So, you want to learn Italian and enjoy yourself at the same time? Well, you've come to the right place!
In this post, you will find some of the best Italian TV shows and movies available for streaming, that will help you on your journey towards learning Italian.
Can Watching Movies or TV in Italian Help You Learn It?
The short answer to this is yes!
But why does it help you? At a certain point in your language studies, you'll know all the words, verbs, pronouns and prepositions and even be able to recognise and form full sentences but where you might be struggling is your dictation. That's where TV and movies come in.
TV and movies give you a cultural education that enriches your language comprehension. TV and movies also expose you to a more natural form of the language with authentic vocabulary and slang, and they teach you to connect words with associated body language.
When it comes to greeting new people, Italians shake hands and exchange three kisses on the cheeks
However, it's not as simple as just sitting back and hitting play you have to fully submerge yourself and what you're about to watch how? Don't worry we've got some tips for that.
Tips on How To Use TV and Movies For Language Learning
As already mentioned you can't just sit back and relax when you're trying to learn a language and watch TV in that language however it's not exactly complicated either. Below are a few tips and tricks on how to make getting acquainted with Italian in the movies and TV a little simpler.
From "hello" to "goodbye" and everything in between, here are the basic Italian words and common Italian phrases travellers need heading to Italy.
Become Besties with the Subtitles:
So this is where people who are not learning a language will usually watch a foreign movie with the VoiceOver done in English. However, if you're learning a language in this case Italian, it's really good to listen to it in its original form with the English subtitles turned on.
When an article does not follow them, Italian prepositions are called “simple prepositions”.
Also important to note that once isn't gonna do the trick you're not just gonna magically watch a film or a TV show episode and be like wow I understood everything. You may want to watch it twice with the subtitles on and then once without and maybe again with the subtitles on to see what you recognised. As you already know from your tutorial lessons or whatever app you've been using, repetition is key when it comes to learning Italian.
Take Notes:
This is so important because you are still very much in the learning phase of your Italian experience.
Not only does writing things down help you remember them, but also you’ll exercise your listening skills even more if you practice writing down what you hear. It doesn’t have to be perfect or even spelt correctly, media such as television and radio is great for teaching you niche or slang words you wouldn’t have learned otherwise.
Break It Up:
It's important to remember you're not in the classroom here or a movie theatre for that matter. In fact, it’s probably better for your brain to overstimulate and tire yourself out, you have the control or the controller literally, hit the pause button when you need to and come back later.
Play that works for you, if that means 20- or 30-minute chunks so that you can process what you’re seeing (and also rewind certain parts you don’t get the first time) then that's what you do.
Top 3 Italian Movies For Learning The Language
1) Io non ho paura (“I’m Not Scared”)
Where To Watch: Available to rent from Prime Video.
Based on a wildly successful novel by Niccolò Ammaniti, This film follows nine-year-old Michele Amitrano as he attempts to solve a crime, exposing an insidious web of secrecy bigger than he ever could have imagined.
With countless accolades and overwhelmingly positive reviews, this thriller is undoubtedly one of the best films to expose intermediate learners to dialects in the south of the country.
2)La vita è bella (“Life Is Beautiful”)
Where To Watch: Available to stream on Paramount+
Oscar-winning classic La vita è bella by Roberto Benigni. Set in a Nazi labor camp, this bittersweet comedy reflects on themes of love and sacrifice as the protagonist Guido attempts to protect his son from the terror of their reality by pretending the camp is actually just an elaborate game, where they have to follow all the rules to win a tank.
From a language learning perspective, the vocabulary is often quite simple, making it an excellent choice for lower-intermediate Italian learners who are interested in learning about historical life in Italy.
3) Benvenuti Al Sud ("Welcome to the South")
Where To Watch: Available to stream on Netflix or rent from Amazon Prime
Italian comedy film directed by Luca Miniero.
It focuses heavily on interpersonal relationships, with the gorgeous backdrop of Italy to add to its charm.
From a language learning perspective, the vocabulary is often quite simple and realistic perfect making it the perfect choice for beginners!
Top 3 Italian Series For Learning The Language
1) La Luna Nera ("The Black Moon")
Where To Watch: Available to stream on Netflix
This is an Italian fantasy series based on the novel of the same name by Tiziana Triana.
In 17th-century Italy, a teenager learns about her destiny among a family of witches, just as her boyfriend's father hunts her down for witchcraft. The language is not exactly "modern" or slang. However, expect to familiarise yourself with Italian words relating to love, magic and strong female characters. (Or you could always read the books, available to download on Kindle).
2) Incastrati ("Framed! A Sicilian murder mystery")
Where To Watch: Available to stream on Netflix
This is a 2022 Italian television series starring popular Italian comedians Ficarra and Picone. Set in the splendid Sicilian landscape, the series follows the adventures of Valentino and Salvatore, two television technicians who find themselves at the scene of a crime by chance. In order to avoid being prime suspects, they clean up the crime scene and leave it undisturbed, using their knowledge of crime dramas which leads to a series of hilarious events in their lives.
I would say think of this "crime-comedy" as the perfect way to learn niche or slang words relating to the law and misadventures that you wouldn’t have learned otherwise.
3) Suburra: Blood On Rome
Where To Watch: Available to stream on Netflix
Advanced learners only! The dialogues in this series can be quite challenging to follow for non-native speakers, as the main characters of Suburra are shady criminals from the Roman suburbs, who use a thick Romanesco dialect and other slang.
However, this is a must-see series! Based on a real political scandal, this series reflects on the dark side of Italy driven by a quest for power. It follows several Mafia gangs whose interests are intertwined with corrupt politicians and the clergy of the Vatican. So get those subtitles on and be prepared to get hooked!
Enjoyed this article? Leave a rating!
Loading...
