How I’m learning Italian the hard way

I’m halfway through completing a year of Duolingo’s Italian course—here’s to my most consistent 310 days ever—and it has me thinking about how I learned English through cartoons. Yes, I owe my early beginnings in the language to Doctor Dora the Explorer, Professor Blue’s Clues and Professor Little Bear.

Spanish was my first language, which explains why my head is sometimes in crisis mode when I write—I tend to mix up grammar rules. English and Spanish often structure sentences in opposite ways, so I sometimes have to pause and think: “Am I saying ‘the red car’ or ‘el carro rojo’?”

As many of you know, kids are like sponges. It’s easier to absorb and retain information as a child than as an adult. I’m not saying it’s impossible, but learning takes longer—and I’m realizing this the hard way while trying to master Italian. As a kid watching cartoons, I had no idea I was learning an entire language. I just thought it was fun! Unconscious learning is the best kind because it doesn’t feel like a chore—it just happens naturally.

I recently rewatched some of the educational cartoons I loved as a child, and the entire time, I couldn’t help but think, “Why is Dora asking me five times where the apple tree is?” The truth is, that repetition was key to making information stick. That’s exactly what I’m experiencing now with Duolingo—except instead of Dora, it’s an app sending me a million notifications reminding me to complete my daily lesson or risk losing my impressive 310-day streak.

Since I was bilingual by age 4, I never truly struggled with learning a language. So why did I pick Italian? You could say I “cheated,” but I prefer to call it working smarter, not harder. Since I already know a Latin-based language, I figured learning another would be easier. Well, I was loud and wrong. While I can understand Italian conversations, speaking it? I’m absolute toast.

When I was younger, my mom took English classes to improve her skills, and I remember getting frustrated when she asked me what certain words meant. I’d think, “Didn’t you just learn this?” First, karma is real. Second, I completely understand her now—learning a new language is tough! I’m almost two months away from hitting my one-year mark with Duolingo, and my biggest accomplishment so far is confidently ordering coffee in Italian.

Not having the “teachers” I had as a child is making this harder, but it got me thinking—maybe I should start watching children’s cartoons in Italian. After all, most of them revolve around simple conversations, like giving directions or discussing favorite colors and hobbies. The human brain works in fascinating ways, so maybe a full season of “Bluey” in Italian is exactly what I need.

I don’t want to associate struggle with learning, but I do think that because I didn’t struggle much with English, it’s harder for me to accept that I’m not fluent in Italian yet. Fortunately, I love a challenge, so as long as I stay committed to becoming trilingual, the world is my oyster.

With any language, practice is key. Right now, the only Italian conversations I’m having are with the Duolingo bird—so I guess that means I should book a trip to Italy for research purposes, right?