Italiano With Jodina

Just in time for Valentine’s Day… 5 Italian Love Songs!

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I took a survey of my friends’ fave Italian love songs… Here are 5 of them:

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Anema e core (Soul & Heart), classic Neapolitan song, sung by Pino Daniele

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1. Fiore di maggio, by fabio concato (more recent recording here)
2. Alba chiara, di Vasco Rossi
3. Buonanotte fiorellino, Francesco De Gregori
4. Un amore cosi grande, Mario del Monaco

Ciao!

Well, Valentine’s day is nearly upon us… many have mixed feelings about this day, myself included. (Is it just another ‘Hallmark’ day to boost the sales of trinkets… or is there more to it??) Whichever side of the fence you stand on, you still might want to make a ‘bella figura’ [means to ‘look good’ or make a ‘good appearance’] with that someone special… and if that is the case, why not do it in style?

If you go to byki.com you can look the part of Don Giovanni/Giovanna by sending **for free** an online Italian Valentine Card — true, there’s only one choice of card, but it IS gratis, not to mention pretty stylish.

Enjoy, and whatever you do this 14th, remember, the day after is the 15th… and then it’s all over until next year… 02/14/2011!

Scioglilingua is the Italian term for tongue twister.

The actual meaning is closer to ‘tongue loosener’ than ‘twister’.

Today’s scioglilingua is among the best-known in the Italian language.  It looks easy enough, but it is quite challenging even for native speakers of Italian to say it fast and well.  Make sure to stress the double “t” in ‘sotto’ becuase, unlike their English counterpart, Italian double consonants are doubly emphasized… just stretch out the sound a little longer than with single consonants.

Hello again! 😀

This is part 5 of my 5-part series on ways to speed up your learning curve.

The following excellent ideas are the result of a challenge I posed to my students:

“Come up with entertaining & enriching ways to bring more Italian language and culture into your everyday lives between classes.”

The Result:

“50 Ways to Accelerate Your Learning Curve”

Try a few and enjoy ~ for that is the true spirit in which to learn a new language!

And now, the final 10 items ~ Buon divertimento!

40. Use polite Italian phrases (i.e., grazie, prego, per favore) and greetings (Buon giorno, buona sera, ciao, etc).
41. Make and review flashcards ~ use those little spaces of ‘dead time’… when waiting for the kids, the bus, the doctor, the light to turn green!
42. Study Italian language text books.
43. Talk with relatives in Italy ~ don’t have any? Talk to someone else’s relatives!
44. Write your shopping lists in Italian.
45. Go to Italian festivals, i.e., Festa Italiana, A Taste of Italy, Italian film festivals.
46. Get and watch the “Visions of Italy” DVDs.
47. Listen to Italian music on satellite radio (Siriusly Sinatra).
48. Listen to and learn Italian nursery rhymes (search for them on YouTube.com).
49. Watch a wide variety of Italian TV channels on the web on “La rai in diretta sul web”—Fantastico & FREE!
50. Sharpen your ear:  Lots more Italian TV and films to watch online at REWWWOLUTION.TV Also FREE!

Welcome back! 🙂

Here we are at part 4 of a 5-part series on ways to speed up your rate of learning.

The great ideas that follow are the result of a challenge I posed to my students:

“Come up with entertaining & enriching ways to bring more Italian language and culture into your everyday lives between classes.”

The Result:

“50 Ways to Accelerate Your Learning Curve”

Try a few,  enjoy ~ for that is the true spirit in which to learn a new language!

Here are the next 10 items:

1. Visit Italy.
2. Find a friend/family member who also wants to learn or speaks Italian and talk to each other daily.
3. Talk to yourself–using Italian words and phrases learned in Jodina’s class.
4. Move to Italy where you are completely immersed in the language!
5. Watch how-to-learn-Italian DVDs.
6. Read Italian children’s books (find them at local libraries, with English translations).
7. Ask questions.
8. Find Italian friends to talk to on Face book.
9. Listen to Italian music on computer/internet, E.g., RadioItalyLive.com.
10. Use polite Italian phrases (i.e., grazie, prego, per favore) and greetings.

