The most important thing you must do when trying to improve your listening skills in a foreign language is to choose materials that are interesting and enjoyable for you. You can choose to listen to podcasts, watch movies in the original language or… Listen to Italian songs!
In fact, songs are an excellent resource for dealing with the study of languages in general, and Italian language in particular: they are a source of everyday language, they are catchy, easy to memorize and you can use the music in order to learn in a fun way, without too much effort… And you can even take advantage of improving your singing skills!
So, what are you waiting for?
Check my list of easy Italian songs for beginners that will be useful to improve your skills! I will give you the link of the lyric videos and explanations of the meaning of the song, the grammar rules and vocabulary that you will find in them!
Top 10 Italian Songs to Learn Italian
- Con te partirò – Andrea Bocelli
- Almeno tu nell’Universo – Mia Martini
- L’emozione non ha voce – Adriano Celentano
- Solo noi – Toto Cutugno
- Felicità – Al Bano & Romina Power
- Baciami ancora – Jovanotti
- La differenza tra Me e Te – Tiziano Ferro
- Resta in ascolto – Laura Pausini
- Solo ieri – Eros Ramazzotti
- L’anno che verrà – Lucio Dalla
1. Con te partirò – Andrea Bocelli
Con te partirò (“With You I Will Leave”) talks about a journey.
The theme of the journey is presented in a romantic and poetic way. The artist dreams of rediscovering lost and new places thanks to the love of his partner in the journey of life.
If we take into account that Bocelli is blind, the meaning of the song acquire an extra value: he can see the light thanks to the sincerity of a true, intense feeling.
This is one of the greatest international successes of Italian music. The emotion of this song has no time, but it is worth listening to it (and learning it) not only for purely artistic reasons but also for linguistic ones.
Bocelli marks the words slowly, the music has a slow rhythm, so it is easy to understand the vocabulary and learn it. This is what makes this song perfect for a beginner learner of Italian.
In this Italian song, you will get to know useful expressions and improve Italian grammar, memorizing:
- Prepositions and Personal Pronouns
Examples:
io / tu – I / you
con te / con me – with you / with me
su navi per mari – on ships over seas
- Direct Object Pronouns
Examples:
Li vivrò – I will live them
io lo so – I know that
- Possessive Adjectives
Examples:
Tu mia Luna – You, my Moon
Mio Sole – My Sun
- Present tense
Examples:
Quando sono solo – When I am alone
- Future tense
Examples:
li vivrò – I will live them
partirò – I will leave
- Basic Vocabulary
Examples:
Sole – Sun
Luna – Moon
Cuore – Heart
Parole – words (plural)
If you like Bocelli – and surely you will – then you might try listening to some of his other songs. You certainly will improve your skills: all his lyrics are rich of poetry… and Italian grammar!
I strongly recommend my personal top 3 list of Bocelli’s songs:
2. Almeno tu nell’Universo – Mia Martini
Almeno tu nell’universo (“At least you in the Universe”) is undoubtedly one of Mia Martini’s most beloved songs.
The song is about people’s inconsistencies. In a world full of “strange people”, there is no more space for feelings and love. But a woman is madly in love with a man who is unique in this strange world that is constantly changing.
This song is extremely useful to learn the use of “si” pronoun with reflexive and reciprocal verbs. It is a perfect Italian song for beginners. You can even enrich your vocabulary, getting to know more adjectives and adverbs:
- Reflexive verbs
Examples:
Si consola – people console themselves (verb consolarsi)
- Reciprocal Pronoun:
Examples:
Si odia / si ama – people hate / love each other
- Verbs
Examples:
la gente è strana – people are weird (verb essere)
(la gente) cambia idea continuamente – they continually change their mind (verb cambiare)
- Adverbs
Examples:
continuamente – continuously / continually
per sempre sarai sincero – you will be forever sincere
mi amerai davvero – you’ll really love me
- Adjectives
Examples:
tu che sei diverso – you that are different
sarai sincero – you will be sincere
Mia Martini was a great Italian singer and if you want to enjoy more of her beautiful voice and practice Italian language with songs, you should make sure to listen to her other famous songs.
Still, I suggest my personal top 3 list of her songs:
- E non finisce mica il cielo – And the sky doesn’t end at all
- Gli uomini non cambiano – Men don’t change
- Minuetto – Minuet
3. L’emozione non ha voce – Adriano Celentano
L’emozione non ha voce (“Emotion has no voice”) is a beautiful hit by Adriano Celentano.
It is contained in the album io non so parlar d’amore (“I can’t talk about Love”) whose title is nothing but the opening sentence of the song.
