Forget dull classroom lessons, it’s never been easier to get by in Italian – for instant translation and fun language lessons, just download one of these free apps to your smartphone and away you go… No limits Next time you’re in Italy, get over that language barrier with ease and improve your skills – just […]
A Vespa is, of course, a motorcycle – but it’s also a wasp. Vespa – Wasp It’s obvious, when you think about it, why they called the scooter the ‘wasp’. It sounds like one – and the yellow ones even look like one. The Italian word is clearly very closely related to the English word, and is […]
The ability to speak the language will get you so much further in Italy, and where better to learn it? Why not try one of these Language Learning Holidays? CENTRO STUDI ITALIANI Founded in 1986, Centro Studi Italiani is the first school for foreigners in the Marche region. The school has provided Italian language and […]
Whether you’re a complete beginner or want to brush up your existing Italian skills there’s a course out there to suit you. Here’s our Italian Language Guide Review… There has never been a better time to learn a language. Gone are the days when you’d have to rely on a fusty old phrasebook to teach […]
Flavia Cresswell-Turner is overwhelmed by the warmth and generosity of the Italians Il mio amore per l’Italia è cresciuto nel corso degli anni, e specialmente dopo la mia visita a Roma quest’ultima Pasqua. Da quando ero bambina, i miei genitori hanno assecondato questa passione, portando spesso me e mia sorella in vacanza in Italia, […]
Pesto (n.m.) Pesto. The word pesto comes from the Italian ‘pestare’, meaning ‘to pound, or crush’, or indeed to ‘pestle’, and is of course also cognate to our noun ‘pestle’ (Italian: ‘pestello’, Latin: ‘pistillum’) – so there is absolutely no need to ever again get confused about which is the pestle and which is the […]
Pronunciation or Intonation? Benny Lewis, author of Fluent in 3 Months (published by Collins) gives us his tips on understanding the ‘network’ of intonation in a language, with the help of a friendly Italian polyglot. At first glance, it can seem that the differences between a native accent and a foreign accent are all […]
Using Music to Learn Phrases Benny Lewis, author of Fluent in 3 Months (published by Collins) gives us a brief singing lesson to help remember key phrases in a new language. While learning words is certainly very important, I recommend you start with phrases or full sentences, which allow you to communicate real ideas from […]
Farfalla (n.f) Butterfly. Farfalla is a strange word because, although it does derive directly from Latin, the way that it has morphed into modern Italian is unusual. The Latin, ‘papilio’, has become ‘papillon’ in French, and the word retains its ‘p’ form in Old Florentine (the basis of modern Italian), in the Bolognese, Milanese and […]
The Missing Ingredient: Passion Benny Lewis, author of Fluent in 3 Months (published by Collins) tells us about what made him passionate about learning a language, and how this can help you to find what really motivates you. In my new book, Fluent in 3 Months, I focus on independent learners, rather than those sitting […]