Italian: All the Basics
There are many good reasons to learn a new language, from a specific interest or practical purposes to an unexplainable fascination towards its sounds. Whatever your reasons, you certainly know that there are plenty of free resources out there, from YouTube channels to eBooks, to podcasts. So, why should you add My Italian Circle to your language learning tools? We believe in building a solid foundation with a combination of high-frequency vocabulary in context, basic sounds, and basic grammar structures, all made clear through examples and explained in English. With a little work you will soon be able to move on to intermediate videos in slow Italian with questions, to boost your comprehension and speaking skills.
How to get the most out of our videos
- Set your Italian learning goals and a learning schedule. If you have a busy life, as many people do, just try and fit at least 10 minutes in your daily routine. TIP: make it fun! Get a nice notebook, coloured pens and pencils, a pocket journal where you can write new vocabulary, anything to inject additional motivation into your learning process!
- Study each lesson thoroughly: don’t rush into the next lesson, watch the videos multiple times, and review new words or grammar topics before moving on. Feel free to go back to previous lessons: watch, learn, consolidate.
- Get active: passive learning is not enough. Repeat out loud sounds, words, and sentences. This will improve your pronunciation, you will feel more confident when speaking in real life, and it will be easier to remember what you have learned.
If you find our videos useful, SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel - it's absolutely free! Also, leave comments under our videos on YouTube and get in touch with us if you have questions!

In this free beginner course, you will learn:
- Basic grammar structures: all the basic concepts & principles, to help you understand how Italian works and start building your own sentences.
- Common verbs: how to use and conjugate them, plus many interesting idiomatic expressions.
- Basic Italian sentences & vocabulary related to everyday situations.
- How to pronounce Italian correctly. This will also help your comprehension.
Cominciamo!
Grammar - Grammatica
The ultimate goal of any language learner is to communicate, and sometimes grammar is seen more as an obstacle than as a key to mastering a foreign language. That’s why our grammar videos are designed to be accessible to all kinds of learners, including those who are not used to studying it. In these videos, the structures and characteristics of the Italian language are explained through a communicative approach where grammar is placed in a context. Images and example sentences will help to retain those "boring parts” that ought to be memorised, and grammar terminology is explained briefly whenever necessary.
When you are ready to go beyond the basics, you can find more grammar videos listed on this page along with links to our premium content on Patreon: video transcripts, additional grammar notes and plenty of exercises!

Italian Grammar
Concise & Clearly Explained
If you enjoyed our freebie and would like to receive our complete grammar handbook, you can get it now from Amazon worldwide as eBook and paperback.
The eBook version of our handbook is also available as a welcome gift to our top-tier patrons on Patreon. Click here to download the table of contents.
Verbi - Master the most common Italian verbs
It's a fact: the most common verbs of a language are usually irregular. This is the case with English, and with Italian too. Once you have understood the principles of verb conjugation, watch this series of videos on Italian verbs, where Anna provides tips to remember irregular conjugations, and explains uses, synonyms and idiomatic expressions with the help of hundreds of examples.
When to use ANDARE, and when to use VENIRE? These verbs don't work exactly like their English equivalents. What is the difference between SAPERE and CONOSCERE? Why is coscienza spelled with an "i" and conoscenza without? Tra il DIRE e il FARE c'è di mezzo il mare, ed è tutto un ANDIRIVIENI! Let's learn all of this together.
Phrases & Vocabulary - Vocabolario
When you are learning a new language at a beginner level it can be difficult to start a conversation, or to find the right words to communicate quickly what you need. Words and phrases are like the building blocks that you need to build a solid wall, and the wall is your communication in the target language. Once you have started using short phrases, you will quickly move to having simple conversations more easily than you think.
In this section you will find useful vocabulary and phrases to help you communicate in various situations, from train travel to a romantic dinner.
Pronunciation - Pronuncia
If you are reading these pages, maybe something inside you just clicked, and made you fall in love with this beautiful language. Maybe you’re studying Italian for work or business purposes, or you want to connect to your Italian roots, or maybe the love of your life is Italian. Whatever your reasons may be, we are pretty sure that you love the sound of our language! Some say that it's like music, and indeed Italian has a unique melody; others associate the language with travel and cultural experiences; some say that words ending with a vowel are simply more pleasant to the ear.
Good pronunciation will help Italians understand you, and will improve your comprehension. Italian is very consistent and it's pronounced how it's written - there are just a few things to keep in mind.
You can watch these videos in the order you like - start from the Complete Alphabet, if you prefer.