My podcast: 7 minutes in slow Italian
I HAVE LAUNCHED A PODCAST SERIES FOR ITALIAN LEANERS!WHY I CREATED 7 MINUTES IN SLOW ITALIAN As a Language Coach, working with a large number of students, I have realized there is a shortage of content for listening comprehension for Italian beginners or intermediate learners.As an avid language learner, the biggest obstacle I have always encountered […]
Ciò and cioè explained
The question I want to reply to today regards the meaning of the word ciò. I will also digress on the difference between ciò and cioè, another common and peculiar Italian word HOW TO USE CIO’ IN ITALIAN Ciò appears to have multiple meanings. Ciò is a demonstrative pronoun, and it is often used instead […]
How to write a formal (or informal) email in Italian
You may have been faced with the situation that you need to write a letter or an email in Italian to your Italian professor, your tour guide in Italy or an Italian Language School, and you don’t know where to start. So you switch to English, the lingua franca. You shouldn’t, because writing a letter […]
The use of FARE and with an INFINITIVE verb
How to use FARE + infinitive verb Faccio riparare il frigo a mio fratello or mi faccio riparare il frigo da mio fratello (I will have the fridge repaired by my brother) Your keen eye might spot the interesting usage of the verb fare and an infinitive that you have ever seen before. FARE […]
5 Italian proverbs about love
5 Italian proverbs about love L’amore non è bello, se non è litigarello There is no equivalent in English, although searching the I came across a quote by Shakespeare that sums up the meaning of the Italian provarb above. ‘The course of true love never did run smooth‘. When do Italians say “l’amore non e’ bello […]
Fermare and smettere: what’s the difference?
The difference between FERMARE and SMETTERE Misusing or swapping the verbs fermare and smettere is one of the most frequent errors students of Italian as a second language do and I understand why. The confusion is drove by the fact that both verbs, in English, have only one translation: stopping. Instead, Italians have two different verbs to indicate […]
How to use the Italian prepositions IN and A
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN “IN” AND “A” IN ITALIAN One of the most common mistakes in Italian (for foreign learners) concerns the use of the preposition a and in. And it is totally normal. In fact, in some cases, specific rules are telling you how to use the preposition in and when using the preposition a. However, the truth is that in most […]
5 Italian authors whose books you should read
5 great authors to explore the Italian literature We all learn a foreign language because we want to use it. No matter what your Italian level is, picking up a great Italian novel and flipping through its pages is a terrific learning practice that will open you a door on the world of Italian literature. In […]
