Posts Tagged ‘vocabulary’
Feb
Feb
Really getting started
Okay, so we’ve spent a week learning little more than the Italian alphabet, and you’re starting to wonder how anyone can be fluent in a year at this pace, right? Obviously, they can’t, but I still insist that this was the most important week you will have spent on the way to your goal. Everything else is just learning! Okay, okay, don’t panic. I’ve still got a lot of tricks up my sleeves to share with you. We’re definitely going to make it more interesting and fun.
Feb
Feb
The best free dictionary money can buy!
By now, you know how to pronounce words, and you’ve gotten started learning new words. But you probably don’t feel like you know anything really useful yet, and that’s not fun. So let’s change that.
Feb
Feb
Describing people and things in Italian
The key to remembering what you learn is to use it. If you have a friend you can talk to in your language, that helps. But if not, it’s still okay to talk to yourself. Just look at the world around you and see how much you can already describe.
Feb
Feb
The French you already know
Since today is Mardi Grás, I thought it would be fitting to take a moment away from talking about Italian to remind you that you already speak a foreign language — several, in fact! But today, we’re talking about French.
Feb
Feb
Traveler phrasebooks are excellent learning tools
After you decide to learn a new language, it’s hard to know where to start. Classes and tutors can be expensive and inconvenient. Many books can be frustrating. And software solutions tend to be extremely expensive! I like to spend as little as possible on learning materials. In most cases, you can find something just as good for free on the internet. However, sometimes it’s just better to have something you can carry with you. A phrasebook is one of those things.
Feb
Feb
Learn Italian vocabulary from Andrea Bocelli!
A few days ago, we discovered a way to use music to learn a new language. Today, we’re going to try it out first-hand, by examining an Italian song by Andrea Bocelli.
Feb
Feb
Fun ways to remember numbers
It’s so common for people to learn counting to ten when they start learning a new language, but as I’ve already discussed, this type of learning by memorization is actually bad.
Mar
Mar
Find vocabulary inspiration at a restaurant
Here in the United States, clever marketing people have learned to attach foreign words to products in order to make them sound more appealing, to the point where we imagine grand meanings in each of these names. But in reality, these foreign words are often nothing more than boring kitchen terms.
Mar
Mar
The Days of the week, in Italian
When learning the days of the week, I find it helpful to understand where the names come from. (In Russian, this ended up being super-easy.) In Italian, it’s a little different, but I still think it’s helpful, and it’s also fascinating to learn a little about the Italian language’s Roman roots.
Mar
Mar
The days of the week, in Russian
In spite of the fact that I’m focusing on Italian, I wanted to take a break for a moment to talk about one of the many things I love about the Russian language. When learning the days of the week, I find it helpful to understand where the names come from. In Russian, this ended up being super-easy!