Published: January 4, 2024

Fluent Simple Course Review - A Great Way to Learn Italian Quickly

Recently, I had the pleasure of speaking with native Italian language coach, Stefano, the founder of Fluent Simple. I wanted to trial his main course in order to see how quickly I could learn beginners Italian. In this post, I will discuss my experience using Fluent Simple’s Online Italian Course Impara Con Me (Learn with Me). This course comprises Ripeti Con Me! (Repeat with Me) and Leggi Con Me!, (Read with Me).

Initially, I planned to write a separate post about how to learn Italian fast. Instead, I have decided to combine the two topics because I think Impara Con Me provides a great platform from which to do just that. Impare Con Me! is not necessarily the best Italian course out there.

However, it is great value for money, especially taking into account the amount of Italian content you receive and its user-friendly interface. I think it's an excellent main resource to use in order to take your Italian from beginner level to upper intermediate level.

Fluent Simple Pros

👍 Huge Amount of Content Included

👍 Italian Taught By Linguist

👍 Interesting Cultural Topics

👍 Feedback on Mistakes

Fluent Simple Cons

👎 Only Available for Italian

👎 More Basic Dashboard Than Some Competitors

This Fluent Simple review is quite extensive.

Please feel free to use the menu below to find the part most relevant to you.

What is Fluent Simple?

FluentSimple is run by Italian native and language learning coach, Stefano.

The site contains a number of really useful Italian language resources, all put together by Stefano. These include Italian Short Stories, News in Slow Italian, Italian Conversations and Italian Grammar Lessons.

Stefano’s signature Italian course, Impara Con Me! (Learn with Me) is structured based on his own approach to learning the Italian language, through repeating and mimicking useful Italian phrases and sentences.

With this language learning method, you learn not only how to speak Italian but also how to understand Italian. And that, when aiming for fluency, is crucial!

I have read some reviews online which claim that Impara Con Me is an imitation of Glossika, which uses smart technology, adaptive learning algorithms and structured content to teach a foreign language. I am yet to try Glossika, so I cannot dispute this. What I can say, however, is that Stefano provides a human element, which is so often lacking in popular language learning apps.

What is Impara Con Me?

So, Impara Con Me (Learn with Me) comprises two main courses. One focuses on speaking, (Ripeti Con Me) and the other on reading (Legge Con Me).

The slogan of Ripeti Con Me is even ‘Stop Reading, Start Speaking!’ - something I think we can all agree is preferable when it comes to learning a foreign language. However, learning to read Italian is, of course, necessary in order to master fluency in it.

The other course, Leggi Con Me, (Read with Me) helps you develop these important reading skills. This is a great way to improve your Italian vocabulary and start to build a vocabulary list.

Building a list of key vocabulary is a really important part of the language learning process. I know this from personal experience, albeit not through Italian.

The faster you are able to read Italian, the faster your Italian vocabulary will progress and the quicker you’ll be able to learn.

Ripeti Con Me combines a number of these features and enables you to go through the course, which is almost like a digital Italian textbook with audio - (albeit much more interactive) - at your own pace.

Ripeti Con Me - An Effective Way to Learn Italian Fast?

Something I really liked when I trialled Stefano's online Italian course Ripeti Con Me was that I was able to do so free of charge.

Within the free 15 lessons, Stefano provides a huge amount of free Italian content. Naturally, this caters most for beginners.

The course includes a healthy, effective mix of basic Italian grammar exercises and useful Italian phrases for tourists.

Initially, there is an element of learning how to say the basics in Italian. For example, you learn how to say and understand ‘Do you speak English?’ and how to count in Italian from 0-10. You also learn how to say ‘I want’ in Italian, amongst other beginner phrases, However, it is important to mention here that the vocabulary and grammar on display in this course is so much more extensive than that.

This section of the course also teaches you a little about Italian verb conjugations with key, useful verbs like ester (to be) and avere (to have), and masculine and feminine rules.__

As somebody who does not speak fluent Italian, I can say this is all achieved without becoming overwhelming.

Will this method teach you Italian fast? When it comes to the pace at which you can learn a language, I believe the term 'fast' is subjective. The time you invest, the way you learn best and your experience with other languages will determine whether or not you are able to learn italian 'fast.'

In any case, Ripeti Con M. provides a solid foundation from which to progress your Italian language skills and learn Italian as fast as possible.

Learning Italian on Your own with Fluent Simple

When I finished my free trial, I wanted to take my Italian to the next level (I am still a beginner). I wanted to use the vocabulary I had learned, the grammar I had practiced and the reading skills I had acquired in Impara Con Me in order to progress.

So, I signed up to the Subscription Plan. This unlocked many exclusive features and gave me full access to all content from all courses. This comprises more than 300 lessons!

