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 23 - The Italian Stare + Gerundio with Pronouns
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You already know how to use stare + gerundio to describe what's happening right now. And you know how Italian pronouns work. But what happens when you put them together?
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(Available to show supporters)
In this episode, Myra and Antonio take a moment to revisit the two main types of object pronouns — indirect (mi, ti, gli, le...) and direct (lo, la, li, le...) — drawing on real examples from the story of Le Pagine del Passato. Then we bring it all together: where exactly does a pronoun go when you're using the present progressive?
Lo sto leggendo. Or: Sto leggendolo.
Both are correct. Both are natural. And by the end of this episode, both will feel familiar.
Luca and Sara are back to help us practice, along with their new roommate Carlo, played with great depth by Antonio, in a scene full of doorbells, a barking dog, a missing backpack, and plenty of present progressive.
Then we continue with Chapter 3, Part 2 of Le Pagine del Passato: Legami di famiglia (Family Ties). Mariella is piecing together the clues, and we learn more about the shared history between her and her closest friend Zina. Il mistero si infittisce. The mystery deepens.
Next episode: we revisit the story in Italian and English, and turn our attention to the reflexive pronoun si, which has been quietly appearing throughout Chapter 3.
Piano piano si va lontano.
⏳ CHAPTERS
0:00 Intro
2:21 Review: Direct and Indirect Pronouns
2:52 Indirect Object Pronouns
5:05 Reinforcement Examples (Indirect Pronouns)
7:38 Direct Object Pronouns
10:38 Reinforcement Examples (Direct Pronouns)
13:20 A Quick Note on Si
14:07 One Key Takeaway
15:13 Three Things to Remember
15:30 Examples Using Stare + Gerundio
16:42 Luca & Sara Scene: Setup
17:36 Luca & Sara Scene with Prompts
22:34 Luca & Sara Scene (Without Interruption)
24:55 Chapter 3 Part 2 (Italian Only – Slow Speed)
27:19 Comprehension Questions
28:06 Chapter 3 Part 2 (Italian Only – Normal Speed)
30:15 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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(simple gerundio, stare + gerundio, and pronouns)
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Arriverà presto, lo prometto!
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