We learn Italian step by step | Impariamo l'italiano piano piano
Impariamo l’italiano piano piano is a story-based podcast for B1–B2 Italian learners who want to improve their grammar and vocabulary by following an ongoing mystery, rather than studying isolated lessons. Beginners are welcome too - everything unfolds piano piano, one step at a time.
Each episode advances a serialized story, Le Pagine del Passato, allowing you to experience Italian in context as meaning builds gradually through memory, dialogue, and investigation. Grammar structures such as the imperfetto, passato prossimo, congiuntivo, and object pronouns emerge naturally through the narrative, helping you recognize how Italian works in real situations.
Hosted by Myra, an instructional designer and adult language learner, the show is joined by Antonio - a dramatic, opinionated presence who interrupts, comments, and occasionally derails things, making the learning process both human and entertaining. Together, they guide listeners toward greater confidence in Italian, step by step.
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We learn Italian step by step | Impariamo l'italiano piano piano
Episode 22 - Caught in the Act - Stare + Gerundio
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What are you doing right now?
In Italian, there’s a beautifully logical way to express actions that are in progress: stare + gerundio, the present progressive.
In Episode 22 of Impariamo l’italiano piano piano, we dive into this essential structure and explore how it works step by step.
You’ll learn:
• How to conjugate stare in the present tense
• How to form the gerundio (-ando / -endo endings)
• When to use the present progressive instead of the simple present
• Common irregular gerunds
• Everyday expressions like Sto arrivando! and Sta piovendo.
Then we put everything into action with a lively practice conversation between Luca and Sara, where the focus is on actions in progress.
After that, we revisit Chapter 3, Part 1 of Le Pagine del Passato, this time with the English translation alongside the Italian, and go over the answers to the comprehension questions from the previous episode.
And before we close, we preview the next step: combining pronouns with the present progressive. Because saying Lo sto leggendo is not quite the same as saying Sto leggendo.
As always, we learn step by step.
Piano piano.
⏳ CHAPTERS
0:00 Intro
1:34 Stare + Gerundio – What Is It?
2:18 Conjugating STARE
3:33 Forming the Gerund
4:21 Common Irregular Gerunds
6:04 When Do You Use It?
8:44 Practice Conversation
11:58 Practice Conversation (Without Interruption)
13:25 Useful Expressions
15:34 Answers to Comprehension Questions
17:03 Le Pagine del Passato – Capitolo 3, Parte 1 (English & Italian)
23:14 Wrap-Up
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📄 Episode Transcript & Study Materials
For this episode, the full transcript is available on Substack, where it’s easier to read, search, and follow along with the explanations.
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📘 Want the Study Guide and Practice Exercises?
The comprehensive study guide covering this topic
(simple gerundio, stare + gerundio, and pronouns)
will be released once these episode topics have been completed. Arriverà presto, lo prometto!
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