Language Hacking
di Alessio · insegnante di italiano per stranieri, master ITALS
47 articoli in questa categoria.
English
Amo Italian Review: What All Language Resources Says About the App
All Language Resources published an independent mini review of 
amo Italian. What the reviewers liked, what they did not, and who the app is actually for.
English
Italian pronunciation: the 7 mistakes English speakers make
Seven Italian sounds trip up English speakers systematically: gli, gn, the rolled r, double consonants, pure vowels, c and g, final vowels.
8 August 2026
English
Italian articles explained: il, lo, la, i, gli, le
Il, lo or la? One decision tree covers all six Italian definite articles: plus the exceptions and the mistakes English speakers make.
18 June 2026
English
The B1 Italian Citizenship Exam: A Complete Guide
Since December 2018 the road to Italian citizenship by marriage or residence passes through one gate: a certified B1 level of Italian…
9 June 2026
English
The Science of Learning Italian: 9 Methods That Work
Most advice about learning Italian is folklore. This is the other kind: nine methods with actual research behind them, and how to use each one…
6 June 2026
English
CILS, CELI, PLIDA or Cert.it: Which B1 Certificate to Choose
Four certificates open the same door. As a teacher I am asked every month which one to take, and the honest answer is that it depends on your calendar…
24 May 2026
Nederlands
Italiaanse les 's avonds of overdag? Wat het echt uitmaakt
Bijna alle cursussen staan in de avond, en dat is niet omdat het beter werkt. Wat het tijdstip doet met wat je onthoudt.
6 mei 2026
English
Learning Italian without going through English first
If you are Ukrainian, Bengali or Albanian and learning Italian, you are probably doing it in English. That is one translation too many.
23 March 2026
Nederlands
700 gratis Italiaanse oefeningen: hoe je ze in de goede volgorde gebruikt
Een archief van 700 oefeningen is nutteloos als je niet weet waar je begint. Hier is de volgorde.
2 februari 2026
Nederlands
De congiuntivo uitgelegd voor Nederlanders
Niet beginnen bij de vervoegingstabel maar bij de vraag wat de spreker ermee doet. Dan valt het kwartje sneller.
10 januari 2026
English
CILS B1 Cittadinanza: Format, Sections and Scoring
The most chosen exam for citizenship is also the most misunderstood. Let me walk you through it section by section, as I do with my students…
15 December 2025
English
How to Prepare for the Italian B1 Exam: A Teacher’s Plan
Preparation is not accumulation. It is rehearsal. Here is the plan I give my own citizenship candidates, week by week…
23 November 2025
English
Italian B1 Practice Tests: Why Mock Exams Matter
Nobody should meet the format of an exam for the first time on exam day. A mock test is not extra practice. It is the practice…
31 October 2025
English
Italian B1 Listening: Training for the Hardest Section
In my experience the section that decides the exam is the first one. The audio plays twice, at natural speed, and it does not wait for you…
15 October 2025
Nederlands
Valse vrienden: Italiaanse woorden die niet betekenen wat je denkt
Camera is geen camera, parenti zijn niet je ouders, en sono pieno betekent niet dat je genoeg gegeten hebt.
6 oktober 2025English
Italian B1 Writing: What Examiners Expect
Examiners do not expect literature. They expect a letter that does its job: the right register, the required points, readable Italian…
30 August 2025
Nederlands
Duolingo of een echte docent? Wat werkt wanneer
Duolingo is beter dan zijn reputatie onder docenten, en slechter dan zijn reputatie onder gebruikers. Het punt is waar het stopt.
28 augustus 2025Nederlands
Waarom je Italiaanse app na A2 stopt met werken
Twee jaar Duolingo en nog steeds geen gesprek. Dat ligt niet aan jou: het is wat het instrument doet.
25 augustus 2025
English
Seven Mistakes That Fail Italian B1 Candidates
After years of preparing candidates I keep seeing the same seven mistakes, and almost none of them are about grammar…
14 August 2025
English
Learn Italian in 20 Minutes a Day: What Research Says
Two hours on Sunday and nothing all week loses to twenty minutes a day. Not as a slogan but as one of the most replicated findings in memory research…
12 August 2025
English
Italian Citizenship by Marriage: The B1 Language Rule
The law is short and the consequence is long: since December 2018, marriage to an Italian gives you a right that must be exercised in Italian…
30 July 2025
English
Are You Ready for the Italian B1 Exam? An Honest Check
Booking an exam is easy. Knowing whether you should is the real question, and there are three honest ways to answer it before paying the fee…
16 July 2025
English
Can-Do Statements: Honest Self-Assessment for Italian
An app can tell you that you finished a unit. Only you can tell whether you can actually order, argue, apologise in Italian. The CEFR has a tool for that…
6 July 2025
Nederlands
Welk Italiaans niveau heb ik? A1 tot C2 uitgelegd
A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2: wat betekenen die letters concreet, en waar zit jij?
