I Took 90 Lingoda Italian Lessons: My Lingoda Review

I took 90 Italian lessons on Lingoda, not because I was paid to or because I had some grand polyglot plan, but mostly because I fell in love with someone Italian and spent an entire week in the Veneto region barely understanding a word at the dinner table.

Fabio, the other half of this blog, is from near Venice. In early 2024, we visited his family and stayed the full Italian way: emerging from Fabio's downstairs apartment every few hours to eat with the family upstairs... Italians eat for hours. I sat there scavenging for whatever high school Spanish I had remaining while his parents spoke what turned out to be Venetian dialect (not even standard Italian), feeling like a very well-fed child who couldn't join the conversation. By the time the trip was over, I'd made a quiet decision: if we're going to keep doing this, I'm not going to be the guy who only speaks English.

That led me to Lingoda Italian. After 90 group lessons spanning A2.1 and A2.2, I have real opinions about what works, what doesn't, and whether it's worth your money.

One note before we get into it: if you landed here looking for a Lingoda review for French, German, Spanish, English, or Business English, this is just as relevant. The Flex format, class structure, and teacher quality are consistent across all languages on the platform. The Italian-specific bits (curriculum content, class availability, level range) are the only things that differ.

Why I Needed Italian (A Bit of Context)

A quick note before I get into the platform: my Italian journey started for one very specific reason, which is that my great-great-grandfather emigrated from Naples, I grew up eating Italian-American food every Sunday at my grandmother's, and then I started dating someone from Venice. Three generations of proximity to Italian and I couldn't string a sentence together, which I found embarrassing.

The dinners with Fabio's family were the tipping point. Sitting there for hours, nodding politely while conversations happened entirely without me, was a particular kind of frustrating. Even after I left that trip and felt the motivation kick in, I still took the slow route to Lingoda. I started with an italki tutor. Then, in a moment of optimism, I downloaded Duolingo. I'll be honest: Duolingo was more useful than I expected for building basic vocabulary and grammar, especially paired with my occasional tutor sessions. But something was still missing... the progress was too slow, and the methods were too disjointed. I'd spend a week on Duolingo and a one-off italki session and still not feel like I was actually speaking Italian in any coherent way.

I also didn't help myself, as I'd go back to Italy thinking this time I'll hold a real conversation and come back frustrated. Not because Italian is hard, but because I hadn't put in the real structure to support the ambition.

By May 2025, I decided that had to change.

The Journey That Led Me to Lingoda

I actually used Lingoda for German before, but I didn't get quite as much out of it as I wanted to. I signed up during a Sprint (a 2-month intensive commitment), promptly underestimated how strict the rules were, missed a few sessions, lost the sprint within the first week, and found myself in a level too advanced for where I actually was. I took a few more classes to get some value back from my subscription, then quietly moved on with a mild grudge.

So returning to Lingoda for Italian was a deliberate second chance. This time I was going to do it right: Lingoda Flex instead of the Sprint, the correct level, and a realistic pace.

Lingoda Flex is the standard subscription model, and the name tells you the main thing about it: you're not locked into a fixed schedule. Classes run across every time zone, so you book what works for you, week to week. Classes are small groups of up to 5 students, with private 1:1 sessions also available if you want the extra intensity. You can increase, decrease, or pause your subscription from your account at any point, which matters a lot if your schedule isn't predictable. That flexibility is what made it compatible with my life in a way the Sprint never was.

I remembered what I truly liked about Lingoda even during that messy German experience: the actual class material was good, the platform was clean, and real teachers showing up with prepared slides had always felt more valuable than winging it solo. I just hadn't given myself the conditions to make it work.

The free trial made it easy to try again. 7 days free, up to 3 group classes. I took the placement test and landed at A2.1, the start of Elementary Italian. Turns out the Duolingo and italki sessions had paid off slightly. I went in with a small foundation to build on.

What Lingoda Italian Actually Looks Like

My first lesson was a vocabulary class on Urban vs. Rural settings, with two other students and a teacher who was an Italian living in Frankfurt. She was warm, enthusiastic about the material, and one hour passed fast. I knew before the free trial was over that I'd be subscribing.

Here's how it's structured: Each class is 1 hour, runs directly through the Lingoda website with a live certified teacher, and fits up to 5 students per group, though Italian classes typically run with 1–3. Classes are organized into chapters of 4 lessons each, covering vocabulary, grammar, communication, speaking, and reading across CEFR levels A1.1 through A2.2. The post-class ecosystem (feedback, Lingobites, Lingobot, flashcards) adds another 10–15 minutes if you use it properly.

Let me take you through the actual mechanics.

The Class Structure

Each subscription level is divided into chapters (usually 4 lessons per chapter), covering vocabulary, communication, grammar, speaking, and/or reading. The classes run in sequence, but here's the thing that matters: each lesson stands on its own. You won't be completely lost if you miss one and pick up the next.

