Archive for the ‘Italian’ Category
Feb
Feb
My language choice for 2010 is…
I was really torn about which language to focus on this year. The two I was most interested in were Italian and Polish. Italian, because it’s really the link between all other so-called romance… languages; and Polish because I live in Chicago, where there are more Polish people than anywhere else in the world, outside
Feb
Feb
Finding the sounds of Italian
Category: General, Italian · Tags: alphabets,Google,learning materials,using the web,YouTube
Some people have the fortune of a life that allows lots of travel, and for them, the best way to learn a language is, without a doubt, immersion in a country that speaks the language. For most of us, though, our careers or families keep us planted in one spot for most of the year.…
Feb
Feb
The sounds of Italian
Now that we’ve got our alphabets learned, let’s take a deeper look at the sounds of letters and letter combinations, and learn a little bit about spelling.
Feb
Feb
You already speak a foreign language!
Remember that knowing what you’re saying doesn’t matter; you’ve only just begun. The goal is to be fluent in one year, not in one day. Though it may not sound like much, you’ve got time. A whole year. What’s important is that you’re already speaking in a new language!
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
What is noun gender?
Like all romance languages, Italian has two genders: masculine and feminine, and these genders are reflected in both singular and plural forms. So this means that every noun is either masculine or feminine; either he or she. In other words, there is no “it”.
Feb
Feb
Italian verb conjugation
Verb conja-what? Conjugation? Isn’t that what people do in prison? Conjugating a verb simply means applying the correct form of a verb to the subject of a sentence. It’s not difficult, but it’s one more way that English speakers can often be confused when learning a new language.
Feb
Feb
Learn useful Italian phrases
Okay, so we’ve already been using the internet as an amazing learning tool. We found fantastic alphabet lessons on YouTube, we’ve found the best free dictionary money can buy, and we’ve already been doing free interactive lessons at LiveMocha for several days now. I’ll bet you never realized there was so much information available to you for free to help you learn! Well, folks, we’ve barely scratched the surface. Today, we’re heading back over to YouTube to learn some “useful Italian phrases”.
Feb
Feb
Practice everywhere!
You’re learning a lot of great stuff. In fact, if you’ve been following along with me for the past couple of weeks, you should already be surprised with how much you’ve already learned! But don’t forget to use it! Always remember that it’s not a race, and that there are no points given to the guy who finishes the lesson first. The winner is all of us, when we can talk to more people because we’ve learned a new language, and the only way to get there is by practice!
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.