With over 60 million speakers, Italian is quite a widespread language, with Italian-speaking communities in over 30 countries around the world
Italy is the ‘cradle of Western culture’
Study art history in the land that inspired Michelangelo. Read La Divina Commedia in the words of Dante. Walk the streets where Archimedes ran naked shouting Eureka!
A recent UNESCO report states that over 60% of the world’s art treasures are to be found in Italy. The Italian language is key to study and research in the fields of art, history, literature, archaeology and philosophy.
Knowing Italian also enables you to better appreciate and enjoy classical music. Musicians and opera singers consider it a key professional skill.
Italian is the language of food and food lovers
Italy is a culinary leader of the world and the increased popularity of the language reflects the growing obsession with Italian food. Moreover, Italian is the language with the highest number of words for naming food, restaurants, dishes and produce!
It can be argued, of course, that you can enjoy the taste of food without speaking a word of the language. However, going to a restaurant in Italy and ordering in Italian or learning to cook with authentic Italian recipes is by far a more immersive experiences that a true foodie will enjoy thoroughly.
Knowledge of Italian will increase your career opportunities
‘Made in Italy’ is one of the most recognized brands all over the world. Italian brands such as Benetton, Barilla, Ferrari, Lavazza, Armani, and many more are well-known for the exceptional quality of their products.
Italy is today one of the top economies in the world with many employers seeking people who speak Italian. Numerous Italian companies have offices in other countries, such as the US, and companies all over the world are looking to partner with Italian businesses.
If you learn the Italian language, it will look great on your resume and increase your career opportunities, especially if you are looking for employment in fashion and design – some of Italy’s top industries.
You’ll be able to go on a journey of a lifetime – more than one
Italy is a fantastic country to visit as a tourist. It can boast breathtaking landscapes along with amazing architecture. It will seduce you with food and music, wine and fashion.
Knowing Italian will allow you to fully immerse yourself in Italian culture, making for a more authentic and immersive experience when you travel. It also will make traveling to Italy easier – you’ll have no problem booking hotel rooms, shopping, ordering food.
Many Italian people are eager to share their beautiful country and culture with travelers. And if you’re able to speak Italian, you’ll be better equipped to take advantage of these opportunities.
You’ll be able to make a lot of new friends
Approximately 63 million people around the world speak Italian as their first language. It’s ranked as the 20th most-spoken language in the world. That’s pretty high on the list when you consider that there are a few thousand different languages spoken in the world today.
Italian is not only the official language of Italy – it’s also one of the official languages of Switzerland and parts of Croatia and Slovenia. There are Italian speakers living in almost every corner of the world, from Canada to Venezuela to the Philippines.
If you learn Italian, you’ll be able to communicate with 63 million more people than you could before. That’s 63 million more potential friendships.
Italian is relatively easy to learn – and also very beautiful
If you are a speaker of one of the Romance languages such as French or Spanish, or of some other Indo-European languages like English, learning Italian will be relatively easy. These languages share a lot of vocabulary and have many similar grammatical principles.
Another reason Italian is considered an easy language to learn is because of the close connection between spelling and pronunciation. There’s a strong correlation between how you spell a word and how you pronounce it. There aren’t many silent letters, missing sounds, and spellings that have got nothing to do with how the word is spoken.
Moreover, Italian is a beautiful language. The majority of students of Italian are fascinated by its musicality, the simplicity of its sounds and the charm of its words.
Italian can be a gateway to other languages – and to becoming a polyglot
Of all the romance languages, Italian is the closest to Latin and it is estimated that 60% of English words derive from Latin. Learning Italian will make any other romance language, including Spanish, French, Portuguese and Romanian, more approachable and easier to learn.
Learning Italian will boost your brain
Learning a foreign language improves your memory and cognitive skills and helps the brain stay young much longer. With all the other added benefits mentioned above, you should probably be wondering why you are not learning Italian yet.