How does one really learn the Italian language or anyother language or anything for that matter? by Villa.
(A proposito I'm studying Italian tutto il santo giorno e ogni giorno.)

1. First and foremost you need("desiderio")(desire)
So first you must have desire and passion for learning Italian.

Now remember that there are many ways to learn Italian and these different ways of learning are the process of
learning Italian. Your goal is to learn Italian but what is more important is that you enjoy the process of
learning Italian So the journey e molto piu importante than the destination or goal. Learning Italian should
be a fun hobby for you and not a job or some terrible task.(The best job is the job that's your hobby.)

2. So now let's get down to the hobby of learning Italian. After "il desiderio" to learn Italian you need a
small bilingual dictionary phrase book that you can carry with you everywhere you go. And I mean everywhere.
Don't leave home without it. That's why it has to be small. No matter where you go have your little bilingual
dictionary ready to pull out and study at a moments notice. Vacation to Kansas, doctor/dentist office, job interview,
unemployement office etc. etc. Haven't you gone places and you're just sitting there wasting your time such as at
the doctor's office. Well, pull out your bilingual dictionary and have fun looking through it.(I do)Take notes in a
notebook and or write right in the dictionary.(It helps if the
bilingual dictionary has a phonectic translation)(Get a yellow highlighter and highlight things in all your Italian books)

3.Va bene. Allora. Now besides your small bilingual dictionary you take with you everywhere you need a large bilingual
dictionary that you keep at home and forse a medium size bilingual dictionary anche. You need a big dictionary to look
up words that might not be in your little dictionary. The large dictionary has it's good points but it's to big
to take everywhere with you.

The question now is... Do you have a small bilingual Italian/English dictionary and a large one? Si, o no? If not get them.
Amazon.com: Italian at a Glance: Phrase Book & Dictionary for ...Amazon.com: Italian at a Glance: Phrase Book & Dictionary
for Travelers (At a Glance Foreign Language Phrasebooks): Mario Costantino: Books.
http://www.amazon.com/Italian-Glance.../dp/0764112562 - 214k - Cached - Similar pages

Wiley::Cassell's Italian Dictionary (Thumb-indexed Version ...Larger Image. Cassell's Italian Dictionary (Thumb-indexed Version):
Italian-English English-Italian. Piero Rebora (Compiled by). ISBN: 978-0-02-522540-4 ...
http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyT...025225405.html - 20k - Cached - Similar pages

4. Now you need Italian text books perferably ones that have dialogs or conversations in them. You can find them at book stores
and on the internet. If they have CDs that go with them all the better. Ultimate Italian Beginner/Intermediate for example.
Comes with 8 cds.Amazon.com: Ultimate Italian Beginner-Intermediate (CD/Book) (LL(R ...Amazon.com: Ultimate Italian Beginner-Intermediate
(CD/Book) (LL(R) Ultimate Basic-Intermed): Living Language: Books.
http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Itali.../dp/1400021111 - 222k - Cached - Similar pages

Amazon.com: The Big Green Book of Italian Verbs (Book w/CD-ROM ...The Big Green Book of Italian Verbs with CD-ROM is the most comprehensive
resource available for learning and mastering Italian verbs. ...
http://www.amazon.com/Green-Book-Ita.../dp/0071487611 - 269k - Cached - Similar pages
More results from www.amazon.com »

(By the way I do not work for any Italian book company)

Go to used book stores anche. Yard sales. Keep your eyes open.
Libaries are good too but you can't keep the books forever.

5. Have lists of Italian words, basic and otherwise. There are several Italian lists on this forum. 1,000 and 1,500 words in Italian.
And others. Make flash cards with any and all Italian words. Practice them daily. Dai!
Get those long sentence strips and put whole sentences on them. Got to teacher supply stores and ask for sentence strips.

6. Get books on tape/CD in Italian. I have over 15.
Get music Italian CDs. Listen to all your Italian CDs in your car. I drive 15 miles to work and 15 miles back. I don't drive for
one minutes without my Italian CDs playing. Anywhere you go have your CDs playing. Your car is your language lab.

7. Get the lyrics to your Italian songs. Learn your Italian songs my memory.

8. Watch Italian TV. You can get it on the internet. Listen to Italian radio you can also get it on the internet.

9. Get a hand held tape recorder and have your Italian friends
talk into it. Have them read books into it.

10. Write to people in Italian on this or anyother Italian forum.

11. Get Italian speakers' phone numbers and speak to them on the phone.

12. Take an Italian class at your local adult or community college. Adult classes are usually free and non credit.

13. Get an Italian tutor.

14. Oh, don't forget to rent and watch Italian movies. I've got a large collection of Italian movies now.(backup copies)

15. Come up with your own ways of learning Italian.

16. Now, are ready for the number 1 best way to learn Italian.(Besides living in Italy with an Italian girlfriend/boyfirend that is)

Read out loud in Italian. That's it! The best way. Think about it. When you read out loud you are speaking Italian. You have to go back and look at oral reading in a whole new light. I can't tell you how much this can help you.

