No time to read this? Why not find something to study instead? A1 – Beginner/Elementary | A2 – Pre-Intermediate | B1 – Intermediate | B2 – Upper-Intermediate | C1 – Advanced | C2 – Proficiency | What’s my level? | Italian level test

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Buondì.

If you’re on our ebooks store’s mailing list, you’ll hopefully already have received an emailed article entitled ‘Beach Reads! 25% Off Graded Foreign Language Study Materials‘.

Most OnlineItalianClub.com ‘members’, however, aren’t on the ebooks store’s mailing list. So while I had been planning to regale you with tales of taking my younger daughter to do driving practice on Bologna’s busy and poorly-designed roads, that’ll have to wait for another time.

Sto male come un cane (I’m sick as a dog), having spent the entire week wheezing, pointlessly coughing, sleeping poorly but often, so getting little done.

Writing an article from scratch (without AI, kiddies, just the way grandpa used to do it), redrafting, proof-reading, and finally publishing it, typically takes me about three hours of a Wednesday morning.

Francamente? Non ho proprio voglia (I really don’t want to).

Invece (in contast, on the other hand, etc.) chucking out a short one, which is mostly advert, can be done in under an hour, after which I’ll head back to the ‘divano’ to wait until my adult kids finally emerge from their beds, then maybe offer more kamikaze practice. She’s off to Milano tomorrow (boyfriend) and the driving test’s next month.

Talking of mailing lists, the relative size of the club list (north of thirty thousand, last time I looked) and the ebook shop list (around eight thousand, with a very low response rate) always depresses me.

The club is supposed to be a community for language learners, or would-be language learners, at least. Right?

And learning a language without regular text input – unless you have dyslexia, in which case you’re excused – is be much, much harder.

Imagine learning only by listening and speaking! It can, totally, be done, but why would anyone want to handicap themselves that way?

My reasonable assumption, therefore, is that everyone learning Italian will – by definition – by interested in Italian reading materials that are appropriate to their level.

But the evidence suggests otherwise. Most learners never read anything (and never learn much, either). Even in our native languages, fewer and fewer people read.

My formerly book-obsessed (Italian) wife reads effortlessly in three languages, but these days spends most of her time with Netflix or audio books, which leave her hands free for knitting, or can be ‘consumed’ in bed without disturbing Bug, who sleeps in the same room.

All this AI BS, yet if anyone’s come up with a way to get foreign languages into learners’ heads which works better than simply interacting appropriately with people and content in the target foreign language, I’ve yet to hear of it.

The depressing conclusion is that if people can no longer be bothered to read (“AI, summarise this for me!”), why would anyone worry about learning a language at all?

OK, it was always a niche thing in the English-speaking world, that’s true. But if we’re no longer willing to do – and to become practiced at – the language grunt work that enables future progress, what hope is there?

I know – I sound like a fossil. A fossil wasting time forming words, sentences, and paragraphs – by touching plastic buttons with his fingers!

But I’m a fossil who’s taught himself several foreign languages, without spending money on teachers or courses, without gimmicks of any kind.

Beh, anyway, I can hear bedroom doors opening above my head, so I’ll bring this to a close. I should just mention that in the ad. below there’s an actual article I wrote years back:

“Graded materials are useful at every language-learning level, but their real power can be seen when they are incorporated as an integral part of our studies right from Day 1 with a new language.”

Find out more about that by scrolling down to where you see four little crosses:

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And the first line thereafter, which is:

“Everyone learning a foreign language is familiar with the concept of ‘level’.”

Start reading there and…

OMG!! Did I just say ‘start reading’??

We’re all doomed.

Alla prossima settimana!

Beach Reads! 25% Off Graded Foreign Language Study Materials

Don’t know what ‘graded’ study materials are or how they could boost your progress with the language you’re learning? Scroll down to ++++ to find out.

But first, don’t forget the 2026 ‘Beach Reads’ promotion is running this month, which means a 25% saving on graded material for learning Italian, Spanish, French, and German.

Everything in our online store, EasyReaders.org, is a quarter cheaper until midnight on June 11th.

