Something I insist on with my students and anyone who asks me for advice is the importance of “making something” in Italian. No, I’m not talking about taking the recipe of the lasagne in Italian and making your first lasagne. Even though recipes are indeed interesting from a pedagogical point of view. I’m talking about …
Using the Italian verbs “potere”, “dovere”, and “volere” Read More »
It’s one of the most common problems among independent Italian learners: knowing words, a lot of them, but not being able to hear them, put them together, and have a spontaneous conversation in Italian. How is that even possible? And what can you do about it?
Double consonants… one of the biggest hurdles of the Italian language, right? They’re the reason why some Italians might pronounce some English words with a double consonant when there isn’t actually any. And they’re the reason behind a lot of misunderstandings if you don’t pronounce them the right way.
Have you ever asked yourself why is it so hard for you to pick up Italian words? Even the ones that you know? Even the ones that you can recognise in an article or a text? It’s a common problem for many people: knowing a lot words but not being able to hear them during …
One of the most frequent problems for us language learners is not knowing what to say. And if you’re like me, I’m sure you couldn’t care less about talking about the weather, am I right? You want to engage in something deeper. And talk about topics that are meaningful to you. But how can you …
How to push your words out and start speaking Italian Read More »
What would you say if you were invited to an Italian house at dinner? What would you say to your host? What would you bring? Would you know what’s acceptable and what it’s not? You see, learning another language is learning another culture too. We’re often not aware of the presence and role of our …
What to say at a dinner in Italy – A sample conversation Read More »
There’s something that has always shocked me when I was living in the UK, and it was being mistaken for a rude person. It was surprising to see that, no matter how much effort I put into being polite and kind, I would somehow come across as rude for some unknown reason.
When you try to understand Italian conversations, it’s often a jump into the void. You think you’re going to make it, but then something’s not quite right. And you’re not really sure why because you’ve been studying for ages now.
You know a lot of Italian words, right? You can put some together but most of the time you get lost and confused and you never know if what you’re saying makes sense.
How do you begin to speak Italian? After all this time studying Italian grammar, it’s now time to begin to talk, right? Great! But how can you start? How can you say your first sentences when nothing comes out?
