I don't know ANY Italian!! What are my options for learning the language when I get there in November? Are there classes? Or has anyone found a good system for learning? I hear that the Rosetta Stone system is really good, but it's sooooo expensive!!

I just added an article about learning Italian when ouside italy

http://www.lifeinitaly.com/italian/learn-2.asp

Hi Rack9 (interesting name!),

The best way to learn Italian that I know is to do a total immersion language program. That means you aren't allowed to speak English from the moment you walk in the door, and the classes are half a day so that still leaves you with an entire eight - twelve hours of free time a day.

There's a great school called Torre di Babele (http://torredibabele.com/) that has classes that last a week, two weeks, a month, whatever you want, and they offer accomodations as well. Don't know what you've got set up already but you might check them out. A great school with fabulous teachers. You'll be speaking Italian in a week... at least enough to order food, ask directions and talk about the weather. :)

Also, the key is to listen and practice. Books aren't so good for anything other than theory and rules. Italian CDs are great, and the best program is Pimsleur's (not too expensive).

And as Paolo says in his article at the link he provided, watching Italian movies is a great, fun way to learn, and listening to streaming radio stations on the Internet is good too.

Buona fortuna!

Teresa

I am trying to learn Italian too. I learnt basic phrases from my Italian friends, and am trying to enrol in a class. I have also found this website very useful:

http://www.mylanguageexchange.com/

Here, I have made a few Italian friends, with whom I chat on the internet. The idea is to exchange your native tongue for the language you want to learn, and since you are in Italy, you can actually post an ad saying you want to connect with someone in your locality. You can teach them English, and they teach you Italian. You make good friends in the process too!

But you must ensure that your language partner knows at least basic English, and is really practising it with you for improvement, because if none of you know the other's language at all, this wont work out. You can help them with any english written work if required. I email edited stuff to them all the time!

They charge 24usd for a yearly membership, and I have been making a lot of progress lately:)

But as Teresa said, you have to observe continuously and try and pick up the tongue at all times!

Cheers,
Bubbles

I agree with the chat, but first you need to know some words and if you do, it's great practice! In this way you must spit words out in quick response, this way you are tapping into your data base on command, and constantly reinforcing it's potential.
I have tryed everything, and I'll tell you that the movies were the most difficult way to pick it up..they yell, eat the words, and are so fast they leave you tripping over your pants--a hard way figure out anything. Try labeling everything in your house with the Italian word for each item, then think of it as that only. The mind is an important tool, get yourself in the "mind-set." Some good tricks are to say: TRA TRE TRI TRO TRU say them over and over. Be sure to keep your tongue away from your teeth! A course may introduce you, but too much information all at once will coax your brain into a freeze, and a coma won't be far behind. Buy some children's books in Italian learn with pictures the look of each word beside them. Cassettes help with the sound, important.

Get out and find yourself an Italian friend/girlfriend/boyfriend...whatever who ONLY speaks the local language. It'll be hard for the first few months but believe me its worth it!! If you hang around with people who speak english you might as well "hang it up" and forget about it!!
Mike

http://www.single-serving.com/Italian/TB/basics/basics.mp3

http://www.single-serving.com/Italian/audio.php

http://www.single-serving.com/Italian/TB/basics/basics.mp3

http://www.single-serving.com/Italian/audio.php

Though it can be tough learning Italian if you are from a different background, the problems get sorted out if you have a good teacher. You have to decide how much you want to learn and for what purpose.

If it is just because you want to visit for a short while, a short survival course from a reputed center should do the trick. Take a few lessons like the ones in the links above, and you are on your way.

Long-term stay, of course, will require longer study of the language. But then, one also learns faster, because one learns from the Italians around. Sometimes it is forced, because most people around speak in Italian.

The accent is always a problem though:). I am trying my hand at Italian, and learning from various extremely kind and patient Italians on skype. It is a lot of fun!

Paolo:

thanks for the info on learning Italian when not being able to get the advantage of living in Italy, I checked out your new page you created
I purchased a 17 audio cd from PIMSLEUR and I have them in my car so every time I'm on the road I listen to them
My second goal is to get an Italian movie, I will continue to work on it i really want to learn to speak Italian
Gratzie
Ciao Sandra

Another thing I found to be of value is downloading my Italian in podcast form on to my MP3 player. This way it can go with me wherever I go, even during flights or shopping trips.

I have done this so far from www.learnitalianpod.com, where they have a very informative podcast every once in a while, with proper english translations as well. I am not a member over there since I have access to a proper Italian class locally under native teachers, but some of my friends are members and swear by it.

Other kinds of podcasts, like the ones by Max Novaresi at
http://www.r101.it/101xtra/podcast.php
can also be helpful for students who have begun to grasp Italian already!

well.. here goes..

you can find a real brief look at my Italian experience here
http://istitutoatrium.blogspot.com/2007_06_01_archive.html

and if you're interested in learning italian in italy
www.istitutoatrium.com

I hope to get to know some of you better!

