YOUR PHD-LEVEL ITALIAN TEACHER
Meet Margherita
I’m a native Italian language teacher, born and raised in Italy, who believes in empowering learners to speak confidently, enjoy every conversation, and celebrate small victories along the way (and yes, I drink three espressos a day).
MARGHERITA BERTI, PH.D.
My mission is to help you learn Italian with confidence so you can connect with the language and culture you love. Click here to learn about my Better Italian Method.
You know how they say, “When you’re passionate about something, it never feels like work?”… If you’ve ever tried learning a new language, you know that’s not exactly true.
Learning Italian isn’t just about memorizing vocabulary or grammar rules. It’s about balancing practice, consistency, and overcoming those moments of self-doubt.
You’re a student, a traveler, a cultural explorer, and sometimes even your own language coach. But there comes a point where you realize you don’t have to do it all alone. Because language learning is not about perfection, it’s about connection. And I’m here to guide you every step of the way.
UNIVERSITIES I WORKED FOR AS A LANGUAGE TEACHER
HOW DID I GET HERE?
Italian Matters and Margherita’s Journey
GRADUATED WITH MY B.A. IN MODERN LANGUAGES
I earned my B.A. in Modern Languages from the University of Bergamo, where I first studied linguistics and focused on four languages: Italian, English, Spanish, and French.
MOVED FROM ITALY TO INDIANA, UNITED STATES
Soon after graduation, I moved from my hometown Bergamo, Italy, to Terre Haute, Indiana. I continued my studies in a fully-funded linguistics program and joined my then fiancé, now husband, Matt.
GRADUATED WITH MY M.A. IN LINGUISTICS
I earned my first advanced degree from Indiana State University, where I had the privilege of instructing hundreds of students in university-level Spanish, Italian, and ESL courses.
MOVED FROM INDIANA TO ARIZONA, UNITED STATES
I was awarded a full-ride teaching assistantship in the Second Language Acquisition and Teaching program at the University of Arizona and moved to sunny Tucson. There I started teaching university-level Italian courses for all proficiency levels, in both face-to-face and online formats.
GRADUATED WITH MY PH.D. IN APPLIED LINGUISTICS
I earned my degree from the University of Arizona and presented my research on leveraging technology in language teaching at over 50 conferences. In addition to publishing scholarly articles, I had the privilege of learning from leading experts in applied linguistics – and even dined with the renowned Stephen Krashen!
OFFICIALLY STARTED ITALIAN MATTERS
My goal was to empower Italian learners globally by sharing my expertise in linguistics and assisting them in achieving fluency and confidence. I launched Italian Matters by offering concise lessons, grammar tutorials, guides, and quizzes on social media and through the Italian Grammar Made Easy podcast.
ENROLLED THE FIRST COHORT OF STUDENTS
I welcomed my first cohort of 140 students in the online course “Italian Basics For English Speakers”. This comprehensive course emphasized all four core language skills and provided individualized weekly feedback to monitor and support each student’s progress throughout its duration.
CREATED THREE more ONLINE ITALIAN LEARNING PROGRAMS
In response to student feedback, I expanded the Italian Matters Team and developed additional online Italian courses, ensuring learners overcome challenges and continue progressing in their Italian language journey.
HIT 3 MILLION FOLLOWERS ON SOCIAL MEDIA
In just under two years, our Italian Matters community on social media grew to over 3 million followers. Enrollments in our online Italian language courses skyrocketed, with many students realizing their dream of attaining Italian fluency with the comprehensive Italian Matters programs.
HELPED THOUSANDS OF ITALIAN LEARNERS BECOME FLUENT SPEAKERS
By mid-2023, we welcomed over 10,000 students in our free and premium online courses. Today, we continue providing top-ranked programs and resources to Italian learners all over the world, recognizing that support, feedback, and accountability are pivotal in mastering a new language.
REACHED OVER 600,000 PODCAST DOWNLOADS
The Italian Grammar Made Easy Podcast, which started in a small bedroom in Tucson during my Ph.D., reached an incredible milestone with over 600,000 downloads. This achievement highlights the dedication of Italian learners worldwide who trust our content to support their Italian language journey.
STARTED THE ITALIAN PLUS MEMBERSHIP FOR OUR ALUMNI
By late 2024, we launched the Italian Plus Membership exclusively for our alumni. This program offers in-depth resources and continued support to help learners refine their Italian skills and stay motivated on their language journey.
LAUNCHED THE new ADVANCED ITALIAN COURSE
After four years of running our Beginner and Intermediate Italian Courses, we launched the Advanced Italian Course, a program that runs only once a year to help learners reach true fluency. It’s designed to refine complex grammar, expand vocabulary, and build confidence in real communication.
1,000,000 PODCAST DOWNLOADS
The Italian Grammar Made Easy Podcast has officially surpassed 1 million downloads! A new episode comes out every week, and the first one of each month is entirely in Italian. Thanks to the amazing community of learners around the world who listen and keep practicing with us!
YOUR ITALIAN STORY STARTS HERE
Ready to Get Started?
At Italian Matters we know that you want to be a fluent and confident Italian speaker. To achieve that, you need the strategies, materials, and support that will give you real results. But navigating a language alone, whether with a textbook or an app, can feel overwhelming, leaving you frustrated and lost.
We believe that anyone can learn and speak Italian with streamlined materials, and the support of trained language teachers. That’s why we offer step-by-step programs where you can ask questions, get unstuck, and truly make progress in your Italian language journey.