But only if you remember to use this coupon code:

2026-Beach-Reads-25%-Off

Make your selection from our range of ebooks, which have been especially written to keep you interested and making progress.

Apply coupon code 2026-Beach-Reads-25%-Off in your shopping cart to reduce the cart total by 25%!

Stock up on online easy readers, parallel texts and grammar workbooks – at an unbeatable price!

Italian | Spanish | French | German

Here’s that coupon code again:

2026-Beach-Reads-25%-Off

Don’t forget to use it when you order to save 25% on the price of everything in your cart!

Italian | Spanish | French | German

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Everyone learning a foreign language is familiar with the concept of ‘level’.

Some materials are just too hard for where you’re currently at, others might seem just right, whereas the texts you worked on months ago will now, hopefully, feel easy.

We all know that it can be difficult (impossible!) to understand films and so on in the languages we’re learning, or to read an authentic article, say from a newspaper, which is written for educated native-speaker readers.

And yet, clearly, listening to the language as it is really used, and reading articles written in it, are important long-term goals, even if they seem unachievable for the moment.

Plus, it seems likely that the more we read and listen, the more meaningful our studies will be, the more new words we’ll pick up, and the more we’ll feel familiar with the grammar and structures of the languages we’re learning.

Reading and listening to the language you’re studying are unarguably good ways to speed your progress, and in any case, training yourself to listen and to read effectively in the new language is obviously going to be necessary at some point.

But authentic materials are HARD! Often too hard.

The solution to this quandry?

‘Graded’ texts, that is to say materials written by language teachers for learners like you, and designated as suitable for those who have reached or are above a particular level.

The CEFR level system uses six level bands, which are (from easiest to hardest): A1, A2, B1, B2, C1 and C2.

Assume that students at the C levels should be reading and listening to authentic (real-life) texts and audio without too much difficulty. The graded materials at those levels, then, will approximate texts written for native-speakers.

People at the intermediate stage (the B levels) are not yet ready for ‘real’ or ‘nearly real’ listening and reading, but still need to build their skills in anticipation. So the graded materials will be an in-between step, aimed at challenging students to develop their skills further.

The easiest materials (at A1 and A2 levels) are designed to be unintimidating, which means short chapters and simple or simpler grammar and vocabulary. Their purpose is to encourage learners to get into the HABIT of reading and listening to the language they’re learning as early on in the process as possible.

The more reading & listening you do early on, the easier everything that follows will be. You’ll already be used to, for example, guessing meaning from context in a text, or getting the gist of the spoken language even when you can’t pick out every word.

Graded materials are useful at every language-learning level, but their real power can be seen when they are incorporated as an integral part of our studies right from Day 1 with a new language.

The difference between a learner who regularly reads and listens to graded materials, and one who never or rarely spends time on anything other than grammar and vocabulary exercises, is plain to see, if for no other reason than that a student who has no fear of reading and listening (because she is using materials that have been specifically written for her level, remember) comes across as being more confident and more autonomous.

How to find graded materials for your level? Our Catalog page lists materials by type and in level order, which should help.

But importantly, there’s always a free sample chapter, which you should absolutely look at before deciding to buy a particular title.

Have a look at the first few lines, the first paragraph, the first page, even the whole of the first chapter. Can you manage to figure out what’s going on in the story without too much effort, without constantly reaching for the dictionary?

If not, step down a level, try another free sample chapter, keep looking until you find something that you’re comfortable with. Don’t forget to check out the free online audio, if there is one. Usually the link is at the top of the first chapter…

Then, if the story grabs you, go ahead and buy a copy! Read a chapter a day, perhaps. There are usually eight short chapters, so in not much more than a week, you’ll be done.

At which point, you could check out other titles at the same level, or look at free sample chapters for the next level (or half-level) up, to see if you’re ready for something a little more challenging.

Aim to establish a reading/listening HABIT. Move up to the next level only when you’re comfortable, no need to rush,

Gradually, month by month, your reading/listening skills will improve, as will your knowledge of the grammar and vocabulary of the language you’re learning.

With graded materials, such as ‘easy readers’ and ‘parallel texts’, you’ll master the language you’re studying step-by-step, almost without realising it!

P.S.

