Learn Italian with the News
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Watching the news in Italian is a great way to improve your listening skills and widen your vocabulary: news broadcasts offer a variety of words and expressions that are seldom encountered in textbooks, and at the same time they provide a valuable insight into Italy’s culture, politics, and everyday life. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to understand much of it unless you already have a good grasp of the language: the speed of the news is usually too fast for a beginner or intermediate learner, and the vocabulary is quite different from everyday language.
In our Learn Italian with the News videos we offer a selection of news in slow Italian, so you can gradually build up your listening skills. Episodes 5 to 11 also include an explanation of key words and recurring expressions to help you develop your vocabulary. Many other episodes include clips from real news broadcasts, slowed down and then repeated at regular speed. In our special series for beginners, I translate the news and explain vocabulary in English.
This series allows you to:
- Listen to stories based on the latest news
- Learn recurring phrases & structures commonly used in formal speech
- Improve your comprehension of Italian TV & news Websites
Italian News for Beginners
Do you find the news still a bit difficult to understand? These videos take you through the latest headlines step by step explaining new vocabulary in detail. I also translate our news stories into English for you.
You can also watch the full playlist on YouTube.
| Video | $1 Tier | Upper Tiers |
|---|---|---|
| Episode 16 - 26 June 2024 - Read FOUR headlines with me today: a speeding old lady, a spectacular robbery, a special astronomy photo, and the success of Italian athletes. | Transcript | Special PDF |
| Episode 15 - 22 May 2024 - Our keyword is IMPEGNO: we talk about universal USB-C charging, the G7 meeting on climate change, and today's youth. | Transcript | Special PDF |
| Episode 14 - 24 April 2024 - Our keyword today is CONVIVENZA: we talk about the Muslim Ramadan in Italy and about immigration to Sardinia. | Transcript | Special PDF |
| Episode 13 - 3 April 2024 - An old man lives in the airport in Bologna; Gondoliers help clean Venice's canals, collecting a record amount of rubbish. | Transcript | Special PDF |
| Episode 12 - 28 February 2024 - Alien species brought to Italian cuisine by Masterchef guest chef; the winning song at Sanremo 2024 and what it means to be a true Italian today. | Transcript | Special PDF |
| Episode 11 - 31 January 2024 - Bufala o realtà? Electric vehicles stranded in Chicago; sixty Italian cities enforce a 30 kph speed limit. | Transcript | Special PDF |
| Episode 10 - 10 January 2024 - An amazing NASA Astronomic Photo of the Day was taken in Turin; how much did Italians spend in food and drinks at Christmas? | Transcript | Special PDF |
| Episode 9 - 6 December 2023 - Tourists, residents and seagulls in Venice: a difficult coexistence; the secrets of an Italian granny who just turned 103. | Transcript | Special PDF |
| Episode 8 - 8 November 2023 - Today we discover a breathtaking cycle path on lake Garda and we talk about the success of a new Italian film about immigration. | Transcript | Special PDF |
| Episode 7 - 4 October 2023 - Oggi leggiamo due notizie di cronaca! The boss of bosses Matteo Messina Denaro has died; a man faked suicide to abandon his family. | Transcript | Special PDF |
| Episode 6 - 6 September 2023 - Two Michelin-starred restaurant in the same small town in Emilia; a scientific study reveals why cats love tuna; the invasion of the blue crab in the Adriatic Sea. | Transcript | Special PDF |
| Episode 5 - 24 May 2023 - The CIA looks for spies in Russia; Italian students are camping in front of universities to protest against high rents; a new investigation was launched to shed light on the disappearance of a girl from the Vatican State 40 years ago. | Transcript | Special PDF |
| Episode 4 - 26 April 2023 - Privacy concerns for OpenAI's ChatGPT in Italy; the Italian government proposes a bill to ban English words from public communication. | Transcript | Special PDF |
| Episode 3 - 5 April 2023 - International Wine Exhibition Vinitaly 2023; Florida teacher fired for showing pictures of Michelangelo's David; e-fuels and biofuels. | Transcript | Special PDF |
| Episode 2 - 15 March 2023 - The UE greenlights cricket flour in food products; unprecedented drought in northern Italy. | Transcript | Special PDF |
| Episode 1 - 15 February 2023 - The earthquake in Turkey and Syria; thief caught thanks to fingerprints left on biscuits. | Transcript | Special PDF |
Learn Italian with the News
Easy to Intermediate/Advanced
Look at the full playlist or watch single videos from the list below. For some videos, the transcript is free to download. Any additional premium content available on Patreon is linked on the right.
