italian Renaissance architects based their theories and practices on classical Roman examples . The Renaissance revival of classical Rome was as important in architecture as it was in literature. A pilgrimage to Rome to study the ancient buildings and ruins, especially the Colosseum and Pantheon, was considered essential to an architect’s training. Classical orders and architectural elements such as columns, pilasters, pediments, entablatures, arches, and domes form the vocabulary of Renaissance buildings. Vitruvius’ writings also influenced the Renaissance definition of beauty in architecture. As in the classical world, Renaissance architecture is characterized by harmonious form, mathematical proportion, and a unit of measurement based on the human scale .

During the Renaissance, architects trained as humanists helped raise the status of their profession from skilled laborer to artist. They hoped to create structures that would appeal to both emotion and reason. Three key figures in Renaissance architecture were Filippo Brunelleschi, Leon Battista Alberti, and Andrea Palladio.

Brunelleschi Filippo Brunelleschi (1377–1446) is widely considered the first Renaissance architect. Trained as a goldsmith in his native city of Florence, Brunelleschi soon turned his interests to architecture, traveling to Rome to study ancient buildings. Among his greatest accomplishments is the engineering of the dome of Florence Cathedral (Santa Maria del Fiore, also known as the Duomo). He was also the first since antiquity to use the classical orders Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian in a consistent and appropriate manner.

Although Brunelleschi’s structures may appear simple, they rest on an underlying system of proportion. Brunelleschi often began with a unit of measurement whose repetition throughout the building created a sense of harmony, as in the Ospedale degli Innocenti (Florence, 1419). This building is based on a modular cube, which determines the height of and distance between the columns, and the depth of each bay.

Alberti Leon Battista Alberti (1404–1472) worked as an architect from the 1450s onward, principally in Florence, Rimini, and Mantua. As a trained humanist and true Renaissance man, Alberti was as accomplished as an architect as he was a humanist, musician , and art theorist. Alberti’s many treatises on art include Della Pittura (On Painting), De Sculptura (On Sculpture), and De re Aedificatoria (On Architecture). The first treatise, Della Pittura , was a fundamental handbook for artists, explaining the principles behind linear perspective, which may have been first developed by Brunelleschi. Alberti shared Brunelleschi’s reverence for Roman architecture and was inspired by the example of Vitruvius, the only Roman architectural theorist whose writings are extant.

Alberti aspired to re-create the glory of ancient times through architecture. His facades of the Tempio Malatestiano (Rimini, 1450) and the Church of Santa Maria Novella (Florence, 1470) are based on Roman temple fronts. His deep understanding of the principles of classical architecture are also seen in the Church of Sant’Andrea (Mantua, 1470). The columns here are not used decoratively, but retain their classical function as load-bearing supports. For Alberti, architecture was not merely a means of constructing buildings; it was a way to create meaning.

Palladio Andrea Palladio (1508–1580) was the chief architect of the Venetian Republic, writing an influential treatise, I quattro libri dell’architettura (Four Books on Architecture, 1570; 41.100.126.19 ). Due to the new demand for villas in the sixteenth century, Palladio specialized in domestic architecture , although he also designed two beautiful and impressive churches in Venice, San Giorgio Maggiore (1565) and Il Redentore (1576). Palladio’s villas are often centrally planned, drawing on Roman models of country villas. The Villa Emo (Treviso, 1559) was a working estate, while the Villa Rotonda (Vicenza, 1566–69) was an aristocratic refuge. Both plans rely on classical ideals of symmetry, axiality, and clarity. The simplicity of Palladian designs allowed them to be easily reproduced in rural England and, later, on southern plantations in the American colonies .

Department of European Paintings. “Architecture in Renaissance Italy.” In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History . New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/itar/hd_itar.htm (October 2002)

Further Reading

Heydenreich, Ludwig H. Architecture in Italy, 1400–1500 . Rev. ed. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1996.

Hopkins, Andrew. Italian Architecture: From Michelangelo to Borromini . London: Thames & Hudson, 2002.

Lotz, Wolfgang. Architecture in Italy, 1500–1600 . Rev. ed. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1995.