18 juni 2025
English
Error-Driven Learning: Let Your Mistakes Teach You Italian
A generic review deck reviews everyone’s Italian. Your error list reviews yours. One of these two knows that you always forget the congiuntivo…
11 June 2025Nederlands
Italiaanse uitspraak voor Nederlanders: de 7 lastigste klanken
Gli, gn, de rollende r en de open e: zeven klanken die het Nederlands niet kent, en die je accent bepalen.
30 april 2025
English
Italian Grammar in Context: The Noticing Hypothesis
A grammar rule you meet on a chart is a fact. The same rule noticed inside a story you were following is an experience. They are not stored the same way…
20 April 2025
English
Learn Italian in Chunks: Phrases Beat Word Lists
Nobody assembles 'in bocca al lupo' word by word. A big share of fluent speech is prefabricated, and that is good news for learners…
13 March 2025
English
Interleaving: Why Mixed Italian Practice Works Better
Twenty passato prossimo exercises in a row feel smooth. Mixed tenses feel messy. The messy version is the one that shows up at the exam…
5 February 2025
Nederlands
Je Italiaanse woordenschat uitbreiden: 5 methodes vergeleken
Woordenlijstjes, flashcards, lezen, spaced repetition en woordfamilies: wat werkt wanneer, en hoeveel woorden je per niveau nodig hebt.
28 januari 2025Nederlands
Elke dag tien minuten Italiaans: een routine die wél werkt
Waarom korte dagelijkse sessies meer opleveren dan één lang blok per week, en hoe je een routine bouwt die je na drie weken niet loslaat.
19 januari 2025Nederlands
Italiaanse lidwoorden: il, lo, la, i, gli, le uitgelegd
Wanneer gebruik je il, lo, la, i, gli of le? De regel achter de Italiaanse lidwoorden, uitgelegd voor Nederlandstaligen die alleen de en het kennen.
6 januari 2025
English
Fluency Practice: The Missing Part of Italian Study
Fluency practice has one rule that feels wrong: use only material you already know. No new words, no new grammar. Just speed…
26 December 2024
Nederlands
10 fouten die Nederlanders maken in het Italiaans
Niet de algemene fouten die iedereen maakt, maar de tien die specifiek zijn voor wie Nederlands als moedertaal heeft.
25 november 2024
English
Shadowing and Reading Aloud: Italian Speaking Practice
Your mouth needs training your eyes cannot give it. Reading aloud and shadowing are the two cheapest ways to train it without a partner…
28 October 2024
English
The Output Hypothesis: Start Speaking Italian Early
You can follow a whole Italian film and still freeze ordering a coffee. Swain explained why: understanding and producing are different skills…
12 October 2024
English
Pre-Learning Vocabulary: Meet Italian Words Before the Text
Teachers have done it forever: before the text, the words. Research on deliberate vocabulary learning explains why it is worth stealing for self-study…
2 October 2024
English
How Many Italian Words Do You Need? The Real Numbers
The honest answer is not a single number. It depends on what you want to do, and on a coverage figure from reading research: 98 per cent…
24 September 2024
English
The Testing Effect: Quiz Yourself in Italian
Rereading feels productive because it is fluent. Testing feels bad because you fail. The research is blunt about which one builds memory…
9 September 2024English
The Test Says A2: What Do I Do Now
The normal reaction is to start again from scratch. It is almost everyone’s instinct and almost always a waste.
29 August 2024
English
Spaced Repetition for Italian: Review Later, Not More
Ten reviews today are worth less than three reviews spread over two weeks. That is not a study tip, it is one of the oldest findings in psychology…
25 August 2024Italiano
Il test dice A2: e adesso che cosa faccio
La reazione normale è ricominciare da capo. È l’istinto di quasi tutti e quasi sempre è uno spreco.
10 agosto 2024English
Extensive Reading: Learn Italian with Easy Books
One hard book abandoned on page 12 teaches you less than five easy books finished. Reading research has been saying this for decades…
27 July 2024Nederlands
Niveautest of CILS-examen: wat heb je echt nodig
De eerste zegt waar je staat, de tweede bewijst het aan iemand anders. Ze verwarren kost geld of maanden.
13 juli 2024
English
Comprehensible Input: Learn Italian Just Above Your Level
Stephen Krashen’s claim was radical in 1982 and is mainstream now: you acquire a language by understanding messages slightly above your level…
3 July 2024English
Level Test or CILS Exam: Which One Do You Actually Need
The first tells you where you are, the second proves it to somebody else. Mixing them up costs money or months.
28 June 2024
English
The Four Strands Method for Learning Italian
Paul Nation’s rule of thumb is simple: a quarter of your time on input, a quarter on output, a quarter on language study, a quarter on fluency…
7 June 2024
Italiano
Test di livello o esame CILS: quale ti serve davvero
Il primo ti dice dove sei, il secondo lo dimostra a qualcun altro. Confonderli costa soldi o mesi.
4 giugno 2024
English
Italian CEFR Levels Explained: What A1 to C2 Really Mean
B1 is not a grade. It is a list of things you can do: hold your own in a conversation about familiar topics, deal with most travel situations…
1 June 2024English
From B2 to C1 in Italian: What Actually Changes
At B2 you already know nearly all the grammar. What is missing is something else, and that is why so many people sit there for years.
