Ciao alunni! Are you ready for our next installment that will help you learn how to speak Italian? Sì? Benissimo!
We won't be focusing on any Italian grammar specifically today; instead, we're going to look at a different teaching style that will help you pick up new vocabulary and hear native speakers in a visual, audible, and fun way!
Oggi we're going to be talking about Italian YouTube videos! Specifically, they're some of the best channels you should watch if you want to learn the Italian language.
Once again, we're going to visit our Italian teacher friend and her student, Riley, during the course of this light-hearted language lesson!
Siete pronti? Allora cominciamo!
- Ciao, Riley, come stai?
- Ciao Maestra! I'm... bene. But also tired!
- Oh no! Why?
- It's this whole learning a new language thing! All I do is study, and it's making me tired!
- Oh! Riley! Why didn't you say so? We can fix that!
- You mean today's lesson is canceled? I can go home? Cool!
- Not so fast, there, ragazzo. We can't just cancel lessons when you're tired! However, one of the most common mistakes you can make when you learn a new language is not adapting!
- Adapting...? That seems like hard work in disguise...
- Don't sound so discouraged! What if I told you that today's lesson will show you how to learn to speak the language like a native Italian speaker while having fun doing it?
- I'd say that sounds too good to be true, Maestra!
- Well, it's not! Today's lesson will be all about some of the best Italian YouTube channels you can watch when you need to practice your Italian skills but can't focus on your books!
- Wait, do Italians even watch YouTube?
- Riley, ma che dici? Of course, Italians watch YouTube! It's just as popular in Italy as it is in other places in the world! This means finding an Italian YouTube channel you like is a fantastic method for learning Italian!
In fact, before we start listing some of the best channels you can watch, let's look at what role YouTube plays in Italian culture!
Even though some American websites never made it to Italy, or took longer before they became popular, YouTube isn't one of them! Right away the online video platform gained popularity.
- So, Riley, when I say the word "YouTube", what do you think of?
- I think about my favorite channels, duh.
- Riley, mio dio, dig deeper! What sorts of channels do you watch?
- Maestra! I told you I'm tired!
- Uh huh. That's why.
- It's true! I guess I like to watch short videos. Vlogs... reviews... stuff I'm interested in!
- Great! Well, as you can probably tell, Italians use YouTube much the same way. Here are a few of the top reasons why Italians love using YouTube in real life!
The most subscribed-to Italian YouTuber is FavijTV, a vlogger and comedian who is particularly popular among younger Italians.
- Okay, Riley, hold onto your seat here, but did you know that, up until recently, music streaming platforms like Spotify or Pandora didn't exist in Italy?
- How did Italians listen to music? Did you just buy everything or listen to the radio???
- Actually, no! Most Italians turned to streaming music on YouTube!
- Really? Huh. I mean, I guess that makes sense.
- You guess, ehm? No quippy response? You really are tired.
- I told you!
- Anyway... YouTube is a great source for Italians who want to listen to music since it's easier to find older songs that might not have been uploaded to other services yet, and it's a really popular way for Italians to learn about international artists they might never have heard on the radio or anywhere else!
- You know what, Maestra? That's actually a really good idea... maybe I should try that.
- Don't act so surprised, Riley! And you should do that... with Italian artists!
- Maestra! Does everything have to be a lesson?
- You bet!
- Okay, Riley, you said you like watching YouTube videos about things you're interested in...well, the same goes for Italians! For a long time, it was one of the only ways to find fun videos to watch on the go!
- So, "Charlie bit my finger", was popular in Italy too???
- Not quite. But there have been plenty of Italian videos that are purely for entertainment! We'll get into that in more detail later, quindi don't forget about it!
- Great... something else to remember.
- A final, really popular use for YouTube among Italians is a pretty new phenomenon. And, it's one that's relevant to this lesson! Do you want to guess what it is?
- Um. It's used to start learning Italian?
- Close, Riley! Native Italian speakers may not need videos to learn their madrelingua, but they do still use the site to learn! Just like you're going to be doing today!
- Hey! I'm practically a real Italiano already!
- Hey, Riley, you seem to be perking up a little!
- We're going to be watching video after video for our lesson. Of course, I'm excited!
- Great! But don't assume that this will be just a way to kill time. You can make a lot of progress learning when you watch videos in other languages! You just have to make sure you focus!
- I know, I know. I have to pay attention. Blah blah blah. It's still better than reading a textbook all day!
- Great! We're almost ready to get to our list; so, let's look at how I picked which channels you should check out!
One of the most popular ways to start learning Italian by yourself is to consume media in the Italian language. That means movies, TV shows, and YouTube videos!
All you have to do is search "Italian YouTube videos" on YouTube or Google if you just want to find general Italian videos. Once you start getting into specifics of what you're looking for, it will be easier to narrow down your searches!
- There are so many Italian YouTube Channels out there; so, to make it easy for you-
- When have you ever tried to make learning easy, Maestra?
- If you weren't such a testa dura, you'd see I try to make lessons easier for you all the time! As I was saying: to keep you from getting overwhelmed or confused by too many different dialects, I curated a little list!
Here are the criteria for what I considered good content for Italian language learners:
- Those aren't many requirements!
- Of course not, Riley! These are my picks of what could be considered good channels, but if you take those tips, you can add your own personal touch and find other channels as well! So, are you ready?