Do find some time to stock up on the easy readers, parallel texts and grammar workbooks you’ll need to improve the language you’re learning –  at an unbeatable price.

Browse our Catalog now: Italian | Spanish | French | German

There are free sample chapters to download for all of the many hundreds of ebooks there. Enjoy finding materials for your current level, and for the level or levels you aim to reach in the future.

When you’ve made your selection, don’t forget to apply Coupon code 2026-Beach-Reads-25%-Off in your shopping cart, to reduce the total price by 25%.

P.P.S.

And here’s a reminder to read/listen to Tuesday’s FREE bulletin of news from EasyItalianNews.com.

Reading/listening practice will help you consolidate the Italian you’re studying, expand your vocabulary, and build vital comprehension skills.

EasyItalianNews.com is FREE to read/listen to.

Subscribing, and so receiving all three text + audio bulletins of ‘easy’ news via email each week – on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays – is also FREE.

Just enter your email address on this page and click the confirmation link that will be sent to you.

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OnlineItalianClub.com | EasyItalianNews.com | Shop (ebooks) | Shop (online lessons)

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No longer interested?

All bulk emails we send (including this one) contain an unsubscribe link, usually at the bottom. Scroll down to find it, click the link and select ‘unsubscribe’. That will permanently remove your email address from our mailing list.

No time to read this? Why not find something to study instead? A1 – Beginner/Elementary | A2 – Pre-Intermediate | B1 – Intermediate | B2 – Upper-Intermediate | C1 – Advanced | C2 – Proficiency | What’s my level? | Italian level test

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Buondì.

A short one today, as here in Bologna we’re all sick. There’s a nasty, wheezy, chesty thing going around, which causes a booming, dry cough, along with general exhaustion. Not to say that we’re not already worn out from caring for an energetic and easily-bored young animal. But right now the vibe is  ‘even more knackered than usual’.

So anyway, buoni sconto.

‘Buono’ – besides being the masculine form of the Italian adjective for ‘good’ – is also a noun, and in that case means, basically, ‘voucher’ or ‘coupon’, as in what you might once have snipped out from a newspaper so as to save 50 cents on detergent.

‘Sconto’, pronounced ‘sk’ as in ‘school’, means ‘discount’, a great word to memorise if you’re planning to visit Italy and are the bargain-hunting type.

Which reminds me, back in the day when our Italian school in Bologna was also an English school in Bologna, it was noticeable that the parents of Chinese kids would always ask for a ‘sconto’ when signing their kids up for extra English. It was evidently a cultural thing. Italians rarely did, Chinese-Italians always did.

And if they can do it, well so can you! No harm in asking, right? SCONTO??

Talking of cultural differences, yes, Italy is in Europe, but no, this isn’t France. Here, you’re not obliged to tip.

My Italian wife never does. I let the young sikh guy who delivers takeout pizzas keep the change occasionally, but only because it’s raining and because it makes me feel rich.

None of us leave tips in bars or restaurants. Non si fa.

I get (from reading U.S. newspapers in my library app) that in the U.S.A. tipping is ‘de rigueur’. You have to pay for the servers’ smiles. In Italy, except in tourist hotspots, not.

Dai (Go on!), break the habit of a lifetime and don’t tip! Perhaps you’ll more easily pass as a local.

N.b. Don’t bother asking for a ‘sconto’ in a bar or restaurant, unless there was a real issue – a bit of glass in your meal, or something, in which case you totally should.

But you can definitely try it in, say, a car repair shop. When you’re presented with the usual, inflated bill, look sufficiently shocked, taken aback, and disappointed. A (small) discount might spontaneously be offered. And if not, then: SCONTO?

So anyway, buoni sconto, the two words together basically meaning ‘coupon codes’. The word ‘codice’ IS used with ‘buono’, but to refer more to a specific ID number, for example on each, unique Amazon voucher.

We use coupon codes quite a lot in our businesses: for each quarterly promotion in our online lessons store, to encourage new students to give our Italian school a try, and so on.

Typically you get the ‘buono sconto’ (coupon code) emailed to you when you sign up to a mailing list. Use it when you buy something to save £££ or €€€, depending on the product or service. Unsubscribing from the mailing lists should be one-click, so what’s to lose?