Topics across A2 included hobbies, relationships, jobs, travel, nature, health, debating, cinema... all interesting and, crucially, almost always framed somewhat around Italy. So you're building vocabulary in a context that's worth caring about.

At the end of each level, there are 2 Level Check chapters. Once you've completed at least 45 of the 50 lessons in a level, you can move on. You also get a downloadable certificate from your dashboard when you finish.

The classes run directly through the Lingoda website. No more Zoom or other third-party apps. The teacher shares slides you can preview in advance, works through them in order, and calls on students to read or answer. Some teachers stick very closely to the material. Others are more flexible and open to tangents, but both work in their own way. Either way, the hour is always full.

Booking Classes

This is the part that takes a bit of strategy. Classes are available across many time slots throughout the day (Lingoda teachers are based globally), so whether you're in Europe, Asia, or the Americas, you'll find options (I have a lot of experience with this, being as nomadic as we are). That said, the Italian program is smaller than, say, Spanish or German, so the pool of available classes at any one time is more limited.

You can also cancel without penalty if you do it more than 72 hours before the class or within 30 minutes of initially booking. If you have extenuating circumstances and need to cancel outside those windows, contact support. They're responsive and usually reasonable.

The Teachers

This has been the best part of this for me. Over 90 Italian lessons, I can count the mediocre teachers on one hand, and even those weren't actually bad, just less memorable.

The vast majority hold degrees or teaching certifications in Italian as a foreign language. Several had been teaching for over a decade. What made them different from a tutoring marketplace like italki (where quality varies wildly depending on who you book) is that Lingoda's vetting process clearly filters for people who can actually teach, not just speak the language.

There's also something specific to Italian that makes it work well here: Italians love it when you're trying to speak their language. Every class felt slightly warmer for that reason. Teachers would celebrate your progress, gently correct your mistakes without making you feel small, and often share their own experiences living in various Italian cities.

I never once felt judged for explaining that my motivation for learning Italian is my boyfriend. That might sound like a small thing, but it matters. It keeps the class feeling human rather than transactional.

The Other Students

In my classes, I came across a varied group of individuals. Some people were learning Italian to buy one of those €1 houses in a Sicilian village. Others were polyglots who just had a thing for languages. A few were doing it for love, like me. A couple were chasing work opportunities.

The Italian classes ran small. Most of the time: 2 or 3 students, sometimes just me and one other person. Occasionally I had the teacher entirely to myself. Contrast this with my earlier German experience where I'd sometimes be in classes of 5. The smaller groups meant more individual speaking time, which is the whole point.

If you're tempted to sign up for private lessons to guarantee that 1-on-1 experience, I'd say wait and see first. With Italian, you'll likely get it anyway a fair amount of the time.

After the Class: Lingobites, Lingobot & More

The lesson is the main event, but there's a solid post-class ecosystem that I wish I'd used more consistently from the start.

Teacher Feedback

Within a day or two, your teacher sends written feedback on your performance. Sometimes it's brief. Sometimes it's really thoughtful, with specific grammar notes and vocabulary to review... worth reading every time.

Lingobites

Think of these as homework that doesn't feel like homework. After each lesson, a short series of exercises appears: flashcards covering vocabulary from the class, fill-in-the-blank sentences, a "recall and relate" exercise where you connect columns to form complete sentences, and a grammar-in-action dialogue to complete. Each Lingobite takes about 10 minutes. I initially did these sporadically and then power-ran them at the end of each module, which works, but doing them right after the lesson is better, as the material is much fresher.

Lingobot

One of the newer additions and super exciting. Lingobot gives you real-life scenario prompts and you respond by typing or speaking, then get immediate personalized feedback. A typical session might look like:

Chiedi al collega se va in ufficio a piedi. (Ask the colleague if they walk to the office.)

Di' quanto tempo ci vuole in auto. (Say how long it takes by car.)

You work through each prompt freely, using language from the lesson. No rigid format, no hand-holding. It's a low-stakes way to apply what you just learned before it evaporates, and it felt like practice for the real thing... an approach I also see working well in Langua, the AI conversation tool we reviewed separately.

Vocabulary Trainer

Unlocked after the lesson, this one gives you fill-in-the-blank exercises using vocabulary from the class.

Chapter Flashcards

After completing a 4-lesson chapter, a swipe-based flashcard deck becomes available. Swipe right if you know the word, left if you don't... slight Tinder energy, but for Italian verb conjugations, and it works.

The App

There's a mobile app for iOS and Android. I used it mostly for doing Lingobites and vocabulary exercises on public transport when I had pockets of time between classes or during travel. You can also book classes from it, which is convenient if you're managing your schedule on the go.

How Much Does Lingoda Cost?

Lingoda Italian group classes start at €9.99/lesson on the 40-class/month plan and go up to €17.99/lesson on the 5-class/month plan. A 7-day free trial is available first... up to 3 group classes.