Of course, by this time I was already familiar with the Fluent Simple dashboard and features, but a Subscription enabled me to navigate all additional features.

Unsurprisingly, I found that FluentSimple’s courses and its dashboard are very much set up for learning Italian on your own. Each lesson is made up of 3 audio files, the Italian transcript and the English translation.

The great thing about the lessons is that you do NOT need to:

Memorise whole sentences

Remember everything at once

Follow grammar rules

Dashboard & User Experience

The initial login takes you through the portal (part of your browser, so no plugin or third party tech required) and shows you how each lesson works.

In addition to this, you can adjust the speed if the audio is too quick. You can even show or hide the Italian transcript depending on how comfortable you are listening to Italian.

Stefano speaks slowly, which is ideal for complete beginners.

It became pretty clear to me that the course had been designed by a language learning expert, not a machine producing AI and swanky branding!

When you finish the lesson, you mark it complete and move on. You can also bookmark it in case you want to go back. It’s pretty simple.

Another aspect of the portal that I think is useful is the user’s ability to leave comments to ask and answer questions in Italian (or English).

Stefano even responds to queries or corrects you if you’re wrong. So, he acts as your Italian tutor throughout the process. This is an added benefit not present in many competitor courses, and another feature which will help you to learn Italian fast.

Here, you can find more information on the **Subscription Options **available.

How to Learn Italian Fast

I hope this Fluent Simple review has been useful, providing some required information relating to your path towards learning Italian. As mentioned previously, I planned to write a separate post discussing the main ways to learn Italian fast.

Really, the speed at which you learn any language depends on multiple factors. In addition, speed is subjective. One technique for one learner may not work for another. In any case, I do believe Stefano's courses at Fluent Simple provide a platform from which to learn Italian fast.

However, you may not agree. You may find other Italian resources which work better for you. Whatever resource you choose to learn Italian, I have listed some tips below on how to do so quickly.

1. Dedicate time to study each day

Like any new skill, language learning requires some degree of routine, especially if you are a beginner. Italian is no different! Put aside at least 30 minutes of each day to learn. When you do so, switch off your phone and try to get away from social media. Furthermore, make sure you switch your phone language to Italian and install an Italian keyboard. By doing this, you'll find yourself more immersed in the language.

2. Be patient

You CANlearn Italian fast, but learning any language requires patience. Very few great achievements are created overnight, and even the greatest linguists understand that there is a process which needs to be followed. By showing patience, will find yourself progressing in Italian more quickly than you may have expected.

3. Remember the Rewards are Amazing

Language teachers and coaches dedicate their life to languages because they are aware of the rewards that come after the hard work. Knowing how to speak Italian means exploring Italy’s rich, diverse and historic culture. As mentioned in the 'Pros' section at the top of this article, many of these cultural elements are included in Ripeti Con Me! This is a great feature.

4. If it’s not working, change it!

Not every language learning method works for everyone. A free trial is a great way to test whether or not an online language course is right for you. It’s for this reason that I am so in favour of FluentSimple’s Italian courses and Stefano’s teaching style. Give it a go to see if you notice an improvement. If you do, great! If you don’t, you can try another course, and you haven’t spent a penny! We have put a list of Italian Language Resources together to help you make the right decision.

5. Listen, Speak, Read, Repeat

Ok, so I left ‘write’ out - but you get the idea. Language learning is about repetition. The more you listen, speak or read in Italian, the faster you will learn it. This is a key part of Stefano's Fluent Simple courses. If you are interested in the theory behind this process of repetition then I recommend the book How to Learn a Foreign Language.

Alternatives to Fluent Simple

Preply

If you are looking for a tutor rather than a language learning app then consider Preply. Preply is a marketplace where students from all over the world can find one-on-one online tutors for personalised learning programs.

It is very similar to italki, with the same common goals and the same main features. Preply also contains an in-built classroom which enhances the quality and efficiency of lessons for both tutors and students.

Rocket Languages

Rocket Languages is a software focused language learning app that uses audio lessons, interactive exercises and readings to get you to a conversational level in a foreign language.

Through its structured and proven successful process, you will begin to understand more about the language you are learning quite quickly. Sign up to a trial with Rocket Languages.

Babbel

Babbel is a subscription based language learning app that to help you learn a new language. It currently offers 14 languages on its unique, user friendly platform. You can use Babbel on desktop and mobile.

Babbel’s desktop and app format is curriculum-based with pre-recorded content including games, quizzes, tests, games and grammar exercises.

It is a great resource if you are looking to learn a language on your own. Babbel's latest feature, Babbel Live, enables you to connect with tutors without leaving the platform.