All things Italian

Spanish language learning - a new blog

2009-06-06T12:25:00.001-07:00

If you're interested in learning Spanish, or in any aspect of the Spanish culture, you may want to visit my new blog Learn Spanish with Maria Fernandez.

There you'll find my free podcasts and videocasts, lessons from my online course for beginners, free advice on how to learn the language, language learning material reviews, music videos, movie reviews, and a lot more.

Harry Potter in Italian

2008-05-13T08:46:00.000-07:00

Finding the Harry Potter books in Italian isn't always easy, but this link will take you to a site dedicated exclusively to Harry Potter products, and they've got all the Italian editions.

You can buy new and used Harry Potter books, as well as all the movies. Each product comes with plenty of information and the site couldn't be easier to navigate.

Rosetta Stone Italian – software demo

2008-03-04T03:36:00.000-08:00

Are you thinking of getting an Italian course? If you are, you’re probably finding it difficult to find demos of the courses you’ve come across. Here’s a free demo of the Rosetta Stone Italian software.

Rosetta Stone Italian comes in three levels. They all follow the structure shown in this demo. As you’ll see, the lessons are nicely laid out and are easy to follow. There are pictures to illustrate everything you learn, and they’re often accompanied by a sound button where you can hear the Italian words represented on the pictures and written on the screen. All the sound has been recorded by native Italian speakers.

As the demo shows, the speaking and listening exercises encourage you to speak from the beginning and develop your conversation skills fast. To help you acquire a good Italian accent, this software also allows you to record yourself and it then analyses your pronunciation.

Italian books at Italian Bookworld

2008-03-03T06:54:00.001-08:00

At Italian Bookworld you can find all the Italian books you’re looking for: novels, poetry, cookery, manga, children’s literature, comics, travel, history, law, medicine, memoirs, audio books, etc.

At italian-bookworld.com You’ll find virtually every Italian author, plus thousands of American and British bestsellers translated into Italian. Browsing through the user-friendly menus is easy, and the prices are clearly displayed.

When you find a book you’re interested in, click on the title to see its details, full description, reviews, availability and offers.

Prices are very competitive and items usually get shipped within 24 hours.

Italian audio magazine for intermediate and advanced learners

2008-02-19T03:12:00.000-08:00

The best Italian language course for intermediate and advanced students I’ve come across in all the years I’ve been teaching and learning languages is the Acquerello Italiano audio magazine .

This bimonthly publication comes in a 60-minute cd or cassette along with a booklet with the full Italian transcript and an Italian - English glossary containing more than 500 words. Each issue also comes with optional Italian audio flashcards and study supplements where you can practise grammar, reading, writing and speaking.

This audio magazine is ideal for those wanting to improve their listening and speaking skills fast. In my view, it’s the most effective course for expanding your vocabulary. Each issue contains articles in a wide variety of topics which are presented using practical everyday vocabulary: food, current affairs, sports, Italian cities and towns, wine, cinema, literature, fashion, life in Italy, etc.

With this audio magazine you can learn Italian wherever you are: commuting, cooking, walking, driving, exercising, queuing, waiting, bathing, cleaning, etc. A 1-year subscription costs $129.

Posted with permission from Champs Elysées Inc.

Beginner’s guide to learning Italian successfully – Part 1

2008-02-14T04:45:00.000-08:00

Learning Italian as a beginner can be a highly rewarding and inspiring venture, or it can be a frustrating and miserable affair. Whether you enjoy studying Italian or not, depends mostly on your attitude, expectations and learning technique.

In this Guide to Learning Italian I will reflect my own experiences as a successful language learner and teacher. Here, in Part 1, I’ll give you five tips that will help you learn efficiently in the short, medium and long term. My focus is on helping you gain motivation, self-discipline, stay focused, and persevere in your goals.

5 tips on how to learn Italian efficiently:

Find an Italian course you like and stick to it. Don’t be tempted to get any old course, the cheapest one, or even the most advertised one, before checking what they look and sound like. Getting a course YOU like is essential to your success.