Here is a link to help speed up the process of learning Italian
http://www.michelthomas.co.uk/italian.htm
Don't spend a lot of money on systems like Rosetta Stone, they cost way too much and to difficult to learn and they don't compare to Michel Thomas's system. Buy the 10 CD beginners about $70-$80 package not the 2 CD begginers package $25-$30 dollars the 10 CD case has the first 2 which you will go through in a few days, You will be amazed how fast you can pick up the language.

What helped me learn Italian before I moved to Italy 5 years ago was MUSIC!

Yes, I was taking Italian in college, but besides basic grammar outline, I would make a play list of my favorite songs and have a word by word translation.

Then hear the songs over and over again until you are familiar with what each word means and before you know it, things start to come together!

Listening to music and singing along practices two important parts of conversation:

#1 recognizing what others say
#2 improving your pronunciation

Plus, it's not so boring!

Movies and CD courses are great, too... but there is only so much grammar a day I can take, and movies are incredibly long to follow sentence by sentence if you're new to the language, so music allowed me to pass my evenings improving my Italian and by the time I arrived to Italy I had no problem with the language :)

I do this too, Farfallina, and it helps a lot. And I can multi-task when at the gym or the grocery mart, because I am learning and listening to Italian all that time. Here are the lyrics of one I am listening to nowadays, is kind of catchy in a slow, laid-back way. I wish I knew how to upload the MP3 file I have....:(

Toto Cutugno: L'italiano


Lasciatemi cantare
con la chitarra in mano
lasciatemi cantare
sono un italiano

Buongiorno Italia gli spaghetti al dente
e un partigiano come Presidente
con l'autoradio sempre nella mano destra
e un canarino sopra la finestra
Buongiorno Italia con i tuoi artisti
con troppa America sui manifesti
con le canzoni con amore
con il cuore
con piu' donne sempre meno suore
Buongiorno Italia
buongiorno Maria
con gli occhi pieni di malinconia
buongiorno Dio
lo sai che ci sono anch'io

Lasciatemi cantare
con la chitarra in mano
lasciatemi cantare
una canzone piano piano
Lasciatemi cantare
perche' ne sono fiero
sono un italiano
un italiano vero

Buongiorno Italia che non si spaventa
e con la crema da barba alla menta
con un vestito gessato sul blu
e la moviola la domenica in TV
Buongiorno Italia col caffe' ristretto
le calze nuove nel primo cassetto
con la bandiera in tintoria
e una 600 giu' di carrozzeria
Buongiorno Italia
buongiorno Maria
con gli occhi pieni di malinconia
buongiorno Dio
lo sai che ci sono anch'io

Lasciatemi cantare
con la chitarra in mano
lasciatemi cantare
una canzone piano piano
Lasciatemi cantare
perche' ne sono fiero
sono un italiano
un italiano vero

Lasciatemi cantare
con la chitarra in mano
lasciatemi cantare
una canzone piano piano
Lasciatemi cantare
perche' ne sono fiero
sono un italiano
un italiano vero

this is such a good tip! I've noticed the same thing when listening to Andrea Boccelli, but I'm ready to branch out! What are some other good song to get in Italian?

this is such a good tip! I've noticed the same thing when listening to Andrea Boccelli, but I'm ready to branch out! What are some other good song to get in Italian?

Well there is always pop music from Italy, but I can't seem to get a hold of much.

If you YouTube search you can find some good Italian music videos, that may help you out too. It is easier to read it though.

Lasciatemi cantare Let me sing
Con la chitarra in mano With the guitar in my hands
Lasciatemi cantare Let me sing
Sono un italiano I’m an Italian

Buongiorno Italia, gli spaghetti al dente Good morning Italy, the spaghetti al dente[1]
E un partigiano come presidente And a partisan for president[2]
Con l’autoradio sempre nella mano destra With the car radio always in the right hand[3]
E un canarino sopra la finestra And a canary over the window

Buongiorno Italia con i tuoi artisti Good morning Italy with your artists[4]
Con troppa america sui manifesti Too much America on the posters[5]
Con le canzoni, con amore, con il cuore With songs, with love, with heart
Con più donne sempre meno suore With more women less and less nuns[6]

Buongiorno Italia, buongiorno Maria Good morning Italy, good morning Maria[7]
Con gli occhi pieni di malinconia With eyes full of melancholy
Buongiorno Dio Good morning my God
Lo sai che ci sono anch’io You know that I’m here too[8]

Lasciatemi cantare con la chitarra in mano Let me sing with the guitar in my hand
Lasciatemi cantare una canzone piano piano Let me sing a song softly softly
Lasciatemi cantare perché ne sono fiero Let me sing because I’m proud of that
Sono un Italiano, un Italiano vero I’m an Italian, a real Italian

Buongiorno Italia che non si spaventa Good morning Italy that is not afraid at all
Con la crema da barba alla menta With the mint shaving foam
Con un vestito gessato sul blu With a gessato dress in blue[9]
E la moviola la domenica in TV And the moviola on Sunday on the TV[10]

