So you’re ready to have a go at speaking some Italian.



You’ve learned the basic phrases and, even if you’re a bit nervous (that’s normal!), you’re looking forward to trying them out.



But when you begin the conversation, things don’t

Should I use essere or stare? 



If you’ve been learning Italian for a little while, you might have come across these two important verbs and found yourself wondering which one to use. 



That’s because in English, they can both be translated as

Ever noticed how Italians tend to sing a little when they speak?



Mamma mia, Milano, amore….



If you want to have an Italian accent, the fastest and easiest way is to learn how to speak with that same sing-songy quality.

I like it, you like me, we liked them… in this episode you’ll learn how to use the verb PIACERE in all its different forms, just like an Italian would.







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Think about something you really liked in the past. Maybe a place you lived in or something tasty you used to eat.



In today’s episode, learn how to talk about things you liked (or didn’t like) when they lasted for

In Italian, objects can be masculine or feminine. This means that:



Bread is un signore 🎩



Pizza is una signora 🎀



This is good to know, because it helps us use the past correctly, especially when we’re talking about things we liked.

Mi piace. It’s simple enough to remember this phrase in the present, but in the past, things get a little tricky! Learn how to talk about things you liked in this episode. By the end, you’ll be able to say

Did you know that mi piace doesn’t really mean “I like”? This mistranslation is one of the reasons that learning this expression can be so tricky in Italian. Once you clear it up and learn the true meaning, everything becomes

In English, we “have” lunch and dinner. But Italians don’t say it like this - they lunch and dine. Find out how to talk about having lunch and dinner in episode #81 of five minute Italian.









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In this episode, you’ll learn how to avoid a common mistake that English speakers make really often when they speak Italian. In English, you can “have” a coffee or “have” lunch. But in Italian, we don’t say it that way.

In this episode, you’ll learn about my favourite Italian word of all time, that isn’t even really a word, it’s more like a sound: Boh! But what does it mean?



Find out in episode #79 of five minute Italian







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Have you ever heard the word “magari” and wondered what it meant? The confusion can come from the fact that it actually has 2 very different meanings. Once you know them, it’s simple.



And if this word is new to you,

This week, we’ve got a special guest back with us, Italian Stefano. He speaks loads of languages, so he’s going to give us his tips on how to speak Italian this year.



Learn more in episode #77 of five minute

Do you know how to say “it makes sense” in Italian? It’s one of those phrases that you need to be a little bit careful with because it’s easy to end up saying something totally different by accident!



Learn more

Do you know how to say “you’re right” in Italian?



As we started talking about last week, Italian has some funny expressions with “have”. In this lesson, you’ll learn a really important one: to be right, or literally, to “have

Do you have hunger?



Languages don't always express things in the same way, and this little phrase is a great example.



Italians aren't hungry, they have hunger.



Learn more expressions with "have" in episode 74 of 5 Minute Italian.

Do you agree?



Italians have a funny way of saying this - but there's an easy way to remember it. Find out more in episode 73 of 5 Minute Italian.







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Do you know the difference between eggs and grapes in Italian?



It should be simple, but it's easy to mix them up.



Learn how to differentiate these words (and avoid making an embarrassing mistake) in episode 72 of 5 minute Italian.







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Did you know? Italian has two different words for jealous: geloso and invidioso.



But watch out, because they're not interchangeable.



Find out the difference in episode 71 of 5 minute Italian.







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Molto, molti, molta, molte... what's the difference? And when should you use them? Find out in episode 70 of 5 minute Italian.







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