Italian is one of the friendlier languages for English speakers: spelling is consistent and many words share Latin roots. The tricky parts are noun genders, the many forms of the articles, and verb conjugations.
Like any language, it comes down to vocabulary. You need a few thousand words you can recall without thinking, which is exactly what spaced repetition is built for.
Free to start. No credit card required.
Vocabulary is forgotten quickly without review, and reviewing every word every day doesn't scale past a few hundred. Spaced repetition shows you each word right before you'd forget it, so new words get frequent practice while the ones you know well come back only every few weeks. That's how a daily 15-minute session keeps thousands of words fresh.
Space Repeat doesn't include ready-made decks. You write your own cards, or import the ones you already have from a CSV file, so every card covers exactly what your course and exam need. And writing them is already your first round of learning.
The kind of cards you'd write yourself in Space Repeat: one clear question, one short answer.
Question
the backpack
Answer
lo zaino: lo before z, and before s + consonant
Question
Passato prossimo of andare, io form
Answer
sono andato/a: andare takes essere
Question
camera
Answer
room or bedroom (a camera is una macchina fotografica)
Question
I'm twenty years old
Answer
Ho vent'anni (literally "I have twenty years")
Learn every noun with its article (il, lo, la, l'), and give essere and avere and their passato prossimo uses their own cards.
Add 10 to 20 new words a day from a frequency list or your course book, and say each answer out loud to practise pronunciation.
The algorithm tracks every card and shows it again right before you would forget it. No manual planning required.
Every review session is a test, not a reading. Pulling information from memory is what builds lasting retention.
Every feature, spaced repetition included, is free to use while Space Repeat is in beta. Early users will be looked after when pricing arrives.
Free to start. No credit card required.
No, there are no ready-made decks. You create your own cards, or import cards you already have from a CSV file or another flashcard app. The topics above are ideas for what to put in your deck. Writing cards in your own words takes a little longer than downloading a deck, but it's also the first step of learning the material, and every card ends up matching exactly what you need to know.
Yes, it's free while Space Repeat is in beta. Build Italian decks by topic or frequency, or keep word lists in the Vocabulary Builder, and review them with full spaced repetition.
Around 1,000 to 2,000 of the most common words will get you through everyday conversation. At 10 to 20 new words a day, that's a few months of steady practice.
Either works. Decks suit question-and-answer cards like conjugations, while the Vocabulary Builder keeps word lists on their own review schedule, with tags and optional pronunciation audio.
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Space Repeat vs Duolingo
Duolingo and Space Repeat are solving different problems. Duolingo is a gamified language-learning app designed to build a daily study habit through streaks, points, and short lesson modules. Space Repeat is a spaced repetition flashcard app designed to maximise long-term vocabulary retention. Most serious language learners end up using both. Here's why, and how to decide what you need.
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Create your first deck in minutes. Free to start, nothing to install, no credit card required.
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