I also suggest iTalki. Nothing replaces actual conversation practice.
Once you've found someone you like on iTalki, ask if they'd be willing to correct things you write. Almost everybody seems to be happy to do that. Then, start writing. Start off with writing about what you did that day, like you were keeping a journal. Write a simple story, some anecdote from your own life - what's the weirdest thing that ever happened to you, or to someone else? Imagine that you're having a conversation and someone asks you what you do for work / what you're studying in school, what your hobbies are, what your favorite authors, books, or movies are (and why). Write about a vacation you want to take, or did take. Or pick one of the 'prompt' questions from a book like this if you've got writers' block. Then, when they send you back corrections or suggestions on how to phrase something more native-like, use that feedback on the next thing you write.
by atomicjohnson 2018-11-10
Maybe take a look at these books - you can get a lot of questions "for free" out of the sample/preview pages on Amazon.
How long it takes is - obviously - going to depend wildly on how much time you put into it per day, and more importantly, how you spend that time. And how far you want to go with it, knowing Italian at a "get around comfortably as a tourist" level is a different proposition from the "easily read Umberto Eco novels" level...
That said, here are some suggestions that might work with your personal learning style:
Try to keep your internal monologue in Italian, even if it's basic. One of the "noun groups" that I started out with is just stuff around the house and around the office, because those are where I spend a lot of time. So when I'm (for instance) getting ready in the morning, as I do things, I would try to talk to myself about what I'm doing. Light switch, doorknob, shower, soap, towel, sink, faucet, mirror, razor - as I use something I think about what it's called, use it in a sentence, rephrase that sentence (I am washing my hands in the sink; he will wash his hands; they have washed their hands). As you go about your day, think about how you would express what you're thinking in Italian (the printer is broken again; this coffee is awful; I forgot where I parked). If you don't know how to express it, write it down and look it up later.
Like - if you're washing your hands, think of all the (mostly inane, but...) stuff you could say ABOUT washing your hands. Just one little action like that can get you to come up with dozens of vocabulary words. "I am washing my hands. My hands were dirty. Now they are clean. I used soap and water. I am in the kitchen. I washed my hands in the sink. The water comes out of the faucet. The water is hot. I turned the faucet on. When I am finished, I will turn the faucet off. The soap smells like grapefruit. The sink is made of steel." Wet, dry, towel, all kinds of things you can think of.
Next time you're washing your hands, do your internal monologue again. So you're associating this vocabulary, like a baby does, with something that you're actually doing in real life - not just words on a monitor.
If you're in a living situation that permits doing this, get a roll of masking tape and a Sharpie and label stuff. Label your TV, your remote control, your coatrack, your thermostat, everything you can stick some tape to. Not just the noun itself, but adjectives (like... my fridge is black, and shiny, and cold, and magnetic...) and verbs associated with it (you can open it, close it, look inside it...) and talk to yourself about it.
It's kind of hard for me to express this in writing, but I think you get what I mean if I say avoid "translating" - if I see or hear "mela" I don't want to have to translate that to "apple" before understanding... it doesn't mean "apple". (This totally screwed me in French in high school, I was always horrible with it because I learned it as "English with different words" so I was always going through the process of translating what I would hear or read to English and then translating my English response back into French.)
I also suggest getting some one-on-one tutoring on iTalki. Nothing replaces actual conversation practice.
Once you've found someone you like on iTalki, ask if they'd be willing to correct things you write. Almost everybody seems to be happy to do that. Then, start writing. Start off with writing about what you did that day, like you were keeping a journal. Write a simple story, some anecdote from your own life - what's the weirdest thing that ever happened to you, or to someone else? Imagine that you're having a conversation and someone asks you what you do for work / what you're studying in school, what your hobbies are, what your favorite authors, books, or movies are (and why). Write about a vacation you want to take, or did take. Or pick one of the 'prompt' questions from a book like this if you've got writers' block. Then, when they send you back corrections or suggestions on how to phrase something more native-like, use that feedback on the next thing you write.
Last, and this is subtle but I think important - try not to think How do you say this in Italian? but, instead, How would an Italian say this?
Edit: I see you replied earlier that your boyfriend is a native Italian, which is even better than someone on iTalki!
