How To Choose And Read Your First Book In Italian

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Deciding to read your first book in Italian--or any foreign language--can easily feel like an intimidating endeavor. What book should you read? How long should it be? Should it be a collection of short stories or a novel? And if so, which one? Should you get a simplified or abridged edition, or maybe a children's book so you can get there more gradually?

But with the right method, that glowing and daunting book floating right before you in a seemingly unapproachable aura won't feel like a supernatural task anymore.

The following guidelines will help you through the woods.

MAKE IT ENJOYABLE

Your primary goal is to have an enjoyable experience. The only way to achieve that is by picking a subject that interests you. If you're into art history, then follow that path. If you want to know about gli anni di piombo in Italy and the role of the Brigate Rosse in the shaping of the late 70s and early 80s in northern-central Italy, then find a good book that talks about that. If you're into classics, then pick a classic. If you love Nordic literature, then get a book by Björn Larsson and read that. Italians don't read only books originally written in Italian.

In other words, read what you would normally read. Do not choose at random making language learning your only important goal.

DO NOT TRY TO LEARN THE LANGUAGE

The language is contained in the book already. By reading it in Italian, you're already fully exposing yourself to it. You don't need to do more. In fact, you should not do more. Once the book lies open in your hands, your priority is to get through it as quickly as possible. You don't want to drag it on for months.

However, there's something you can do before you start a book: memorize (out loud) the conjugation of a verb tense called passato remoto. This verb tense is the standard one in use for Italian novels.

DO NOT USE A DICTIONARY

If you use a dictionary for every word you don't know, it's going to take you months if not years to get through that book. You're going to interrupt your reading multiple times before you can even finish a paragraph. That's not reading. That's torture right there. Besides, you'll put yourself through useless suffering and hardship because realistically you're not going to remember the words you look up anyway.

I know you feel like it's going to be an impossible task if you can't use a dictionary. In fact, it's going to be an impossible one if you use it. Therefore, keep it in a different room from where you're reading and use it less than sparingly.

Here's something you can do instead. If the book you picked talks about the mafia in Sicily, you can memorize some mafia vocabulary, police lingo, and a bit of assassination slang before you begin reading. Then, recognizing the words and expressions you've learned as you read on will make them stay with you.

CHOOSE SMARTLY

Pick a reasonable length and difficulty for your first book. Il Nome della Rosa by Umberto Eco might not be the best choice. It's a great read, but the novel deals with complex Medieval history, philosophy, semiotics, theology, logic, theory of literature, and it's written in a language intentionally resemblant of a certain ancient style. It might just be too overwhelming. However, if you think you have the vocabulary and the resilience for long and winding plots--go for it! I'm always proud of those who challenge themselves to the risk of failure.

KEEP PEN AND PAPER AWAY

If you underline three quarters of every page and fill the book up with notes, then you're not reading. You're doing something else.

Even reading--in whichever language, including one's native tongue--requires a good method.

There's not a perfect universal law on how to choose a book. We all have our own. However, one rule of thumb one should never break is: if the experience is not enjoyable, then it's not worth it.