Mohamad Al Karbi

I’m a big fan of self-learning. These days, I’m juggling many things, including learning Italian.

Two of the most popular apps in this space are:

• Busuu
• Duolingo

A subscription isn’t strictly necessary. The cost is quite affordable though.

I used to prefer Duolingo because of the way it pushes you to memorize vocabulary. However, after recent updates, Busuu feels more convenient to me; especially because of its social features. You can’t really go wrong with either. That said, don’t expect to become fluent using any (or even both). They’re excellent to start with, taking you up to an intermediate level at most.

In addition to the apps, I’m using two e-books:

• Complete Italian Grammar by Marcel Danesi
• Essential Italian Grammar by Olga Ragusa

A notebook and pen are still essential of course here. An iPad is a big plus though.

I remember when I was learning English: stacks of books (hard copies), audio cassettes, notebooks, and a whole rainbow of colored pens (each one with a very serious purpose). And the dictionary… have I mentioned its size? I needed a big bag just to carry everything around, and my shoulders definitely remember it.

Today, all I need is my iPad and a pair of wireless AirPods.

UPDATE: When this was written, technology was already reshaping how we learn. Looking back, those tools were only the beginning of a broader shift. I explore this evolution further in my recent post on how AI has become part of daily life.