Have fun while you learn. Combine your Italian language course with other activities like reading comic books in Italian, watching movies with subtitles, listening to music in Italian, surfing the web in Italian, or even playing the Italian version of your favorite computer games.

Be realistic about your expectations. Learning a language takes time, and there are no miracle learning techniques, although some courses are much better than others. Expect to forget a lot of what you learn the first time around, it’s normal. Also, progress is rarely steady and you’ll find yourself learning a lot more some days than others.

Learn at least one new word in every session. Studying a foreign language is a psychological game and the feeling that you’re getting somewhere is essential to keep you going. Often you’ll realize you’ve forgotten more than you’ve learned and you’ll need to go back, that’s why small and tangible achievements (even if it’s only learning one or two new words) are so important for your motivation.

Establish what your long-term goals are and focus on them. If you’re learning Italian to be able to speak to people and understand them, those are the skills you should focus on, rather than reading or writing. Always get a course that emphasizes the aspects of the language you’re interested in. What’s more, get a course that focuses on the topics you’re interested in: a course for travelers, business people, those planning to settle in Italy, for children, etc. This is a great way to keep up your motivation.

In Part 2 of this Guide to Learning Italian I will give you more tips on how to learn the language successfully.

If you’re looking for Italian language courses for beginners in book format, on cd, software, mp3, dvd, video, audiomagazine, etc., you can find a vast range at the best prices at Italian Bookworld.

Harry Potter books in Italian - in US dollars

2008-01-16T00:52:00.000-08:00

If you’re looking for the Harry Potter books in Italian, you can find them at italian- bookworld.com.

Italian Bookworld is an online bookstore specialized in Italian books, audio books, music cds, dvds and software. There you can find just about every Italian language product you can think of, and you can get them not only in American dollars but also in Canadian dollars, UK pounds and euros.

If there’s a product you’re looking for that you can’t find, you can get help through their forum.

Here’s the list of Harry Potter books in Italian in US dollars:

Harry Potter e I Doni Della Morte – Volume 7

Harry Potter e l'Ordine della Fenice – Volume 5

Harry Potter e La Camera Dei Segreti – Volume 2

Harry Potter e La Pietra Filosofale – Volume 1

Famous Italian quotes

2008-01-13T19:50:00.000-08:00

As the title of this blog suggests, the posts here will focus on Italy: its language, fiction, poetry, theater, food, cinema, geography, artists, classical and modern music, and everything that might interest all of us who love the Italian culture.

I will regularly post links to online resources like: newspapers, magazines, free lessons, language podcasts, online radio stations, travel advice, free online dictionaries, and more.

To start with, I’ve collected ten thought-provoking quotes by famous Italian writers and artists. Perhaps you’ve got your own favorite Italian quote? If so, why not post it here as a comment?

Ten famous Italian quotes:

Fear prophets and those prepared to die for the truth, for as a rule they make many others die with them, often before them, at times instead of them.

~ Umberto Eco ~

If people knew how hard I had to work to gain my mastery, it wouldn't seem wonderful at all.

~ Michelangelo ~

If you wish to travel far and fast, travel light. Take off all your envies, jealousies, unforgiveness, selfishness and fears.

~ Cesare Pavese ~

In questions of science, the authority of a thousand is not worth the humble reasoning of a single individual.

~ Galileo Galilei ~

The secret of getting things done is to act.

~ Dante Alighieri ~

The world is a beautiful book, but of little use to him who cannot read it.

~ Carlo Goldoni ~

It is no good to try to stop knowledge from going forward. Ignorance is never better than knowledge.

~ Enrico Fermi ~

The noblest pleasure is the joy of understanding.

~ Leonardo da Vinci ~

Mistakes are part of the dues one pays for a full life.

~ Sophia Loren ~

You may have the universe if I may have Italy.

~ Giuseppe Verdi ~
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