Ombra: Italian Shadowing
Listen, repeat, speak daily
Only for iPhone
Free · In‑App Purchases
iPhone
Ombra plays short Italian sentences, one after another, and gives you time to say them out loud. That's it.
No streaks to protect, no cartoon mascot, no AI chat. Just a clean player built for one thing: getting Italian into your mouth.
HOW IT WORKS
1. Pick a course and press Start.
2. A short A1 sentence plays, with its English translation on screen.
3. It repeats, with a pause after each one for your voice.
4. The next sentence arrives automatically.
You never touch the screen again. Put the phone in your pocket, lock it, and keep going while you walk, cook, or commute — the audio keeps playing.
WHEN YOU'RE READY, MAKE IT HARDER
Hide the Italian text and echo what you hear by ear. Hide the translation too, and you're doing pure shadowing. You decide when to move up.
BUILT FOR ABSOLUTE BEGINNERS
Most listening material is too fast and too long for someone just starting. Every sentence in Ombra is three to eight words, built from roughly 500 core A1 words, and grouped into ten themed courses:
· Primi passi — everyday basics
· Al bar e al ristorante — ordering food and drinks
· In giro per la città — getting around town
· La mia giornata — daily routine and time
· Parlare di sé — family, hobbies, weather
· In viaggio — travel and transport
· Ieri e il weekend — talking about the past
· Salute e benessere — health and how you feel
· Usciamo insieme? — making plans
· Progetti e sogni — the future
500 sentences in total, all recorded with natural Italian voices.
EVERYTHING IS ADJUSTABLE
· Sentences per session (5–50)
· Playback speed (0.5× to 1.5×)
· Repeats per sentence (1 to 5)
· Length of your speaking pause (×0.5 to ×2)
· Italian text on or off
· Translation on or off
· In order or shuffled
HONEST ABOUT WHAT THIS DOES
Shadowing mainly trains your ear and your mouth — hearing where words begin and end, and getting comfortable with the sounds and rhythm of Italian. It is not a grammar course, and it will not teach you to hold a conversation on its own. It works best alongside whatever else you are studying.
It also only works if you understand what you are saying. That is why the translation is shown by default, and why every sentence stays short.
FREE
All ten courses are free. A small banner appears on the session summary screen only — never while you are practising. If you would like to remove it and support development, there is a one-time purchase.
Found a sentence that sounds off? There is a report button on every one, and I read all of them.
Ratings & Reviews
- This app hasn’t received enough ratings or reviews to display an overview.
· Added Compose mode (beta) — see the translation, think it through out loud, then check the Italian answer.
· Added an in-app walkthrough for first-time users.
· Added a "How Ombra works" page you can revisit anytime.
· Added Japanese — UI, all 500 sentence translations, and audio are now available in 日本語. Pick your learning language and your own language from the new globe icon on the Home screen.
· Various small display fixes.
The developer, Naoki Oshima, indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .
Data Not Linked to You
The following data may be collected but it is not linked to your identity:
- Identifiers
- Usage Data
- Other Data
Accessibility
The developer has not yet indicated which accessibility features this app supports. Learn More
Information
- Seller
- Naoki Oshima
- Size
- 39.6 MB
- Category
- Education
- Compatibility
Requires iOS 15.0 or later.
- iPhone
Requires iOS 15.0 or later. - iPod touch
Requires iOS 15.0 or later.
- iPhone
- Languages
- English
- Age Rating
4+
- 4+
- Contains
Advertising
- In-App Purchases
Yes
- Offer a Cena $4.99
- Offer an Aperitivo $2.99
- Offer a Caffè $0.99
- Remove Ads & Support $3.99
- Copyright
- © Naoki Oshima