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Learning Italian –
The Benefits
Common Italian Words
and Phrases

Most high schools in the United States offer Spanish and French as elective language courses, but very few have ventured beyond those choices. However, some high schools also offer Italian. You may have been fortunate enough to have attended one of those high schools, and you may have chosen Italian as your language of study. The thing is, one hour a day, five days a week may not teach you everything you want to know, such as how to hold a real conversation. If Italian isn't used outside the classroom in real-world situations, it can easily be forgotten. Taking Italian courses now can help you not only to remember what you learned before, but to build on that foundation. You can quickly learn new skills that will offer benefits in many areas of your life.

Learning Italian Language Skills Enhances Your Life

Studying a language requires time and dedication. If learning a foreign language is something you’re serious about, you probably want to be assured that you'll get something out of it before you set aside any time to take language courses. Let’s take a look at some of the many benefits of learning Italian.

Travel

Italian is, of course, the official language of Italy. If you ever travel there, knowing at least a few common Italian phrases will help you get around. But if you learn the language a little more in-depth before you go, not only will you be better able to communicate in Italy and Vatican City, you'll also find it easier to get around in places such as Switzerland and San Marino, as Italian is widely spoken in both countries.

Taking a few Italian courses before traveling to a location where Italian is spoken will make it easier to understand—and be understood by—personnel in hotels, restaurants and stores, as well as people you may meet in social situations. Being able to converse with people can help you learn more about the country and have a more well-rounded experience.

In addition to these travel-related benefits, you may be interested to know that if you learn Italian, you can further your career, and even improve your health.

Career

More and more employers are looking for people with foreign language skills, and not just for translator or interpreter positions. Being able to speak a second (or even third) language makes you very attractive to American companies that have offices outside the United States. Some businesses will even offer bilingual employees bonuses and higher salaries if they bring language skills to the table.

Learning Italian specifically can help you get a job with American companies that have outposts in Italy, and you can also pursue positions with Italian companies that have offices in the United States. Italy boasts a few leading appliance, food, and wine producers that have large presences in the U.S. And if you have an interest in clothing design, you may be able to find a job with one of the many Italian fashion houses that do business in the U.S.

Health

The same way exercising your body builds muscles and keeps you agile and strong, exercising your brain helps you maintain mental acuity and memory retention. More and more people are diagnosed with dementia and other related diseases like Alzheimer's every year. You can take steps now to ward off the effects of such conditions. One way to do that is by learning a language.

Studies have shown that the development of dementia can be delayed by learning a language. Bilingual people have better brain function, including skills like problem solving and critical thinking. Taking Italian courses (or Spanish, or Japanese, etc.) will require your brain to work differently than it usually does; slowing the aging process, and keeping you sharper, longer.

Personal Accomplishment

Other than the tangible benefits of learning Italian, such as enjoying your vacation or moving up in your career, you will also benefit from the feeling of accomplishment in learning something new, especially something as complex as a second language. Making the effort to learn a new language can not only provide personal satisfaction, it can also help you connect with others who share this interest. Making new friends is always a great way to enrich your life and experience new things.

In addition, learning Italian may be of particular interest to you if your family is Italian. Perhaps your grandparents immigrated to the United States, and you still have family in Italy. Being able to communicate with family members near and far in the native language of your ancestors is the perfect way to connect with your roots and culture. And, if you happen to have  family members or close friends who have married people from Italy, being able to speak to them in their native language will make them feel more welcome and connected to the family. If you learn Italian language skills, you can not only make your life better, but help improve someone else's, too.

Learn Italian Language Conversational Skills Via Audio

If the last time you took a language course, you had to sit through lectures in a classroom, struggle with reading, and stress out over tests, you may not be in a hurry to repeat the experience. The good news is, if you want to learn Italian, it can be a truly enjoyable experience.

This time, try learning a language with audio courses. As Dr. Paul Pimsleur discovered, audio is the best way to learn a language. It only requires that you listen and repeat what you hear. It's exactly the same way you learned to speak your native language—by listening.

Let’s take a brief look at the benefits of learning Italian via audio:

• It’s better than a book: You can hear completely accurate pronunciation of words and phrases.
• It’s useful: Rather than simply memorizing grammar and vocabulary, you learn Italian language conversational skills, and how Italians actually speak.
• It’s convenient: Audio is portable, and lightweight, so you can learn Italian anywhere, whenever it's convenient for you.

Whether you choose audio Italian courses, or you decide to go the traditional classroom route, you'll reap the many benefits of learning Italian.