Additional Essays by Department of European Paintings

• Department of European Paintings. “ The Rediscovery of Classical Antiquity .” (October 2002)
• Department of European Paintings. “ Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890) .” (originally published October 2004, last revised March 2010)
• Department of European Paintings. “ Titian (ca. 1485/90?–1576) .” (October 2003)
• Department of European Paintings. “ The Papacy and the Vatican Palace .” (October 2002)

Related Essays

• Domestic Art in Renaissance Italy
• The Idea and Invention of the Villa
• The Papacy and the Vatican Palace
• The Papacy during the Renaissance
• The Rediscovery of Classical Antiquity
• Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528)
• Architecture in Ancient Greece
• Baroque Rome
• Classical Antiquity in the Middle Ages
• Fontainebleau
• From Geometric to Informal Gardens in the Eighteenth Century
• The Grand Tour
• Italian Renaissance Frames
• Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519)
• Medieval European Sculpture for Buildings
• The Neoclassical Temple
• Painting in Oil in the Low Countries and Its Spread to Southern Europe
• Painting the Life of Christ in Medieval and Renaissance Italy
• Paintings of Love and Marriage in the Italian Renaissance
• Paolo Veronese (1528–1588)
• Profane Love and Erotic Art in the Italian Renaissance
• Renaissance Drawings: Material and Function
• Theater and Amphitheater in the Roman World
• Weddings in the Italian Renaissance

List of Rulers

• List of Rulers of Europe
• Florence and Central Italy, 1400–1600 A.D.
• Rome and Southern Italy, 1400–1600 A.D.
• Venice and Northern Italy, 1400–1600 A.D.
• 15th Century A.D.
• 16th Century A.D.
• Architectural Element
• Architecture
• Central Italy
• Classical Ruins
• Colonial American Art
• Great Britain and Ireland
• High Renaissance
• Italian Literature / Poetry
• Literature / Poetry
• Musical Instrument
• Northern Italy
• Palladianism
• Printmaking
• Renaissance Art
• Southern Italy

Artist or Maker

• Palladio, Andrea
• Sangallo Family

Italian Culture Research Paper

• To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
• As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
• As a template for you assignment

Introduction

Customs and traditions.

Italy has been considered by many people as the epicenter of human civilization. Located at the southern part of Europe, Italy has a rich history since ancient times.

Most of the western culture be it religion, science, education, philosophy or even art are attributed to Italy. It should be noted that unlike the ancient times, nowadays Italy has a mixture of people who have emigrated from various parts of the world. Besides music, arts and religion, Italy also boosts of a well performing economy and political structures which have far reaching effects to the rest of the world.

Italians like associating themselves with one another especially those who are related to them. Family ties are highly regarded in the Italian community and both sides of the family are accorded equal treatment. Traditionally, marriage was an arranged affair in the Italian culture though nowadays it is a free exercise.

Until quite recently, divorce was forbidden because marriage was taken to be a life long engagement. It is important to note though most of the Italians marry, there is the custom of children remaining unmarried so that they can take care for the old members of the family (Nickles, 2001). As far as inheritance is concerned, both male and female members of the family are allowed to get equal inheritance.

Traditionally, society allocated roles according to gender though this has changed of late due to civilization. However, the family still remains the basic unit of society and in most cases husbands head their families. The physical appearance of a person including the dressing style highly matters (Parasecoli, 2004). Consequently, Italians are customarily fashion conscious and to them first impression is very important.

Italians are known for their love in arts and their tradition has been rich in arts. The support that works of art has received from both public and private sectors have propelled the tradition to date. Italy’s arts include literature, music, fashion and design sculpture and theatre arts among others.

From the ancient times sculpture has dominated Italians’ work. The aspect was highly prevalent in the middle ages and most productions were religious in nature. It should be noted that artistic works of Italy have played a crucial role in influencing modern art (White, 2007). On the other hand Italy is also known for its influential literature both audio and written.