The text is a confession of a man in love. He declares his difficulty in opening his heart and giving voice to his feelings. However, he hopes that their love will last for life and this can only happen if both the feelings are based on love, sincerity and trust. A great text, then, described by beautiful sounds and by the unique and suggestive voice of Adriano Celentano.
The rhythm and music are very slow, as well as the pronunciation of the singer, so this is an easy Italian song for beginners. In this song, you will be able to memorize the following:
- Verbs to be and to have
Examples:
l’emozione non ha voce – emotion has no voice
preziosa sei tu per me – precious are you to me
- C’è / ci sono expressions
Examples:
c’è troppa luce – there is too much light
- Basic nouns
Examples:
ti sarò per sempre amico – I will be your friend forever
un’altra vita mi darai – You’ll give me another life
- Future tense
Examples:
con te sarò sincero – I’ll be sincere with you
tra le mie braccia dormirai – in my arms you’ll sleep
poi sarà quel che sarà – then whatever will be, will be
If you like Celentano I also suggest to listen to other 3 songs that are really appreciated all over the world, and can be very useful for learning Italian:
4. Solo Noi – Toto Cutugno
Solo noi (“Only us”) is the song with which Toto Cutugno won the 1980 Sanremo Festival. The single remained in the Italian top ten for several months.
The song is about a pair of lovers, their love and the end of their passion.
In this beautiful Italian song, you can learn:
- Personal pronouns
Examples:
Noi, solo noi – We, only us
dimmelo tu – you tell me
io sto bene con te – I am ok with you
- Interrogative sentences
Examples:
cos’è? – what is this?
la mia mente dov’è? – Where is my mind?
dimmi che amore è? – tell me what love is?
- Useful expressions
Examples:
io sto bene con te – I feel good with you
tu sei tutto per me – you are everything for me
If you enjoyed this song, you surely want to know that another must-know song of Toto Cutugno is L’italiano (“The Italian”). Of course, if you are studying italian, you can’t miss it! By the way, I also want to suggest to you more songs which are really enjoyable and easy to learn.
Here my top 3 songs:
5.Felicità – Al Bano & Romina Power
Felicità (“Happiness”) is an album published in 1982 by Albano Carrisi and Romina Power. It is known all over the world.
The Italian song explains the condition of joy, satisfaction, serenity and excitement that occur in people in a wave of optimism. It tries to express what this condition is, making comparisons and describing what do you feel in that particular moment.
It’s practically impossible not to be happy after listening to this song, not just for its fun and catchy rhythm, but also for the condition of Happiness that you will experience after having learned the numerous new words of the Italian vocabulary that are present in this text!
By listening to this easy Italian song you can learn:
- Definite and indefinite articles
Examples:
la felicità – the happiness
il tuo sguardo – your look
l’onda che sbatte – the wave that slams
un cuscino – a pillow
una telefonata – a call
- Imperative tense
Examples:
senti nell’aria – fell in the air
- A lot of new words!
Examples:
acqua del fiume – water of the river
pioggia che scende – the rain coming down
bicchiere di vino – glass of wine
come un pensiero – as a thought
come un sorriso – as a smile
biglietto di auguri – greeting card
canzone d’amore – love song
… What other new words can you recognize?
If you enjoyed the song and want more, then you should without doubt listen my top 3 songs:
- Nostalgia canaglia – Rogue Nostalgia
- Tu Soltanto Tu – You, only You
- Quando un amore se ne va – When a love goes away
6. Baciami ancora – Jovanotti
Baciami ancora (“Kiss Me Again”) is an Italian song by Jovanotti, made as the main theme of the “Baciami ancora” Italian movie by Gabriele Muccino, which won a David of Donatello as Best Original Song.
The song is about the crazy and very deep love that a man feels towards a woman he fell in love with a simple kiss… He is a man who would desperately want to try again the splendid sensations that the kiss gave himAfter listening to this song, you will be able to ask your Italian partner for more kisses and you will definitely learn how to express your love with a very poetic vocabulary.
In particular you can learn:
- verbs in the imperative and infinitive form
Examples:
Baciami ancora – Kiss me again
voglio stare con te – I want to be with you
stare soli – To be alone
Inseguire con te – to chase with you
Invecchiare con te – get old with you
- Again… A lot of new words!
Examples:
spreco di tempo – waste of time
un’impresa impossibile – an impossible undertaking
una mamma – a mother
un amante – a lover
una figlia – a daughter
una casa – a home / house
un aereo che vola – an airplane that flies
una bimba che danza – a child who dances
un cielo – a sky
una strada – a street
un lavoro – a work
una scuola – a school
… How many words do you already know? How many words can you add to this list? Write down all the words that you want to learn!