Which brings me to the point.

Yesterday, someone I’d not heard of, from a country far, far away, joined the ebooks store mailing list ( https://easyreaders.org/mailing-list/ ), received his 33% ‘buono sconto’, and used it to buy four ebooks at a saving of approximately $20, which isn’t bad.

If you need Italian materials to read/listen to you could do the same ( https://easyreaders.org/mailing-list/ ).

But be aware (your country needs wares) that the generous 33% ‘buono sconto’ is ONE USE PER PERSON ONLY.

So you might want to save your 33% coupon code for when you’re ready to order multiple titles (i.e. not immediately, when you don’t know us, our products, or how to use them.)

And if you already used the 33% ‘buono sconto’ at some point in the past???

Beh, we have literally hundreds of Italian ebooks, at twelve different half-levels, from beginner to advanced (browse the catalog page to see them all and download FREE SAMPLE CHAPTERS), so we’d hate you to miss out on materials that could accelerate your progress.

So every four months there’s an ebook 25% ‘buono sconto’ promotion. On those happy occasions, there’s no limit on how many times you can use the coupon code.

By no coincidence at all, the EasyReaders.org seasonal ‘Beach Reads 25% coupon code’ promotion begins tomorrow, May 14th. Anyone already on their mailing list will hear about it then, wheezy breathing permitting.

However, for you, the thirty-thousand or so very special OnlineItalianClub.com members, who may or may not have opened today’s emailed article and read this far, I can reveal the 25% ‘Beach Reads’ buono sconto, which is already active from today:

2026-Beach-Reads-25%-Off

– Browse the catalog page

– Download free sample chapters for materials at your level

– Open the free sample chapters on your device, so you know what you’re getting, how it works, and whether it will help with your learning

– Back to the catalog page, where clicking on the ebook titles will take you to the ‘product page’ for each title, from where you can ‘add to cart’

– When you’re done ‘adding to cart’, view your cart page, copy/paste in the ‘buono sconto’, press the ‘Apply coupon’ button, and scroll down to check the cart total has been reduced by the expected 25% (not the prices of individual ebooks, which don’t change…)

Easy as pie! But please, please, check out the free samples first, which saves me hassle and grief.

If you don’t know how to read/listen to an ebook on your iPad, do us both a favor and find out (using the free sample chapter or chapters) BEFORE you buy.

Here’s that buono sconto again:

2026-Beach-Reads-25%-Off

Catalog page | Cart | FAQ

Alla prossima settimana!

What I’m reading/watching this week

Still going with Jonathan Lethem’s ‘Il detective selvaggio’, less than a hundred pages to read and the ebook library loan has three days left. I’m confident.
Back in Italy, back to the evening Netflix regime, the primary objective of which is to lull Bug to sleep. That’s been working less and less well as he’s grown into an insistent little fellow who knows his own mind: I DON’T WANT TO GO TO SLEEP! We’re still going with the first series of ER (in English), supplemented with ‘The Mentalist’ when we feel the need for something shorter and less gory. Yesterday evening we watched half an hour or so of 1973’s ‘The Sting’. Remember that? I’d never realised my wife had a thing for Paul Newman.

P.S.

And here’s the inevitable reminder to read/listen to Tuesday’s bulletin of news from EasyItalianNews.com which – unlike our ebooks – is completely FREE!

Reading/listening practice will help you consolidate the Italian you’re studying, expand your vocabulary, and build vital comprehension skills.

Subscribing, and so receiving all three text + audio bulletins of ‘easy’ news via email each week – on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays – is also FREE.

Just enter your email address on this page and click the confirmation link that will be sent to you.

+++

OnlineItalianClub.com | EasyItalianNews.com | Shop (ebooks) | Shop (online lessons)

OnlineFrenchClub.com | OnlineSpanishClub.com | OnlineGermanClub.com

+++

No longer interested?

All bulk emails we send (including this one) contain an unsubscribe link, usually at the bottom. Scroll down to find it, click the link and select ‘unsubscribe’. That will permanently remove your email address from our mailing list.