Written literature was done in Latin until the 13 th century when first Italian work was produced. Currently, Italy has a lot of writers in poetry, fiction and many other forms of literature (Nickles, 2001). It is important to note that music writing began in Italy, prompting Italian language to be used to date in explain how music should be played.

Italy is considered as the place where Roman Catholicism started as it spread all over the world. As a result, a majority of Italians are Roman Catholics. Therefore, the common religious beliefs in Italy are based on the teaching of Roman Catholic. As a matter of fact, the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church are situated in Vatican City in Italy.

However, there are people who still maintain traditional beliefs in the evil eye, charms and messages through dreams (Parasecoli, 2004). The Roman Catholic has somehow separated its affairs from the state though it still has a vital role to play. Besides Roman Catholic, other religions like Islam and other Christian churches are also present (White, 2007). It is a general belief in Italy that after death there is life where the good people will be rewarded.

The language spoken by most natives of Italy is Italian and it is the official language of the country. Majority of the Italians are native speakers. However, there are dialects in few regions which are sometimes considered as different languages. The dialects include Friulian and Ladin in the north and Albanian and Croatian in the south. In addition, there are other parts where people speak different languages including German and Greek as their first languages (Killinger, 2005).

The current constitution of Italy came into effect in 1 st January 1948 after people voted to have a republic instead of a monarchy. As a result, Italy’s parliament consists of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies. The government has three branches; the executive, judiciary, and legislature.

The president is elected for a seven year term and must be less than 50 years old. The president then appoints a prime minister who should form a government (white, 2007). There is no post of the vice president in Italy and in the event that the president dies, elections will have to be held.

Italy has joined various organizations including North Atlantic Treaty Organization, European Union which it was the founder as well as the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. It should be noted that the president is the commander of armed forces and has powers to dissolve parliament and call for new elections (Nickles, 2001).

Differences exist regarding the food that people eat in various regions and the mode of cooking. However, Pasta, soup, bread, and meat either white or red are common in all areas.

Spaghetti and pizza which are nowadays known world wide are traditional Italian foods. People of southern Italy are known to like heavy cooking compared to the northerners. It should be noted however that unlike the common argument that Italian food is more or less homogenous, there exists diversity in the types of foods eaten in Italy (Parasecoli, 2004).

Agriculture contributes a mere 4% to the gross national product. Agricultural products that are locally grown include wheat, vegetables, olives, grapes and fruits. However, the country imports dairy products as well as meat. Majorly, Italy is an industrial economy having shifted its focus from agriculture after the Second World War.

The main industries in the Italian economy include textile production, chemicals, cars, shipbuilding, iron and steel among others (White, 2007). Italians are known for their love of speed and they produce the world’s fastest cars though they have not ventured into mass production.

So far, Italy is among the richest economies in the world today both in terms of nominal gross domestic product and purchasing power parity. It is a member of the world’s eight most industrialized countries. It is also among the world’s largest importers and exporters either in goods or services.

It should also be noted that technologically Italy is advanced and invests a lot in science and technology as well as research and development (Killinger, 2005). Because of the high volumes of trade between Italy and the rest of the world, Italy is very influential in the global economy both as a producer and a consumer.

Killinger, C. L. (2005). Culture and Customers of Italy . Westport: Greenwood Publishing group.

Nickles, G. (2001). Italy: The Culture . New York: Crabtree Publishing Company.

Parasecoli, F (2004). Food Culture in Italy . Westport: Greenwood Publishing Group.

White, J. C. (2007). Italian Culture Lineages . Toronto: University of Toronto Press.

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Why are supporting characters significant in Italian literature?

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Definition of Italian Essays

Learning about Italian essays can be incredibly enriching, not only for your language skills but also for your understanding of Italian culture. Italian essays are a popular form of writing in Italy and are used in academic, professional, and personal contexts.

What Are Italian Essays?

Italian essays, known as saggi in Italian, are pieces of writing that explore a particular topic or issue. These essays can be descriptive, analytical, or argumentative, and they often reflect the writer's personal viewpoints and critical thinking. The structure and style of Italian essays may vary based on the purpose and audience.

Italian essays : Essays written in Italian that investigate a topic thoroughly, often reflecting personal insights and critical analysis.

