Italian courses online with a private tutor

Why South Africans are Taking Italian Lessons Online

As one of the five popular Romance languages (French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, and Romanian) it is not surprising that you may want to learn Italian. Italy is one of the most beautiful countries in the world boasting rich culture and history, and more UNESCO World Heritage sites than anywhere else on the planet!

Simply desiring to visit the Colosseum and Tower of Pisa, the amphitheatre of Taormina in Sicily, the Sistine Chapel, Milan’s La Scala Opera, and the Vatican are motivation enough to take Italian lessons online and fully embrace all of the cultural abundance that Italy has to offer.

And if you have a love for music, art, cuisine, fashion, or literature, it would not be surprising if you were drawn to anything and everything Italian! Did you know that 13 of Shakespeare’s 38 plays were set in Italy?  

Today, there is a large community of Italians living in South Africa, about 60 000 – 70 000 of whom live in Cape Town alone. In fact, many famous names in South Africa bear Italian descent. Perhaps you have heard of the famous golfers Hugh Baiocchi and Rory Sabbatini, or the famous rugby player, Carlo Del Fava? There are dozens of other well-known South Africans from every sector with Italian roots. Amore Vittone and Debora Patta, from the radio and TV fraternity, Don Mattera, the anti-apartheid activist, author, and poet, as well as Edoardo Villa the sculptor, and many more.

The History of Italian Immigration to South Africa

The contribution of Italian immigrants to the shores of South Africa goes back to 1689 when a number of nationals arrived to escape the Italian War of Independence. More recently, around 96 000 Italian prisoners of war were brought to South Africa during the Second World War.  Even though their arrivals were under trying circumstances, Italian nationals triumphed through their perseverance. They brought skills and fresh ideas as well as craftsmanship and great style in areas of design, food, clothing, and furniture. Since then, their passion, entrepreneurship, style, and family values continue to influence all South Africans in every corner of the country.  

If you would like to connect to your Italian roots, travel to Italy, or add depth to your career in fashion, food, or the arts, you may be interested in finding an Italian tutor online.

The Importance of Italian in Europe

Italian is widely spoken in Europe. As the 6^th most widely spoken language in Europe, spoken by 69 million people, it is an important language. Interestingly, in first place are Russian speakers (120 million), then German (95 million) and French (80 million) with English in fourth place at 70 million speakers. Despite the relatively small size of the country, these numbers should give you a good idea of the immense value of taking Italian courses online or in-person.

Italian Lessons Online: An Easy Way to Learn an Easy Language

Learning any new language requires time, discipline, and practice, but if you are an English speaker learning Italian, you are in luck! Italian, which is spoken by 90 million people around the world, and English have many important similarities. These similarities are found in all the Romance languages and even extend to cultural aspects like cinema, literature, architecture, fashion, and cuisine.

In the global society of the 21^st century, it is increasingly important to be internationally bilingual. Taking Italian lessons online to do so, could be one of the fastest and easiest routes to accomplish this.  

Your first step is to consider your goals for wanting to learn such a beautiful language and then to find an Italian tutor online. You could spend hours surfing the internet for a reputable tutor, or you could head straight to Superprof which boasts 17 million tutors worldwide.   

There’s no doubt that one of the fastest ways to learn any new language is with a private tutor. 

In South Africa, you could take Italian courses online to receive a Certificate of Knowledge for around R280 to R300 an hour and have your first lesson for free. The credentials of all of Superprof’s tutors are pre-verified for your peace of mind and all the Italian tutors offer both in-person or online lessons.  

Having an Italian tutor online means that you can take lessons from the convenience of your home. Apart from the invaluable individual attention that you will receive, this will give you the flexibility to schedule your classes at a time that suits you. In addition, your lessons can be tailored to suit your own unique goals. For example, if you are working in the fashion industry and need to regularly make trips to Italy for business, you could ask your tutor to focus on the kind of language and vocabulary that is prevalent in your industry.

Language Immersion and Language Buddies

Two other noteworthy interventions to help you acquire Italian knowledge are language immersion and language buddies.

Language immersion means that apart from the conversational Italian that you would need to kick yourself off, you would live, work, travel, or study in Italy. By doing so, you will immerse in the language and culture of Italy which includes the understanding of colloquial expressions and perfecting your pronunciation.

If you are unable to embark on such an adventure, you could find an Italian language buddy. Ideally, try and find one who is as enthusiastic about learning English, as you are about learning Italian. Through your correspondence and friendship, you will find that your grammar, as well as your confidence in reading, speaking, and listening will greatly improve.

While your formal Italian courses online or in-person, should still be your primary method for language acquisition, language immersion and language buddies are brilliant ways to grow your knowledge.

Finally, there is also a plethora of free online content available which could be used as excellent supplementary resources in between your lessons. It is advisable not to exchange these for a private Italian tutor online, but rather to ask your teacher for recommendations on which ones would be best suited for the programme that you are taking.