Welcome back! 🙂

This is Part 3 of a 5-part series on ideas and ways to amp up your speed of learning. (Aumentare la tua velocità di apprendimento)

I challenged my students to come up with entertaining and enriching ways to bring more Italian language and culture into their everyday lives in between classes.

The Result:

“50 Ways to Accelerate Your Learning Curve”

Try a few,  enjoy ~ for that is the true spirit in which to learn a new language!

21. Become familiar with Italian wine.
22. Read about famous Italian persons.
23. Tell others about things Italian.
24. Take Italian lessons/classes.
25. Practice Daily.
26. Arrange with a “phone buddy” to talk in Italian everyday, even if nothing more than greetings and “small talk” to begin with.
27. Use your Mp3 player to listen to language courses as you exercise or walk. Sample a free trial at www.bbc.co.uk/languages.steps/italian/.
28. Listen to Italian music or language CDs/tapes while cooking.
29. Use your CD player in the car to listen to Italian music.
30. Enroll in the Yahoo Italian group – read the emails, translating those that are entirely in Italian with an online translator.

‘Dare sui nervi a qualcuno’ or ‘Dare ai nervi a qualcuno’ means to ‘get on somebody’s nerves.’
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Here’s an example perfect for a long spell of rainy weather:
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La pioggia incomincia a darmi sui nervi!
[The rain is starting to get on my nerves!]

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This phrase is also good for an annoying/pesky co-worker or other person:

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Quella persona mi dà proprio ai nervi!  [That person is really getting on my nerves!]

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Now you can vent your frustrations AND practice your Italian… and come off sounding sophisticated rather than whiny all at the same time. 

Alla grande! (Good deal!)

Ciao a tutti!

Hello again! 🙂

 

Thanks for stopping by for Part II of the 5-part series on ways to amp up your speed of learning. (Aumentare la tua velocità di apprendimento)

 

These entertaining and intriguing ideas are the result of a brainstorm challenge I gave my students to come up with ways to bring more Italian language and culture into their everyday lives in between classes.

 

“50 Ways to Accelerate Your Learning Curve”

Here, the second 10 —


 

Try a few, step out of your comfort zone, enjoy ~ for that is the true spirit in which to learn a new language!

1. Talk with Italian friends.
2. Listen to and speak with Italian language CDs.
3. Teach Italian words to friends.
4. Eat at Italian restaurants, possibly ones that have their menus in Italian; talk to Italian waiters.
5. Go to an Italian market and read labels on food products.
6. Read instructions for appliances & gadgets printed in various languages.
7. Buy Italian books and magazines.
8. Watch Italian TV commercials & listen to Italian music on YouTube.com.
9. Look up Italian recipes on the internet.
10. Listen to Italian opera.

Hello and welcome! 🙂

“50 Ways to Accelerate Your Learning Curve”

1. Rent and watch Italian movies.
2. Hang out in little Italy.
3. Find Italians to speak with on Skype.
4. Join/go to Italian language MeetUp groups, clubs.
5. Pretend to be Italian while alone in the car, unable to speak English.
6. Increase vocabulary by learning new words for everyday household items. Paste Italian words around the house, on sticky notes.
7. Read books set in and about Italy, including:                                               La Bella Lingua by Dianne Hales, Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes, Living in a Foreign Language by Michael Tucker, 1000 Days in Venice by Marlena de Blasi, Too Much Tuscan Sun by Dario Castagno
8. Cook Italian dishes.
9. Check out blogs/websites dedicated to things Italian, including:
   1. www.BecomingItalian.com, www.LaBellaLingua.org, www.alifeintranslation.com, www.ItalianoWithJodina.com
10. Listen to and sing along with Italian music CDs.