Types of Italian Essays

There are several types of Italian essays you can encounter:

• Descriptive Essays : These essays focus on describing a person, place, or event in detail.
• Analytical Essays : These essays break down a topic into parts to understand it better.
• Argumentative Essays : These essays present a point of view and provide evidence to support it.

Each type has its specific features and style, which should be adhered to for clarity and effectiveness.

Example: A common topic for an argumentative Italian essay could be 'La salvaguardia dell'ambiente in Italia,' where you might argue about the importance of environmental protection in Italy, supported by statistics and expert opinions.

Structure of Italian Essays

The structure of an Italian essay typically includes:

• Introduction : This is where you present the topic and your thesis statement.
• Body : This section contains several paragraphs, each presenting a main idea supported by evidence and analysis.
• Conclusion : This part summarises the key points and restates the thesis in light of the evidence presented in the body.

Organising your essay in this manner ensures coherency and helps readers follow your arguments more easily.

Deep Dive: The Italian essay's structure may also reflect the influence of classic Italian literature . For instance, essays may include references to works by prominent Italian authors like Dante Alighieri or Alessandro Manzoni . Understanding these influences can enhance your appreciation and execution of Italian essay writing.

Tips for Writing Italian Essays

Writing an Italian essay can be challenging, but following these tips can help you succeed:

• Plan Your Essay : Outline your main points and organise them logically.
• Use Formal Language : Stick to formal vocabulary and avoid colloquialisms.
• Proofread : Always check your essay for grammatical errors and consistency.
• Read Widely : Familiarise yourself with different types of Italian essays to understand various writing styles and techniques.

Remember to cite your sources correctly when writing an Italian essay to avoid plagiarism and lend credibility to your arguments.

Themes in Italian Literature Essays

When writing Italian literature essays, certain themes frequently emerge. Understanding these themes can help you craft more insightful and engaging essays. They are often deeply rooted in Italy's rich cultural and historical context.

Love and Romance

Love and romance are prevalent themes in Italian literature due to Italy's storied history of romance, from the poetic works of Dante Alighieri to modern romantic novels. Essays on this theme often explore the complexities of relationships, the impact of love on individuals, and the cultural significance of romantic ideals.

When writing about love and romance, consider these aspects:

• The portrayal of romantic relationships in different literary periods.
• The influence of cultural and societal norms on romantic expressions.
• Symbolism and motifs related to love and romance.

Example: In an essay about Dante's 'La Divina Commedia,' you might explore how Dante's love for Beatrice influenced his spiritual journey and the structure of his epic poem.

Politics and Power

Politics and power are essential themes in Italian literature, reflecting Italy's complex political history. Literature often critiques political systems, explores the nature of power, and examines the interplay between authority and the individual. These themes are especially prominent in works set during periods of political upheaval or under oppressive regimes.

When addressing politics and power, your essay might focus on:

• How historical context influences political themes in literature.
• The role of literature in social and political critique.
• Character studies that highlight the impact of power dynamics.

Deep Dive: Niccolò Machiavelli's 'Il Principe' is a seminal work in political literature. An essay on this text can delve into Machiavelli's views on power, leadership, and ethical governance, and how these ideas resonate in contemporary political thought.

Human Nature

Human nature is a recurrent theme in Italian literature, often explored through characters' moral dilemmas, existential questions, and the pursuit of personal identity. Italian writers frequently delve into the depths of human psychology and behaviour to uncover universal truths about the human condition.

In writing about human nature, consider:

• The portrayal of protagonists and their internal conflicts.
• Philosophical questions raised by the text about human nature.
• Comparisons between different authors' approaches to this theme.

Reflect on how authors use specific literary devices, such as symbolism or allegory, to convey complex ideas about human nature.

Characters in Italian Literature Essays

Italian literature is renowned for its well-crafted characters, which play a pivotal role in the narratives. Understanding these characters is essential for writing insightful Italian literature essays.

Protagonists and Antagonists

Protagonists and antagonists are foundational elements in any story, and Italian literature is no exception. The protagonist is the main character around whom the story revolves, while the antagonist opposes the protagonist, creating conflict.