Subscriptions run monthly. The number of classes per month varies, but typical packages range from around 5 group classes to 40 group classes per month. Most people, myself included, land somewhere around 12 per month (roughly 3 per week), which is enough to make meaningful, consistent progress without it taking over your life.

A few things worth knowing:

• Unused credits roll over to the following month, as long as you keep your subscription active. So if life gets busy and you only use 8 of your 12 classes one month, those 4 credits aren't lost.
• Bigger subscriptions = lower price per class, and discount codes often only apply to the larger packages.
• The free trial is 7 days with up to 3 group classes. Start there before committing to any subscription.

Lingoda vs. Duolingo vs. italki vs. Langua

The question I get from people who know my language learning setup: how does Lingoda compare to everything else you use?

My personal stack, which got me from zero to A2.2 in about a year:

1. Lingoda for structure and grammar progression (the backbone)
2. Langua for daily AI speaking practice between classes
3. italki for occasional 1:1 human sessions to check my progress
4. Duolingo only at the very beginning, now largely dropped

None of these fully replaces the others. Lingoda gave me the curriculum, Langua gave me daily fluency practice, and italki gave me accountability. Think of them as layers, not competitors.

Pros & Cons

My Real Results After 90 Lessons

The short version: it worked, and I can point to exactly when. I went from sitting silent at a family dinner table in the Veneto to ordering at restaurants in Rome unaided, following Italian-only conversations with Fabio's friends, and doing full Italian days at home. Here's the actual timeline.

I finished A2.1 (45 classes) by early September 2025. By that point, we were back in Italy, and I remember Fabio making me do all the ordering at restaurants in Rome. I did it, and I was proud of that. A few nights later, we met friends who only spoke Italian. I couldn't fully participate in the conversation yet, but I could follow it, which was new.

A few weeks after that, we spent a week in Bibione (a beach north of Venice) with Fabio's family. The difference from 2024, that original trip where I sat silent at the dinner table, was real and obvious. We were having actual exchanges and I was making comments beyond è buona (it's good). His family definitely noticed.

Then came A2.2, another 45 classes taken during a bike trip around Taiwan, through Vietnam, China, and Japan, and then into the US to wrap up the year. Weird timezone, weird schedule. I missed a few classes, but the flexibility meant I could still go consistently in most places. I finished on December 30th, right before the new year.

Since then, Fabio and I do a full Italian-only day once a week and we can have deep conversations. My italki tutor, who I went back to after Lingoda, was noticeably surprised by how much had changed without me telling her I'd been doing anything different.

The Lingoda method works. Not because of magic. Because it's structured, consistent, and the teachers are good enough to keep you coming back.

Who Should (and Shouldn't) Use Lingoda Italian

Lingoda Italian is for you if:

• You're starting Italian from scratch or have some basics (A1–A2 level)
• You want a real curriculum, not just self-guided practice
• You've tried Duolingo or apps and feel like you're not actually progressing
• You want live classes, but your schedule doesn't allow for fixed weekly commitments
• You're learning Italian for Italy specifically... the material is Italy-focused
• You want certified teachers rather than rolling the dice on a tutoring marketplace

Lingoda Italian is probably not for you if:

• You're already at B1 or above (Lingoda Italian tops out at A2 for now)
• You want entirely self-paced learning with zero scheduled commitments
• You only have very short pockets of time each day and can't commit to 1-hour sessions
• You're looking for full immersion or a conversational-only approach

A Note on the Sprint

Lingoda also offers a Sprint: a 2-month intensive where you commit to attending 15 or 30 classes per month, every month, with very strict rules. Complete it, and you can earn up to 100% of your money back in class credits or cash.

I did this for German, and as mentioned earlier, it did not go well.

I don't say this to put you off the Sprint. I say it because if you're going to do it, actually be ready. The rules are strict by design (timezones, life events, anything can knock you out), and if you lose it early you lose the carrot that made the whole thing feel worthwhile. If your schedule is predictable and you really want to push hard, the Sprint is a real accelerator. Just go in with honest eyes.

For me, Lingoda Flex was the right choice. It got me 90 lessons deep, and I enjoyed almost every one of them.

FAQ

Final Verdict

Lingoda Italian is the best structured Italian course I found online. Not the cheapest option, but the one that actually moved me from someone who couldn't make conversation at a family dinner table to someone who can participate in one. Over 90 group lessons and I can count the bad classes on one hand.

The teachers are the reason. They show up prepared, they make you feel welcome regardless of why you're learning, and they get through material that actually matters. The platform supports them well: good curriculum, useful post-class tools, and a booking system that gives you real flexibility as long as you plan a week ahead.

If you're learning Italian and you're somewhere between absolute zero and elementary level, this will work for you.

Start with the 7-day free trial, up to 3 group classes. If you're anything like me, you'll know you're staying before the third one is done. The July Sale runs through July 31, so it's a good moment to pull the trigger.