Now of course you have to be listening to your Italian CDs night and day. That's why those books on tape that I have are so good. You listen to them without the book and then with the book and read a long with them and read without the CDs.

If you are so lucky to be living in Italy then do all your shopping in Italian. Watch only Italian TV and listen to only Italian radio. Go to public places like gyms, churches, clubs, libaries, coffe shops, sports events etc. etc. and make Italian friends. I did. For two whole years I watched only Italian TV. No English TV and only Italian radio.

It's up to you. Do you want to learn Italian or what?!

But remember to have fun!!

P.S. I need to stress that the beginner biginner of Italian needs to be listening to a lot of Italian language before you try to talk.
Think about how we learned our first language. First you understand, then speak, then read and then write.
However if you already speak Spanish or anyother Latin based language you'll learn Italian much faster.

When I first started learning Italian in Italy I noticed the same words kept coming up over and over again in conversations and on the TV/radio etc. etc. These are those words:

Make flash cards with these words.

There are several classes of adverbs in Italian:

Adverbs of quality or manner:

bene- well, (BAY-nay)
meglio- better,(MEL-yo)
peggio- worse (PEG-gee-oh)
male- badly, (MAH-lay_
anche- also (ON-kay
cosi- as, like (coe-SEE)
pure- also, too, (POO-ray)
insieme- together (in-see-EH-may)
come- as, like
in vece di - instead of


Adverbs of time:

Cuando?- When?
sempre- always,
mai- never, (my)
oggi- today,
domani- tomorrow,
ieri- yesterday, (YEER-ree)
adesso- now, ora-now,
allora- then, poi-then, (owl-OH-rah)
dopo- after,
dopo domani, the day after tomorrow
prima(di)- before,
ancora- still,yet, non ancora-not yet (an-CORE-rah)
spesso(frequentemente)- often,
stasera- tonight,
presto- early,soon,
tardi- late,
a tempo- on time,
gia- already,
subito & immediatamente- immediately, (SUE-be-toe)
di quando in quando- from time to time,
di solito- usually,
fa-ago, tre giorni fa- 3 days ago,
fino a- until,
frattanto- meanwhile,
raramente- rarely,seldom,
recentemente- recently, (ray-chin-tay-MINT-tay)
ultimo- last,
una volta- once,

Adverbs of Place:

Dove?-Where?,
lontano-far,
vicino-near, (vee-CHEE-no)
dietro-behind, (dee-EH-tro)
davanti-in front of,
avanti-forward, (ah-VAHN-tee)
indietro-backward,
dentro-inside,
fuori-outside,
qua,qui-here,
li,la-there
giu-down (jew)
laggiu-down there (lah-jew)
lassu-up there (lah-sue)
accanto a - beside
sopra-above
sotto-below
tra,fra-between
via-away (vada via!-get out of here!)
attraverso- through
intorno,attorno - around
da nessuna parte - nowhere
da qualche parte - somewhere
dappertutto- everywhere
a destra - to the right
a sinistra to the left

Adverbs of quantity:

Quanto?- How much?
molto-much
troppo-too much
poco-little
tanto-so much
abbastanza-enough
quasi-almost
piu-more
meno-less
circa-nearly, about
soltanto, solo, solamente-only
assai-much
piuttosto- rather Piuttosto caro. - Rather expensive.
probabilmente- probably
piu o meno- more or less
veramente- indeed, really
purtroppo- unfortunately

Le Domande - Questions

Come?- How
Quanto? How much
Quanti? Quante? How many?
Come mai?- How come?
Che? What?
Che cosa? What?
Quale? Which?
Chi?(key) Who?
Perche? Why?
Perche -because
Che tipo di...? What kind of...?
Dove? Where
Dove ci vediamo? Where shall we meet?

Aggettivi importante

buono- good
buffo- funny
caldo- hot
fredo- cold
caro- costly
cattivo- bad
celibe (CHAY-lee-bay) single male
aperto- open
chniuso- closed
corto- short
debole- weak
forte- strong
difficile- difficult
facile- easy
gentile- nice
giovane- young
grande- big
piccolo- little
grasso- fat
magro- skinny
innocente
lento- slow
libero- free, availiable
malato- sick
meschio- mean
morbido- soft
nubile- single female
nuovo- new
occupato- busy
pesante- heavy
piacevole- pleasant
piccante- spicy hot
pieno- full
pigro- lazy
primo - first
profondo- deep
sbagliato- mistaken
scuro- dark
secco- dry
sordo- deaf
sporco- dirty
pulito- clean
umido- humid
vecchio- old
vivace- active
vuoto- empty
zitto- quiet

Prepositions - Don't forget to make flash cards!!!

a- to, at
da- from, by, sometimes at
di- of sometimes from, about
in- in into sometimes by, on
su- on sometimes upon
con- with
per- for, through sometimes in order to + verb

Ho... I am... (literally have)
fame- hungry
freddo- cold
caldo- hot
paura- afraid
sete- thirst
sonno- sleepy
vergogna- ashamed