These characters are often complex and multi-dimensional, offering rich material for analysis:

• Analyse their character development throughout the story.
• Examine the motivations driving their actions.
• Consider the impact of their relationships with other characters.

Example: In 'I Promessi Sposi' by Alessandro Manzoni , Renzo and Lucia serve as the protagonists who must overcome various obstacles, while Don Rodrigo embodies the antagonist whose actions create significant challenges for them.

Supporting Characters

Supporting characters often play crucial roles in advancing the plot and developing the main characters. They provide depth and context to the story, influencing the protagonists and antagonists in various ways.

When writing about supporting characters, consider:

• How they contribute to the main characters' journeys.
• Their own subplots and development.
• Their role in highlighting themes and motifs.

Deep Dive: In Luigi Pirandello's 'Sei personaggi in cerca d'autore,' the supporting characters known as 'The Six Characters' serve to explore the boundaries between fiction and reality, offering a unique meta-theatrical twist that challenges conventional storytelling.

Archetypal Characters

Archetypal characters in Italian literature embody universal patterns of human nature. These characters can represent virtues, vices, or fundamental human experiences recognised across cultures and time periods.

Examples of archetypal characters include:

• The Hero: Often on a quest, facing challenges to achieve a goal.
• The Mentor: Guides the hero, offering wisdom and support.
• The Trickster: Challenges the status quo, often causing complications.

These characters provide a lens through which to examine universal themes and cultural values.

Consider how archetypal characters reflect societal norms and cultural ideals in the context of the story.

Importance of Italian Essays in Education

Writing Italian essays holds significant importance in educational contexts. They not only improve your Italian language skills but also enhance your critical thinking and analytical abilities. Italian essays offer opportunities to explore Italy's rich cultural and historical heritage, making you more knowledgeable and culturally aware.

Italian Essay Writing Techniques

Mastering Italian essay writing involves understanding specific techniques that ensure clarity, coherence, and persuasiveness. Here's a breakdown of key techniques:

• Planning: Outline your main arguments before starting to write. This helps in maintaining a clear structure.
• Formal Language: Use formal vocabulary and avoid slang or colloquial expressions.
• Thesis Statement: Clearly state your main argument or thesis in the introduction. This guides the reader on what to expect.
• Evidence and Analysis: Support your arguments with evidence and provide analysis. This demonstrates critical thinking and depth of understanding.

Example: When writing about the influence of Petrarch on Renaissance literature, you could structure your essay to start with his biographical background, followed by an analysis of his works, and conclude with their impact on later writers.

Include quotations from primary sources to strengthen your arguments and provide textual evidence.

Historical Context in Italian Essays

Understanding the historical context is crucial when writing Italian essays. This context provides background information that helps readers understand the significance of specific events, characters, and themes in the literature.

Always consider the following when integrating historical context:

• Time Period: Identify the time period in which the work was written or set. Historical events during this time often influence the themes and characters.
• Author's Background: Explore the author's background and how their personal history might have influenced their work.
• Socio-Political Climate: Consider the socio-political environment of the era. This can provide insights into the narrative's underlying messages.

Deep Dive: For instance, examining the historical context of Alessandro Manzoni's 'I Promessi Sposi' reveals the impact of the 17th-century plague on Milan. Understanding this context highlights how the novel serves as a commentary on social and religious issues of the time, making your essay richer in analysis.

Italian essays - Key takeaways

• Definition of Italian Essays : Italian essays, called saggi in Italian, are writings that delve deeply into a subject, often containing the writer's personal perspectives and critical evaluations.
• Structure of Italian Essays : Typically includes an introduction with a thesis statement, a body with evidence and analysis, and a conclusion summarising key points.
• Types of Italian Essays : Descriptive essays utilise detailed descriptions, analytical essays break down topics for better understanding, and argumentative essays offer a viewpoint supported by evidence.
• Themes in Italian Literature Essays : Common themes include love and romance, politics and power, and human nature, all influenced by Italy's historical and cultural context.
• Characters in Italian Literature Essays : Analyses often focus on the development and motivations of protagonists, antagonists, and supporting characters, exploring their impact on narrative themes.