| Video | Free/$1 Tier | Upper Tiers |
|---|---|---|
| Episode 22 - 25 January 2023 - Arrestato a Palermo il boss mafioso Matteo Messina Denaro; lutto nel mondo del cinema: muore a Roma Gina Lollobrigida; arriva il Festival di Sanremo 2023. | Transcript | Special PDF |
| Episode 21 - 5 October 2022 - Speciale elezioni 2022: tutti i risultati; la guerra in Ucraina continua; l'addio solenne alla regina Elisabetta II. | Transcript | Special PDF |
| Episode 20 - 20 April 2022 - La guerra in Ucraina; la Pasqua 2022; il calcio: i Mondiali e il campionato di Serie A. | Transcript | Special PDF |
| Good News Special - 9 February 2022 - Libri che vanno in bici; l'iniziativa Un sasso per un sorriso; le città più verdi d'Italia. | Transcript | Special PDF |
| Episode 19 - 13 January 2022 - La nuova ondata di contagi con la variante Omicron; il Capodanno 2022; l'Italia paese dell'anno 2021. | Transcript | Special PDF |
| Episode 18 - 13 October 2021 - Eruzione vulcanica alle isole Canarie; ultimi dati sulla pandemia; i nuovi capitani reggenti di San Marino; il primo caffè coltivato in Italia. | Free Transcript | Special PDF |
| Episode 17 - 8 September 2021 - Aggiornamento sulla pandemia: scuola, green pass, no vax; la situazione in Afghanistan; le Paralimpiadi di Tokyo; la pagina culturale. | Free Transcript | Special PDF |
| Episode 16 - 14 July 2021 - L'Italia Campione d'Europa a UEFA EURO 2020; il certificato verde COVID-19; l'ondata di calore; l'orgoglio gay e il ddl Zan. | Free Transcript | Special PDF |
| Episode 15 - 9 June 2021 - Il ritorno dei turisti in Italia; la vittoria dei Måneskin a Eurovision; il ricordo di Carla Fracci; la Festa della Repubblica. | Free Transcript | Special PDF |
| Episode 14 - 12 May 2021 - L'emergenza COVID in India; le prospettive per il turismo nel 2021; lo Scudetto di Serie A 2020/2021; il caso Fedez. | Free Transcript | Special PDF |
| Episode 13 - 31 March 2021 - L'emergenza COVID; le candidature agli Oscar 2021; la missione Mars 2020; il Dantedì 2021; la Coppa America di vela. | Free Transcript | Special PDF |
| Episode 12 - 10 February 2021 - Il Capodanno cinese; la crisi di governo e il sistema elettorale italiano. | Free Transcript | Special PDF |
| Episode 11 - 16 December 2020 - Santa Lucia, Natale e Capodanno 2020; eventi culturali e intrattenimento online in italiano. | Special PDF | |
| Episode 10 - 11 November 2020 - Le elezioni presidenziali americane 2020; eventi culturali online e mostre d'arte. | Special PDF | |
| Episode 9 - 23 September 2020 - Il Festival del Cinema di Venezia; Viva Dante 2021; le mostre d'arte in corso. | ||
| Episode 8 - 19 August 2020 - Il turismo di massa e le località turistiche italiane meno conosciute. | ||
| Episode 7 - 22 July 2020 - Il festival dell'opera di Verona; la ripresa del campionato di calcio di Serie A. | ||
| Episode 6 - 17 June 2020 - Venezia prima, durante e dopo il lockdown. | ||
| Episode 5 - 20 May 2020 - La ripartenza dell'Italia: le misure dopo il lockdown. | ||
| Episode 4 - 2 April 2020 - Aggiornamento dal lockdown COVID-19. | ||
| Episode 3 - 3 March 2020 - La diffusione del Coronavirus in Italia. | ||
| Episode 2 - 19 February 2020 - Aggiornamento sulla pandemia COVID-19; la nuova Ferrari SF1000; i premi Oscar 2020. | ||
| Episode 1 - 28 January 2020 - L'influenza stagionale; il centenario di Federico Fellini; l'acqua alta a Venezia. |