- As ready as I'll ever be!
- Then let's get started with our list!
- An easy first place to start when you're looking for Italian YouTube channels is to look for channels about people who are both Italian and English speakers.
- Are these like those bilingual Italian books that were in that article you showed me?
- Yes! Kind of! Some bilingual channels will say everything in Italian and the other language the YouTuber speaks, just like those books. However, many will either switch back and forth or will do entire videos in just one language with the other subtitled to help audiences keep up!
- Those sound interesting! Are there really that many channels like that though?
- There are more than you'd think! Most of these channels are made up of couples or are run by expats. As a beginner, I recommend you check out Sofie's World. She's an American who has lived in Italy on and off for a few years! She speaks slowly and uses a mix of English and Italian, so following along with what she says is pretty seamless!
- That was really easy to watch!
- I thought you'd like it! She does a lot of lifestyle content, which is also great if you want to visit Italy. That way you can get around like a pro! But, if you'd prefer other types of videos, other types of content, they're just a few clicks away!
- Okay, Riley, the next type of YouTube channel we'll be going over to help you learn is the "edutainment" channel!
- Eduwhatment?
- Edutainment! In this case, these are channels specifically created to help you learn Italian. Typically, these channels are run by an Italian teacher who is used to communicating with foreign students. Since they're made for educational purposes, they're full of grammar and vocabulary tips!
- So, they're like these lessons, but online?
- Except, unlike our lessons, the videos are typically completely in Italian. That way students from all over the world can use them. There are dozens of channels that fall into this category, but check out this one from one of the most popular YouTube Italian teachers LearnAmo.
- So? How did you like that video?
- I liked it! But, I think I'll grow out of those videos soon, right?
- You might! Once you really start getting the hang of the language, you might be interested in videos that are spoken at a more natural pace. So, let's look at a few of those examples!
- Like in other parts of the world, gaming content is really popular in Italy. That means there are tons of YouTube channels dedicated to Italian gamers!
- Cool! I like watching gaming channels, another thing that makes me practically a native Italian already!
- Haha, that's great, Riley! A big part of learning is using tools that will keep your interest! Some people might recommend videos like these to intermediate or advanced learners, but I think they can be useful no matter where you are in your language journey!
- So, who do you recommend, Maestra?
- For gaming content, I'm going to go with the popular vote! Lyon from the channel "When gamers fail" is one of the most popular Italian YouTubers around! He mostly does gaming content, but every once in a while he also does vlogs or other types of videos! Check this one out and tell me what you think!
- I really liked that one! I didn't understand everything, but I got more than I thought I would!
- If you liked that video, there are plenty more where it came from! I hope you're taking notes; we're almost done for today, and you don't want to forget any of these channels!
- Oh, that's for sure! I'm definitely keeping track!
- If you're ready to test your listening comprehension skills, then watching Italian sketch comedy channels is just the thing for you!
- Do you think I'm advanced enough for those videos, Maestra?
- As I said, Riley, while intermediate learners might pick up more of the new words in these videos, they can be useful tools no matter how far along you are in your learning!
- That's a very diplomatic answer, Maestra!
- My goal is to help you learn, Riley. So, I do whatever I can to help including recommending a sketch channel I think you'll like!
This is the channel "The Jackal" that is run by a group of friends who make really high-quality comedy videos! I had so much fun looking for one of their videos to show you, I actually ended up narrowing it down to two examples!
- Haha, Maestra, that video was too real! I loved it!
- If you liked that one, you'll appreciate this one, too!
- Oh man... Maestra, I came here to learn Italian, and now I feel like I'm getting old!
- You're the one who's complaining about being tired.
- The final type of YouTube channel I'm going to recommend if you want to learn Italian is the news and culture genre!
- Ew, like CNN? Maestra, if I want to watch the news, I don't need to do it in Italian!
- This isn't just a boring news report, Riley! These are videos that cover tons of topics from serious to entertaining! One of the most popular is "Fan Page"! Check out this video they did about parents taking a high school Latin test!
- Were you able to understand any of that?
- Sort of! I got the sense, for sure. I guess even Italians hate tests!
- Oh, that's for sure! And hey! Understanding the general meaning of a video is a great first step! The channel has been around for years, and they have a website! So, you can practice listening to and reading Italian!
- So, Riley, we've reached the end of another lesson! How are you feeling now? Still tired?
- Yes...but I also feel pumped!
- And you didn't sneak an espresso in here when I wasn't looking?
- Nope! Surprising, huh?
- Very! I guess you're excited to get started watching some Italian YouTube videos?
- Oh, for sure! I don't even know where to start!
- Well, if you ever have trouble searching through YouTube, since there are so many to choose from, you can use this really cool language site Flying Languages. There you can find tons of videos from YouTube that have been turned into video lessons. They have translations, a built-in dictionary, and even some questions to make sure you're really absorbing everything there is to learn!
- Thanks, Maestra, I'll check that site out!
- Great, Riley! Well, go on! Start learning!
And don't forget to like and subscribe to your new favorite Italian YouTuber!
Italian is a very beautiful language, but a lot of that beauty comes from the melody of speaking it. That can make it harder to understand if you don't already speak a Latin-rooted language. With a little practice, understanding the language gets easier!