Flashcards in Italian essays 12

The protagonist is a character who serves as a mentor and provides wisdom.

The Hero, often on a quest, facing challenges to achieve a goal.

They are used primarily for learning colloquial expressions.

Primarily the depiction of mythical creatures

Only works from modern Italian literature

Analytical Essays

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Italian Renaissance

By: History.com Editors

Updated: July 17, 2020 | Original: October 18, 2010

Toward the end of the 14th century A.D., a handful of Italian thinkers declared that they were living in a new age. The barbarous, unenlightened “ Middle Ages ” were over, they said; the new age would be a “rinascità” (“rebirth”) of learning and literature, art and culture. This was the birth of the period now known as the Renaissance. 

For centuries, scholars have agreed that the Italian Renaissance (another word for “rebirth”) happened just that way: that between the 14th century and the 17th century, a new, modern way of thinking about the world and man’s place in it replaced an old, backward one. In fact, the Renaissance (in Italy and in other parts of Europe) was considerably more complicated than that: For one thing, in many ways the period we call the Renaissance was not so different from the era that preceded it. However, many of the scientific, artistic and cultural achievements of the so-called Renaissance do share common themes, most notably the humanistic belief that man was the center of his own universe.

The Italian Renaissance in Context

Fifteenth-century Italy was unlike any other place in Europe. It was divided into independent city-states, each with a different form of government. Florence, where the Italian Renaissance began, was an independent republic. It was also a banking and commercial capital and, after London and Constantinople , the third-largest city in Europe. Wealthy Florentines flaunted their money and power by becoming patrons, or supporters, of artists and intellectuals. In this way, the city became the cultural center of Europe and of the Renaissance.

Did you know? When Galileo died in 1642, he was still under house arrest. The Catholic Church did not pardon him until 1992.

The New Humanism: Cornerstone of the Renaissance

Thanks to the patronage of these wealthy elites, Renaissance-era writers and thinkers were able to spend their days doing just that. Instead of devoting themselves to ordinary jobs or to the asceticism of the monastery, they could enjoy worldly pleasures. They traveled around Italy, studying ancient ruins and rediscovering Greek and Roman texts.

To Renaissance scholars and philosophers, these classical sources from Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome held great wisdom. Their secularism, their appreciation of physical beauty and especially their emphasis on man’s achievements and expression formed the governing intellectual principle of the Italian Renaissance. This philosophy is known as “humanism.”

Renaissance Science and Technology

Humanism encouraged people to be curious and to question received wisdom (particularly that of the medieval Church). It also encouraged people to use experimentation and observation to solve earthly problems. As a result, many Renaissance intellectuals focused on trying to define and understand the laws of nature and the physical world. 

Renaissance artist Leonardo Da Vinci created detailed scientific “studies” of objects ranging from flying machines to submarines. He also created pioneering studies of human anatomy. 

Likewise, the scientist and mathematician Galileo Galilei investigated one natural law after another. By dropping different-sized cannonballs from the top of a building, for instance, he proved that all objects fall at the same rate of acceleration. He also built a powerful telescope and used it to show that the Earth and other planets revolved around the sun and not, as religious authorities argued, the other way around. (For this, Galileo was arrested for heresy and threatened with torture and death, but he refused to recant: “I do not believe that the same God who has endowed us with senses, reason and intellect has intended us to forgo their use,” he said.)

However, perhaps the most important technological development of the Renaissance happened not in Italy but in Germany, where Johannes Gutenberg invented the mechanical movable-type printing press in the middle of the 15th century. For the first time, it was possible to make books–and, by extension, knowledge–widely available.

Renaissance Art and Architecture

Michelangelo’s “David.” Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper.” Sandro Botticelli’s “The Birth of Venus.” During the Italian Renaissance, art was everywhere. (Just look up at Michelangelo’s “The Creation” painted on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel!) Patrons such as Florence’s Medici family sponsored projects large and small, and successful artists became celebrities in their own right.