Il Nome - Nouns

il gatto- cat
il cane- dog
la carne- meat
il pane- bread
il topo- rat
il libro- book
la porta- door
la casa- house
la montangna- mountain
il albero- tree
la finestra- window
il finestrino- car or train window
il genitore- parent
la parente- relative (f.)
il parente- relative (m.)
la valigia- suitcase
la pioggia- rain
il sindaco- mayor
la spiaggia- beach
il denaro, il soldi- money
la lingua- language, tongue
il paese- country, small town
il postino- mailman
la posta- mail
la camera- room or bedroom also la camera di letto

Basic Vocabulary
English Italian
Yes Sì
No No
Please Per favore
Thank You Grazie
Thank you very much Grazie tante
You're Welcome Prego
Sorry Mi dispiace, Scusa, Scusi (Formal)
I don't understand Non capisco OR Non ho capito
Good luck Buona fortuna
How many? Quanti?
How much? Quanto?
I am Io sono
Keep quiet Silenzio
Let's go Andiamo
Please, repeat Prego, ripeta
Very good Bravo, complimenti
What is this? Che cos'è questo?
Where is it? Dov'è?
You are very kind Sei molto gentile
Who knows? Chi lo sa? (or simply "Chi sa")
What is your name Come ti chiami??
My name is... Mi chiamo ...


Greetings
Hello/Hi Ciao, Salve
Good morning Buon giorno
Good afternoon Buon pomeriggio
Good evening Buona sera
Good night Buona notte
Goodbye Arrivederci
Farewell Addio


[edit] Ordinal Numbers
First Primo
Second Secondo
Third Terzo
Fourth Quarto
Fifth Quinto
Sixth Sesto
Seventh Settimo
Eighth Ottavo
Ninth Nono
Tenth Diecimo
Eleventh Undicesimo
Twelfth Dodicesimo
Thirteenth Tredicesimo
Fourteenth Quattordicesimo
Fifteenth Quindicesimo
Sixteenth Sedicesimo
Seventeenth Diciassettesimo
Eighteenth Diciottesimo
Nineteenth Diciannovesimo
Twentieth Ventesimo


Cardinal Numbers

Colours
English Italian
Black Nero
Blue (Dark) Blu
Blue (Azure) Azzurro
Brown Marrone
Cyan Ciano
Green Verde
Grey Grigio
Indigo Indaco
Magenta Magenta
Orange Arancione
Pink Rosa
Purple Viola
White Bianco
Yellow Giallo
Red Rosso

Flash cards for learning Italian - Are you using them?!

Bravo Villa. This has got to be the best advise ever on learning another language.

Ad ogni modo, don't forget to put your Italian vocabulary words on flash cards.

For example besides all the words from the word list put
il ragazzo
i ragazzi on one card.
Then
la ragazza
le ragazze on another. This helps you remember to add an
"i" for plural mas. words and to add an "e" for plural fem. words.
Plus il-i and la-le

Another example:

amico - singular mas.
amici - plural mas.

amica - singular fem.
amiche - plural fem.

So with flash cards you learn vocabulary and grammar and
anything else. Use your imagination.

Also get those sentences strips or very long flash cards so you can write out whole sentences in Italian. Get them at teacher supply stores.

Examples: Penso sempre a te. I'm always thinking about you.
Sto pensando alle vacanze. I'm thinking about vacation. Penso di si. I think so. Cosa ne pensi? What do you think about it?
Parla italiano ma non sa scriverlo. He speaks Italian but can't write it. Hai visto il film? Have you seen the movie? Parli piu piano, per favore. Non La capisco. Please speak more slowly. I can't understand you.

I took your advice on flash cards. I make a sheet of labels 1 x 2.5 and type each word. first in Italian and the next one in english. I print out each sheet and stick them on my 3 x 5 cards. Works great Thanks JLR455

grazie villa , I'll make flash cards.

__________________
Think of yourself as you wish to be , not as you are today.

"Think of yourself as you wish to be , not as you are today." Complimenti, Sara.

Mi piace molto questo. Goes right along with learning Italian.

Small Dictionary:

I've just been doing a course in Perugia and one of my classmates showed me his iPhone with a amazing Italian dictionary incorporated. As good as any small paper dictionary I've seen.

I'll try to get the name of the app and post it here.

Bill M

It's really interesting
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It is a great topic.

First and foremost it is possible to gain fluency in the foregn language. I am fluent in 2 in addition to my mother language English and Italian (my native is Russian). And I learned both outside of the countries that speek these languages. And it took me 2 years each time.

You have to have only one thing - strong BURNING desire to learn it (100% of success is GUARANTED). You have to feel that YOU CANNOT LIVE WITHOUT SPEAKING IT. The rest: classes, tutors, practices with the native speakers, watching TV, listening to the tape etc is individual; you have to find what works for you.

I learned English because I wanted to get the hell out of post soviete Russia. And I learned Italian because I fell in love with it. I tried German and I didn't succeed. Why? I didn't like the language and the culture but I worked for the German company and the language classes were for free in the office .... And my grandfather spoke German really fluently... I wanted to learn it in his honor and memory. But German language was his passion and not mine. My passion is Italian...