Learning new Italian words at an advanced level — yes, it’s possible
A few weeks ago, during one of our Italian conversation lessons, my student Claus used a new adjective to describe a wine he’d tried on a visit to a winery the weekend before. The word was amarognolo which translates roughly as bitterish in English. Claus was very pleased with himself: he’d heard the word in an episode of my podcast Salvatore racconta a few days earlier and it had stuck, without him even trying to learn it. For Claus, as for many people, learning new Italian words at an advanced level feels harder than it did at the beginning. Why? It might seem counterintuitive — but it isn’t.
Why your brain resists
At the beginning, when we start learning a foreign language, we pick up a huge number of words very quickly: chair, table, book, phone, eat, speak, work, live. The brain absorbs them fast, partly because of the enthusiasm of being a beginner, and partly because — to use a metaphor — the drawer labelled Italian words in our brain is completely empty. There’s plenty of room. The brain also registers these words as necessary: they’re fundamental for communication, so it’s worth investing energy in learning them.
But when we want to learn new Italian words at an advanced level, something shifts. The brain already contains a lot of Italian vocabulary, and adding more isn’t a real priority. What we already know feels like enough. Let’s be honest: Claus could have described that wine without the word amarognolo — perhaps less precisely, but he would have managed. And yet the word stayed with him. Why?
The real key: pleasure
Partly, it’s chance — sometimes a word sticks because it has a funny sound or reminds us of something. But partly it’s about our priorities. Claus is a wine enthusiast, he visits wineries regularly and holds a sommelier diploma. Learning new vocabulary in the world of wine is genuinely interesting to him.
And that, I think, is the real key. Our brains — especially as adults who study in our free time, for pleasure — don’t naturally invest a lot of energy in learning Italian. They know there are more pressing things. The one exception: when we show the brain that it’s worth it, because something brings us joy and makes us feel good. And that’s why amarognolo happened.
Learn new Italian words at advanced level: two methods that actually work
We won’t always be lucky enough to come across words with funny sounds or words connected to our passions. So how do we convince the brain to make a little room? There’s no single solution, but two methods work well for me.
The first is reading — a lot, and regularly. Some words that keep appearing will eventually make their way into memory, even without us noticing. A simple example from my own experience: for years I couldn’t remember the English word ceiling. Then I read a novel where the main character spent hours staring at the ceiling — and the word has stayed with me ever since.
The second is writing. Not copying the word out obsessively, but using it in a sentence — building a context around it. The mind works a lot through images, and placing a word in a context helps it stick. One extra tip: try writing by hand instead of on a keyboard. It’s such an unusual physical activity today that it requires more concentration — and the brain automatically gives it more weight.
Want to expand your Italian vocabulary in a natural, stress-free way? Write to me or book a free introductory call — let’s talk about where you are and where you want to go.