Renaissance artists and architects applied many humanist principles to their work. For example, the architect Filippo Brunelleschi applied the elements of classical Roman architecture–shapes, columns and especially proportion–to his own buildings. The magnificent eight-sided dome he built at the Santa Maria del Fiore cathedral in Florence was an engineering triumph–it was 144 feet across, weighed 37,000 tons and had no buttresses to hold it up–as well as an aesthetic one.

Brunelleschi also devised a way to draw and paint using linear perspective. That is, he figured out how to paint from the perspective of the person looking at the painting, so that space would appear to recede into the frame. After the architect Leon Battista Alberti explained the principles behind linear perspective in his treatise “Della Pittura” (“On Painting”), it became one of the most noteworthy elements of almost all Renaissance painting. Later, many painters began to use a technique called chiaroscuro to create an illusion of three-dimensional space on a flat canvas.

Fra Angelico, the painter of frescoes in the church and friary of San Marco in Florence, was called “a rare and perfect talent” by the Italian painter and architect Vasari in his “Lives of The Artists.” Renaissance painters like Giotto, Raphael and Titian and Renaissance sculptors like Donatello, Michelangelo and Lorenzo Ghiberti created art that would inspire generations of future artists.

The End of the Italian Renaissance

By the end of the 15th century, Italy was being torn apart by one war after another. The kings of England, France and Spain, along with the Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor, battled for control of the wealthy peninsula. At the same time, the Catholic Church, which was itself wracked with scandal and corruption, had begun a violent crackdown on dissenters. In 1545, the Council of Trent officially established the Roman Inquisition . In this climate, humanism was akin to heresy. The Italian Renaissance was over.

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AP Italian Language and Culture

Review the free-response questions from the 2024 ap exam., exam overview.

Exam questions assess the course concepts and skills outlined in the course framework. For more information, download the  AP Italian Language and Culture Course and Exam Description  (CED) and the  CED’s companion audio files .

Encourage your students to visit the  AP Italian Language and Culture student page  for exam information.

Fri, May 9, 2025

AP Italian Language and Culture Exam

Exam format.

The AP Italian Language and Culture Exam has question types and point values that remain stable and consistent from year to year, so you and your students know what to expect on exam day.

Section IA: Multiple Choice

• Identify the main ideas and supporting details
• Determine the meaning of vocabulary words in context
• Identify the author’s point of view or the target audience
• Demonstrate knowledge of the cultural or interdisciplinary information contained in the text

Section IB: Multiple Choice with Audio

• Interpretive Communication: Print and Audio Texts (combined). 2 sets of audio sources paired with print materials on the same topic with questions (articles and audio reports, charts and conversations).
• Interpretive Communication: Audio Texts. 3 sets of audio sources with questions (interviews, instructions, presentations).
• Students will respond to questions about main ideas and supporting details. Some questions will require students to demonstrate their understanding of cultural or interdisciplinary information.
• Students will have time to read a preview of each selection and skim the questions before listening to the audio. All audio texts will be played twice.

Section IIA: Free Response Written

• Interpersonal Writing: Read and reply to an email message (15 minutes).
• Presentational Writing: Write an argumentative essay based on 3 sources, including an article, a table, graph, chart, or infographic, and a related audio source (played twice), that present different viewpoints on a topic (~55 minutes total: 15 minutes to review materials plus 40 minutes to write). Students will have access to the print sources and any notes they may take on the audio during the entire 40-minute writing period.

Section IIB: Free Response Spoken

• Interpersonal Speaking: Participate in 5 exchanges in a simulated conversation (20 seconds for each response). For this conversation, students will be provided with a preview of the conversation, including an outline of each exchange. 
• Presentational Speaking: Deliver a 2-minute presentation in response to a prompt in which students compare a cultural feature of an Italian-speaking community with which they are familiar to their own community or another community.

Exam Questions and Scoring Information

Ap italian language and culture exam questions and scoring information.

View free-response questions and scoring information from this year's exam and past exams.

Score Reporting

Ap score reports for educators.

Access your score reports.