If you want to learn more and more words, then you must check out other Jovanotti songs. He uses a lot of everyday vocabulary in an evocative way. This is why I suggest to you other 3 songs of Jovanotti:
- A te – to you
- Bella – beautiful
- Chiaro di luna – Moonlight
7. La differenza tra Me e Te – Tiziano Ferro
La differenza tra Me e Te (“The difference between Me and You”) is a very famous Italian song by the Italian singer-songwriter Tiziano Ferro. It talks about the differences between two people, making comparisons and describing two different ways to be.
In this Italian song you can repeat:
- Direct questions
Examples:
come stai? – How are you?
chiedermi “perchè?” – I ask to myself “why?”
- Answers
Examples:
stare bene / male – I am ok / bad
Boh – an expression to say “I don’t know”
- Conditional Tense
Examples:
non te lo direi – I wouldn’t tell that to you
io verrei da te – I would come to you
If you like Tiziano Ferro, you could also listen very useful Italian songs for improving listening. My suggestions are the following Italian songs:
- Sere nere – Dark Nights
- Perdono – Forgive
- Non me lo so spiegare – I can’t explain it
8. Resta in ascolto – Laura Pausini
Resta in ascolto (“Keep Listening”) is the seventh studio album by Italian singer Laura Pausini. The meaning of the song is all about breakup.
The singer misses the lover and thinks of him all the time. Even if she has tried to cancel him from her life, she thinks that it’s possible that they can get back together again because she’s the best suited person for him.
This is a little more rhythmic and aggressive song, so it can be more challenging. In particular, you can focus on:
- C’è / non c’è
Examples:
c’è un messaggio per te – there is a message for you
alternativa a me non c’è – there is no alternative to me
- Imperative forms
Examples:
resta in ascolto – keep listening
dimmi se ci sei – tell me if you are there
- Past tenses
Examples:
nessun altro chiamai amore – No one else I called love
cercai il tuo nome – I looked for your name
hai perso per sempre ormai – you lost forever by now
Laura Pausini has written a lot of very sad songs about love, so if you are in the “sad mood” grab some ice cream and have a good cry listening to the following songs:
9. Solo ieri – Eros Ramazzotti
Solo ieri (“Only yesterday”) by Eros Ramazzotti is an Italian song about loss.
A man is destroyed by the end of a great love that he thought it would last forever, but it all ended. He feels like there is nothing left to do and no purpose, that he can no longer believe in anything.
But then he makes a pass and decides that he wants to start again and build a new life. his song is really perfect to learn all basic Italian tenses:
- Past tenses
Examples:
solo ieri c’era lei – only yesterday she was here
credevo – I used to believe
- Present tense
Examples:
ora lo so – now I know
si paga in pianto – you pay in tears
- Future tense
Examples:
parlerò al futuro – I will talk to the future
guarderò più in là – I will look further
ne uscirò – I will come out of it
la vita inventerò – I will invent life
You can also learn:
- Adverbs of time
Examples:
solo ieri – only yesterday
mai più – never again
ora so – now I know
da domani in poi – from tomorrow onwards
pensando ad oggi – thinking of today
- Modal verbs
Examples:
non può finire qui – it can’t end here
non può finir così – it can’t end in this way
I also recommend :
- Più bella cosa – Most beautiful thing
- Un’emozione per sempre – An emotion forever
- Parla con me – Talk with me
If you want to try something more difficult you can listen Se bastasse una sola canzone (“If one song were enough”) by Eros Ramazzotti & Luciano Pavarotti, where you can learn Italian Conditional and Subjunctive tenses.
10. L’anno che verrà – Lucio Dalla
Last but not least, I propose to you a Lucio Dalla song… The choice was really hard, because perhaps every Italian has a favorite Lucio Dalla song, although choosing one is a very difficult thing.
But surely everyone will agree that L’anno che verrà (“The incoming year”) has become over time one of the most characteristic songs of the bolognese singer, and certainly one of the most famous and beloved.
“Caro amico ti scrivo” (“Dear friend I write to you”) is probably one of the most famous incipits in the history of Italian music and immediately gives the idea of what we’re going to listen to: a letter to a friend.
In this song you can learn:
- Verbs
Examples:
Caro amico ti scrivo – Dear friend I write to you
Da quando sei partito – Since you left
qualcosa ancora qui non va – something is still wrong here
- Imperative form
Examples:
vedi, vedi, vedi – see, see, see
- Everyday Expressions
Examples:
E si farà l’amore – and people will ll make love
after this listening your Italian vocabulary will grow enormously.
And if you want more, you can check other Lucio Dalla’s songs:
- Canzone – Song
- Attenti al lupo – Beware of the Wolf
- Tu non mi basti mai – You are never enough for me
Just pick one of this easy Italian songs for beginners and enjoy it!
Article written by Federica Contento