I also suggest iTalki. Nothing replaces actual conversation practice.
Once you've found someone you like on iTalki, ask if they'd be willing to correct things you write. Almost everybody seems to be happy to do that. Then, start writing. Start off with writing about what you did that day, like you were keeping a journal. Write a simple story, some anecdote from your own life - what's the weirdest thing that ever happened to you, or to someone else? Imagine that you're having a conversation and someone asks you what you do for work / what you're studying in school, what your hobbies are, what your favorite authors, books, or movies are (and why). Write about a vacation you want to take, or did take. Or pick one of the 'prompt' questions from a book like this if you've got writers' block. Then, when they send you back corrections or suggestions on how to phrase something more native-like, use that feedback on the next thing you write.
Maybe take a look at these books - you can get a lot of questions "for free" out of the sample/preview pages on Amazon.
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How long it takes is - obviously - going to depend wildly on how much time you put into it per day, and more importantly, how you spend that time. And how far you want to go with it, knowing Italian at a "get around comfortably as a tourist" level is a different proposition from the "easily read Umberto Eco novels" level...
That said, here are some suggestions that might work with your personal learning style:
Try to keep your internal monologue in Italian, even if it's basic. One of the "noun groups" that I started out with is just stuff around the house and around the office, because those are where I spend a lot of time. So when I'm (for instance) getting ready in the morning, as I do things, I would try to talk to myself about what I'm doing. Light switch, doorknob, shower, soap, towel, sink, faucet, mirror, razor - as I use something I think about what it's called, use it in a sentence, rephrase that sentence (I am washing my hands in the sink; he will wash his hands; they have washed their hands). As you go about your day, think about how you would express what you're thinking in Italian (the printer is broken again; this coffee is awful; I forgot where I parked). If you don't know how to express it, write it down and look it up later.
Like - if you're washing your hands, think of all the (mostly inane, but...) stuff you could say ABOUT washing your hands. Just one little action like that can get you to come up with dozens of vocabulary words. "I am washing my hands. My hands were dirty. Now they are clean. I used soap and water. I am in the kitchen. I washed my hands in the sink. The water comes out of the faucet. The water is hot. I turned the faucet on. When I am finished, I will turn the faucet off. The soap smells like grapefruit. The sink is made of steel." Wet, dry, towel, all kinds of things you can think of.
Next time you're washing your hands, do your internal monologue again. So you're associating this vocabulary, like a baby does, with something that you're actually doing in real life - not just words on a monitor.
If you're in a living situation that permits doing this, get a roll of masking tape and a Sharpie and label stuff. Label your TV, your remote control, your coatrack, your thermostat, everything you can stick some tape to. Not just the noun itself, but adjectives (like... my fridge is black, and shiny, and cold, and magnetic...) and verbs associated with it (you can open it, close it, look inside it...) and talk to yourself about it.
It's kind of hard for me to express this in writing, but I think you get what I mean if I say avoid "translating" - if I see or hear "mela" I don't want to have to translate that to "apple" before understanding... it doesn't mean "apple". (This totally screwed me in French in high school, I was always horrible with it because I learned it as "English with different words" so I was always going through the process of translating what I would hear or read to English and then translating my English response back into French.)
I also suggest getting some one-on-one tutoring on iTalki. Nothing replaces actual conversation practice.
Once you've found someone you like on iTalki, ask if they'd be willing to correct things you write. Almost everybody seems to be happy to do that. Then, start writing. Start off with writing about what you did that day, like you were keeping a journal. Write a simple story, some anecdote from your own life - what's the weirdest thing that ever happened to you, or to someone else? Imagine that you're having a conversation and someone asks you what you do for work / what you're studying in school, what your hobbies are, what your favorite authors, books, or movies are (and why). Write about a vacation you want to take, or did take. Or pick one of the 'prompt' questions from a book like this if you've got writers' block. Then, when they send you back corrections or suggestions on how to phrase something more native-like, use that feedback on the next thing you write.
Last, and this is subtle but I think important - try not to think How do you say this in Italian? but, instead, How would an Italian say this?
Edit: I see you replied earlier that your boyfriend is a native Italian, which is even better than someone on iTalki!