Buongiorno Italia col caffè ristretto Good morning Italy with espresso coffee
Le calze nuove nel primo cassetto New socks in the first drawer
Con la bandiera in tintoria With the flag in the laundry[11]
E una Seicento giù di carrozzeria And a Seicento with an old bodywork[12]

Buongiorno Italia, buongiorno Maria Good morning Italy, good morning Maria
Con gli occhi dolci di malinconia With sweet eyes of melancholy[13]
Buongiorno Dio Good morning my God
Lo sai che ci sono anch’io You know that I’m here too

Lasciatemi cantare con la chitarra in mano Let me sing with the guitar in my hand
Lasciatemi cantare una canzone piano piano Let me sing a song softly softly
Lasciatemi cantare perché ne sono fiero Let me sing because I’m proud of that
Sono un Italiano, un Italiano vero I’m an Italian, a real Italian

Lasciatemi cantare con la chitarra in mano Let me sing with the guitar in my hand
Lasciatemi cantare una canzone piano piano Let me sing a song softly softly
Lasciatemi cantare perché ne sono fiero Let me sing because I’m proud of that
Sono un Italiano, un Italiano vero I’m an Italian, a real Italian


[1] Spaghetti al dente means Spaghetti not very cooked; in Italy it is a long standing issue the problem of how long to cook spaghetti. In the south it is preferred to boil them not very much, while in the north they are boiled for a lot of time (spaghetti scotti).
[2] In the 80’s the president of the Italian Republic was Sandro Pertini; he was a partisan against the fascism during the Second World War.
[3] In the nouveau riche Italy of the 80’s the car radio was a status symbol.
[4] It is well known that Italy is the country of saints, poets, and sailormans...
[5] The first of a series of verses full of political criticism: after the Second World War the Italian culture was invaded by the American myth, il mito Americano.
[6] There are two different meanings of this verse. The first one is related to a social analysis: in the modern Italy the number of nuns decreased due to secularization of the society. The second one is moral: women of our times forgot the holy principles of the ancient society; note that in Italy is usual to call suora, nun, a girl that doesn’t go with a man if he doesn’t have serious intentions (marriage).
[7] Maria is la Madonna, the mother of Christ.
[8] This is the key of the interpretation of the text. The Author, with eyes full of melancholy for seeing Italy in so bad conditions, is frightened of God having forgot him.
[9] Gessato is an elegant suit.
[10] Moviola is the replay of the relevant moments of the football matches of the day, on Sunday evening. Football matches were played on Sunday but it was not possible to see them live on television, so Moviola was very popular.
[11] Another political verse: patriottism was not common in Italy after the fascism.
[12] Seicento (600) was a very popular small car produced by FIAT Auto, the symbol of Italian industry (now in deep crisis). The fact the auto has an old bodywork is another symbol of the moral decandence of Italy in the 80’s.
[13] Very poetic.
[14] Full of desperation, Toto didn’t find words to express his thoughts.

Hi Villa.
Thanks for the translation of the song. Have not seen you by the pool. Hope you are doing well.

To learn Italian:
I found that memorizing the common verbs in the present tense; parlare(to speak), andare (to ggo), fare(to do/make), dire (say),venire (come), sapere (know)etc... and the memorization of the most common prepositions and adjectives will help you to start understanding simples sentences. See if you can get your hands on Italian romance journals (which are very corny but fun to read. This is how I taught myself Italian when I first started. Immersing yourself amongst Italian friends as others have suggested is also the best way.
Most importantly, make sure you are having fun no matter what way you choose to study the language.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/

If you want to learn Italian check out the many posts
by Villa on how to learn Italian.

I'm afraid you'll soon give up learning Italian if you keep referring to that disgusting song by Toto Cutugno.....

FYI: http://www.amazon.com/Flight-Italian-Learn-Before-Land/dp/0609810715

I rented this from my local library (=free) and it was pretty good.

Very basic stuff.....hello, numbers, months, "how much does this cost", and getting around.

I'd recommend it for anyone traveling to Italy

Also, my comments on the Rosetta Stone:

Yes it is very pricey. It is a simple Java interface so the GUI/interaction is simple and straight forward.

I've made it through several levels and now I know several Italian words (dog, cat, man, kitchen) but we haven't yet really formed any coherant sentences.

They software never ever tells you what a word means, it is all picture driven and only Italian words.

They don't audibly say cat, then say ghatto...they show you a picture of a cat, and the word ghatto. I mention this because there are a few times when I'm not sure I am converting the right word.

For instance, one picture had a man with white pants on running on a beach near the ocean. They gave me an Italian word but I had to guess what the picture was referring too.

Probably I'm just being very picky, but that happens a lot so I could be learning the wrong word.

That was probably more than anyone wanted to know, but it's late and I"m bored!

I think relating directly an image to a word is much more effective that making your brain remember the translation.
When you have to name a cat in Italian you will have to go through only two passages---->
See the cat -- say gatto
instead of 3----->
see the cat - translate cat - say gatto

I don't know if I made myself clear, but it's 5Am and I'm tired, just like happybunny, in case I'll explain myself tomorrow :)