Question:
Hi,
I want to learn Italian as a second language, I only speak English and completely failed at learning German at school. I've got audio books (where they say something, and then I repeat it back), and a phrasebook from WH Smith, but I want to learn a lot more Italian than that before I move there, next month.
Any tips?
Thanks very much, any help much appreciated as always!
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I was learning English for 7 years back home, but it is really improved only then I came to Britain and lived with people who native speakers of language. So my tip for enyone who learning foreign language: go to that country, spend some time there, mayby try to get the job apart from attending course, go out a lot, make friends and talk talk talk, asking directions, chating to regulars in local cafes, have small talks with street sweeper, librarian, conductor, basically enyone, who have time to chat.
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That's what I did when I came over to Britain to learn English. I engaged in conversation as much as possible, watched TV paying attention to lip movement when peeps spoke, and so on. A language can be picked up very quickly in this way.
Oh by the way, Thenotsowizewun... I'm Italian
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Perché lei muove all'Italia? È per personale o le ragioni di affari? Il mio consiglio è spendere come molto tempo come possibile con i materiali di studio che lei ha.
Fortuna buona.
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Perché lei muove all'Italia? È per personale o le ragioni di affari? Il mio consiglio è spendere come molto tempo come possibile con i materiali di studio che lei ha.
Fortuna buona.
Didn't have a clue what you were saying, so I went to FreeTranslation.com. OK I got the first sentence mostly.
Anyway, I'm moving there to learn Italian - I've been running a small business this last few months (well, over half a year) to teach myself business - didn't want to go to University to hear lecturers tell me about it when I could just immerse myself in it instead.
I'm taking the same approach with Italian - I've always wanted to learn a second language and everyone says this is by far the best way.
By the way, how long should I expect it to take, before I can speak fluently? I think it'll take about 2 years.
Thanks for your responses , no-one's recommended any good books/CDs/software though, I just feel really badly prepared intending to show up there with no Italian and expecting to get a job and place to live within a week!
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any good
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ciao
well, I think its best you go over there and learn it with everyday language and read posters and magazines..don't forget to buy a dictionary.!
its good when you go to the street markets, its full of excitement and you pick up a few words.. and go to supermarkets and cafe's..
I didn't know the language when I went over there and you pick it up quite easy cos some times, its like english but with the ending of either, "i" or "o" "a" or "e"
fantastico! see what i mean!
i only had 20 days to learn my italian and i had to pass a test or i didn't get a job! that is what you call pressure to learn!
I think there is a collection of cd's to learn italian..i can't remember the name which gives you words to learn and its like a game which makes it easier to learn!
I don't think they expect you to learn the language over notte! chill
prendere sui tempo !
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The Michel Thomas CD's are excellent for learning languages.
( do a google on him - highly recommended )
Best
Troubleatmill
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Michel Thomas CD 8HR course all the way...cheap and a great starting point - i learnt more from it in 2 hours than i had at uni for two years...good luck it's a beautiful language...
Happycat
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Michel Thomas CD 8HR course all the way...cheap and a great starting point - i learnt more from it in 2 hours than i had at uni for two years...good luck it's a beautiful language...
Happycat
You don't happen to have the ISBN do you? - I looked up the set shown on his website () ISBN 007138166X on BookButler.co.uk and Amazon UK but it's only for sale in America... and Amazon UK doesn't seem to stock anything similiar.
g2g
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Check out your local college, they may do evening courses.
Since you're in London, what about the
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is a very good and helpfull forum. Rosetta Stones books are very popular.
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Thanks for the new replies, this page on wordreference's forum is particularly good: and I just realized libraries stock things like this, so I'm going to order in Michel Thomas's 8 CD Set (our local library has a network called ELAN that can be accessed online, the copy at my local library is reserved til mid next month, but there's 2 copies at other libraries in Essex so I'll be able to order them in and they'll send them to my local library (well, the library bus will deliver them on it's rounds!).
Also, I did think about Evening Courses but I don't have any money; I'm saving it all, and I'm not sure how much they'd help me anyway - I've always learnt better from the Internet, Books and stuff.
This thread's been so helpful, I'm going to start a new one: I wanna: Move to Italy !
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Hi at the moment Lidl are doing language courses for £4.99, 4 cds and book, they do french german spanish and if i remember rightly italian.
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I vollyo to write a writty reply to this in italiano from memory, ma i'm only on lesson 5, disc 1 of the language course (Michel Thomas) so sonno can nonne do that quite yet. e molte molte buorno though! (i have nonne supere to spell italiano yet, e i'm sure i'm constructing my sentences molto bad too, but oh well!).
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I used the Michel Thomas 8 disc set - got it off ebay....
When the discs went in Pc Media Player offered to rip them to Mp3 - How nice....
Then they got resold on ebay !!!
Mark
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Pity there is no Michael Thomas Russian course.
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Pity there is no Michael Thomas Russian course.
This might help
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Sorry to gate crash...
Was kinda hoping someone might point me in the direction of a starting point in my attempt to learn some very very basic Herero.
Long shot I know seeing as how it is a local african language... any ideas?
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Sorry to gate crash...
Was kinda hoping someone might point me in the direction of a starting point in my attempt to learn some very very basic Herero.
Long shot I know seeing as how it is a local african language... any ideas?
Supposedly most Namibians speak Africaans or German, if only a little, even if their main language is Herero, and it'd be my guess both of those would be far easier to learn (because they're so much more popular).
If you just want to learn some really really basic Herero, I'm not sure whether you mean speak or say words; do you want to be able to form sentences? If not, you could look words up in a english/herero dictionary (if you can find one) as pronounciation will very likely be indicated.
Hope that helps