Try these guidelines for learning Italian whether you are taking an Italian language course or not.
How to learn Italian:
1) Spend the time!
By far the most important factor is how much time you are immersed in the Italian language. The more time you spend
with the language, the faster you will learn. This means listening, reading, writing, speaking, and studying
Italian words and phrases. This does not mean sitting in class looking out the window, nor listening to other
students who do not speak well, nor getting explanations in your own language about how the language works.
This means spending time enjoyably connected to the Italian language.
2) Listen and read Italian every day!
Listen to Italian wherever you are on your CD player, Walkman, MP3 player, computer etc. etc.. Read what you are listening to.
Listen to and read things that you like, things that you can mostly understand, or even partly understand. If you keep
listening and reading Italian you will get used to the language. One hour of listening or reading is more
effective than many hours of class time. (E vero!)
Get your audio Italian books totalmente gratis qui:
http://www.liberliber.it
Listen to them on your computer and or put them on CDs. I did.
3) Focus on words and phrases!
Build up your Italian vocabulary, you’ll need lots. Start to notice words and how they come together as phrases. Learn
these words and phrases through your listening and reading. Read online, using online dictionaries, and make your own
vocabulary lists for review. Soon you will run into your new words and phrases elsewhere. Gradually you will be able to
use them. Do not worry about how accurately you speak until you have accumulated a plenty of words through listening and reading.
4) Take responsibility for your own learning!
Get as many Italian CDs for learning Italian as possible.(along with Italian songs on CDs.) Make your
car become your language lab. Listen to your Italian CDs constantamente in your car.
5) Read Italian out loud.
This is very importante for those of us who don't live in Italy and or don't have somebody to practice
Italian with. Read outloud from Italian books, newspapers, magazines etc. etc. When you read Italian
out loud you are speaking Italian. Read slow at first and poco a poco read faster.
6) Relax and enjoy yourself!
Do not worry about what you cannot remember, or cannot yet understand, or cannot yet say. It does not matter.
You are learning and improving without even knowing it. The language will gradually become clearer in your brain,
but this will happen on a schedule that you cannot control. So sit back and enjoy. Just make sure you spend
enough time with the language. That is the greatest guarantee of success. Ecco gli audio-libri del progetto Libro parlato.
7) Carry on a immaginary Italian conversation with yourself
This sounds un po pazzo but it really works. Just pretend you are talking to somebody in Italian. You can do
this outloud or just in your mind. You don't have to answer yourself. LOL!
Kind of like when you talk to God or pray. Hey, why not?! Pray or talk to God in Italian!
8) Watch Italian movies and Italian TV
Watch Italian movies every chance you get. Per esempio I order one Italian movie a week.
You can get Italian TV on the internet or just order it.
9) Make Italian flash cards (today!)
Get index cards and make Italian flash cards. Put the Italian word on
one side and your language lightly on the other side. Go over your flash
cards every day or as much as possible. Carry your Italian flash cards with
you everywhere you go. Take them out frequentemente wherever you are and study.
Make your Italian flash cards your constant companions.
Italian words to put on your flash cards:
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
invece di - instead of
Adverbs of time:
Quando?- When?
sempre- always,
mai- never, (my)
oggi- today,
domani- tomorrow,
ieri- yesterday, (YEER-ree)
adesso- now, ora-now,
allora- then, (owl-OH-rah)
poi-then, (poy)
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, (jah) (An importantissimo little word!)
subito & immediatamente- immediately, (SUE-be-toe)
di quando in quando- from time to time,
di solito- usually (dee SO-lee-toh)
fa-ago, tre giorni fa- 3 days ago,
fino a- until, (FEE-no)
frattanto- meanwhile,
raramente- rarely,seldom,
recentemente- recently, (ray-chin-tay-MINT-tay)
ultimo- last,
una volta- once,
Adverbs of Place:
Dove?-Where?,
Dov'e? Where is?
lontano-far, (loan-TAH-no)
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 (pew)
meno-less
circa-nearly, about (CHEER-kah)
soltanto, solo, solamente-only (soul-TAHN-toh)
assai-much
piuttosto- rather Piuttosto caro. - Rather expensive.
probabilmente- probably (pro-bah-bill-MINT-teh)
piu o meno- more or less
veramente- indeed, really
purtroppo- unfortunately (purr-TROP-poh)
Le Domande - Questions
Come?- How
Quanto? How much
Quanti? Quante? How many?
Come mai?- How come? (Very common expression.)
Che? What? (Kay?)
Che cosa? What? Che? and Che cosa? are basically the samething.)
Quale? Which?
Chi?(key) Who?
Perche? Why?
Perche -because
Che tipo di...? What kind of...?
Dove? Where
Dov'e? Where is?
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 (JOH-vah-knee)
grande- big
piccolo- little
grasso- fat
magro- skinny
innocente
lento- slow
libero- free, availiable
malato- sick
meschio- mean
morbido- soft
nubile- single female (NEW-bee-lay)
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
More on learning Italian - Carry on an Italian conversation with yourself! 
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