Archive for April, 2010
Apr
Apr
Congiuntivo Imperfetto – the imperfective subjunctive in Italian
It’s subjunctive week. We’ve already looked at exactly what the subjunctive mood is, and how it is used, and yesterday we took our first look at using the subjunctive in Italian with the congiuntivo presente. Today, we’re going to look at il congiuntivo imperfetto.
Apr
Apr
Congiuntivo Passato – the past perfect subjunctive in Italian
It’s subjunctive week. We’ve already figured out exactly what the subjunctive mood is, and how it is used. And we’ve looked at using the subjunctive in Italian with il congiuntivo presente and il congiuntivo imperfetto. Today, we’re going to find out about il congiuntivo passato.
Apr
Apr
Congiuntivo trapassato – the Italian pluperfect
We’re at the end of subjunctive week. We’ve already figured out exactly what the subjunctive mood is, and how it is used. And we’ve looked at using the subjunctive in Italian with il congiuntivo presente, il congiuntivo imperfetto, and il congiuntivo passato. Today, we’re going to finish off with il congiuntivo trapassato.
Apr
Apr
It's easy to learn the Russian alphabet!
In a comment on a recent post, someone pointed out that he was learning Czech and that my Russian posts are helpful even though he can’t understand any of the Russian words that I write. Today, I’d like to show everyone how easy it is to learn the Russian alphabet and start understanding those things I write.
Apr
Apr
The sounds of French
When I first got started this with Italian, I started by looking for the alphabet and its sounds, and I used YouTube to hear them correctly pronounced by a native Italian speaker. But several of my readers are learning French, and I never really got things started for them. So today I’d like to just explore the sounds of French.
Apr
Apr
What English sounds like to an Italian
Just a short, fun post for today. This video made the rounds on the internet several months ago, but a friend recently brought it to back my attention, and it certainly seems appropriate now. As I spend my time this year thinking, and discussing, and writing on this blog about what Italian sounds like to me, it’s nice to stop for a minute and consider what it’s like when the shoe is on the other foot.
Apr
Apr
My visit to Tashkent, Uzbekistan
If my posts have seemed canned for the past week, or if you’ve noticed a lack of follow-ups on your comments, it’s because I’ve been away for the past week in Tashkent, Uzbekistan…
Apr
Apr
Language learning is not a race!
I often see learning advice based on lists, flashcards, progress meters, etc., and it drives me crazy, because these things are encouraging bad learning habits! Always remember, it’s not a race. This is very important to keep in mind, because you can’t take your test scores with you to a conversation. You can’t show an Italian your successfully completed stack of flashcards and expect that to help you communicate. You can’t fly into Russia and show the taxi driver your progress chart. You can’t order a meal in Spain by pointing out how far back your bookmark is in the lesson book.
Apr
Apr
The 10 most important things to know, to get by in any language
With a little bit of creativity it is possible say a lot with just a little knowlegde. You just need the basics. If you have a solid understanding of these 10 concepts, you can survive on your own and figure out the rest as you go.
Apr
Apr
Hand gestures – the silent majority of the Italian language!
As if you didn’t already know it, Italians say as much with their hands as they do with their mouths, and any time spent learning Italian would be incomplete if some time wasn’t also dedicated to learn the secret code of Italian hand gestures.