17 May 2024
Italiano
Da B2 a C1 in italiano: cosa cambia davvero
Al B2 la grammatica la sai già quasi tutta. Quello che manca è un’altra cosa, ed è per questo che tanti si fermano lì per anni.
15 maggio 2024Nederlands
De test zegt A2: wat doe ik nu
De normale reactie is helemaal opnieuw beginnen. Het is de reflex van bijna iedereen en bijna altijd verspilling.
9 mei 2024Nederlands
Hoeveel Italiaanse woorden je nodig hebt per niveau
Woordenschat is de meest verwaarloosde maat van je niveau en de meest voorspellende. Dit zijn de drempels, en wat ze betekenen.
14 april 2024Italiano
Quante parole servono per ogni livello di italiano
Il vocabolario è la misura più trascurata del livello e la più predittiva. Ecco le soglie, e cosa vogliono dire davvero.
31 marzo 2024
Nederlands
Van A2 naar B1 in het Italiaans: hoe lang duurt het echt
De 150 uur die overal wordt genoemd gaat uit van een gemiddelde cursist die niet bestaat. Wat jouw tijdpad bepaalt is iets anders.
21 maart 2024English
How Long Does It Take to Go From A2 to B1 in Italian
The 150 hours everyone quotes assume an average learner who does not exist. What actually sets your timeline is something else.
18 March 2024
Italiano
Da A2 a B1 in italiano: quanto tempo serve davvero
Le 150 ore che si leggono ovunque valgono per uno studente medio che non esiste. Quello che decide i tuoi tempi è un’altra cosa.
15 marzo 2024English
How Many Italian Words You Need at Each CEFR Level
Vocabulary is the most neglected measure of level and the most predictive. Here are the thresholds, and what they really mean.
14 February 2024
Nederlands
Van B2 naar C1 in het Italiaans: wat er echt verandert
Op B2 ken je de grammatica al bijna helemaal. Wat ontbreekt is iets anders, en daarom blijven zoveel mensen daar jarenlang hangen.
30 december 2023
English
Learn the Italian Basics: A Beginner's Guide
Are you intrigued by the melodic language of Italian? Dive into the essentials of Italian language learning with our comprehensive guide. Why Learn…
16 August 2023
English
Staying Motivated
Discover the secrets to staying motivated in language learning with expert insights and practical tips. Learn how personalized goals, consistent…
11 July 2023
English
10 Tips for Learning Italian
Unlock the secrets to mastering Italian with our Top 10 Tips for Learning Italian. From immersive experiences to effective study strategies, discover…
6 June 2023
English
Avoiding Common Mistakes
Embarking on the journey of learning Italian can be an enriching experience, but it comes with its share of challenges. Understanding and avoiding…
4 March 2023
English
Gestalt Language Learning Theory
In the colorful tapestry of human communication, language serves as the thread that weaves together cultures, ideas, and experiences. Learning a new…
12 August 2022
English
Learn Italian Strategies for Busy Professionals
thuisitaliaans offers flexible, task-based Italian courses tailored for busy professionals' schedules. In today's fast-paced world, finding…
6 August 2022
English
How Long Does It Take to Learn Italian?
Learning Italian, like any new language, requires dedication, practice, and the right resources. Whether you're drawn to Italian for its rich…
14 July 2022
English
Learning Italian Like a Spy
Learn Italian like a spy by seeking immersive opportunities, engaging with natives, and exposing yourself to authentic contexts. Imagine learning…
12 June 2022
English
Italian Gestures: More Than Just Words
Italy is renowned for its breathtaking landscapes, delectable cuisine, and rich cultural heritage. One distinctive element of Italian culture that…
15 May 2022
English
Can You Learn Italian on Duolingo?
Discover the secrets of mastering Italian with Duolingo! Explore its gamified approach, interactive exercises, and cultural insights. Uncover whether…
12 March 2022
English
When Did Celebrities Learn Italian?
From De Niro to Di Caprio, the influence of Italian heritage on Hollywood is profound. While some celebrities wear their Italian origins proudly,…
17 January 2022
English
How to Choose the Best Online Italian Course for Beginners
Learning Italian online has never been more engaging or effective, thanks to interactive classes using tools like Flippity and Wordwall. In this…
13 October 2021
English
Recreating Real-Life Immersion
Are you on a quest to master the beautiful Italian language? Whether you're drawn to its melodious cadence, rich cultural heritage, or simply the…
20 July 2021
English
Learn Italian for holiday
Prepare for your Italian adventure with essential phrases, cultural insights, and fast-track learning methods. Are you gearing up for an…
25 May 2021
English
The Effectiveness of Learning with a Private Tutor
Private tutoring provides personalized learning, immediate feedback, and confidence building, enhancing language education for students. In the realm…
16 May 2021
English
Is Italian Difficult to Learn? No!
Learning Italian involves embracing culture. Expert tutor offers tailored classes and immersive experiences for fluency. Learning Italian is more…
3 May 2021
