Teaching yourself any language is a challenge. However, if you are even remotely comfortable in speaking and understanding Spanish, it will not be difficult at all to learn Italian language on your own. Like Spanish, Italian is mostly Latin-based, which makes a large majority of the words easy to understand and pronounce. Teaching yourself Italian can be done in a variety of ways. Find a computer program that teaches you Italian. Find one that is easy for you to use and also thorough enough for you to accomplish the basis of the language. Learn common words. In any language, you should learn commonly used words such as the names of places, food and animals and days of the week. Learn common phrases. When you are familiar with commonly used words, you should learn basic phrases. Basic phrases will not only get you off to a good start, but will also help you to get by when visiting an Italian speaking area.

Learn verb conjugations. Italian conjugations are very similar to those in Spanish. Although they are both a bit complicated, Italian verb conjugation is easier than those in English. Visit an Italian atmosphere. Visit an Italian neighborhood or even an Italian restaurant to be able to practice what you have learned. Reading a menu in Italian will be very beneficial to your new Italian skills. Buy an Italian Dictionary, and a book on Italian verbs. Some people learn better aurally, some are more visual learners, so choose materials accordingly. Using a combination of textbooks and CDs can be very effective. You can also use Italian textbooks.