Buondì.

I’m approaching the end of a thirty-year career attempting to teach English to people who, mostly, had no real idea how to learn, other than repeating what had already not worked very well (studying tenses, and so on…)

Since 1998, those people have mostly been Italians, who, frankly, are some of the worst students in the world, speaking English as if it were Italian (no perfect tenses, no continuous forms), obsessing over the wrong things, and showing little interest in actually listening to or reading the language as it’s actually used.

The exceptions were the Harry Potter generation – those rare kids who were so into the boy wizard that they couldn’t wait for the translation to come out, and so, quite by accident, turned into nearly bilingual adults (a later addiction to Netflix TV series helped with their listening skills.)

Two more weeks to go! And then I’m ‘retiring’, albeit without any form of pension.

From June 10th, no more lesson planning, no more photocopying, no more evening classes, so no more going to bed without having had time to digest a late dinner!

Over and over again during those thirty years, I have observed that many learners, of English, but also of other languages (Italian in your case), are doing the work but not reaping the rewards.

In recent years I’ve been experimenting somewhat, learning Swedish and picking up other languages that I used to know, or studied at school.

The idea was to put my money where my mouth was, so to speak. If I was going to write about learning languages, I’d need to be actually learning some, not just teaching one.

So, putting into practice what I preach, instead of ‘studying’. Instead of beginning with grammar, I…

But wait.

A few weeks ago someone snidely emailed to comment that, while he understood that I earned my living marketing ebooks, my articles had become too commercial, and often contained little of value. He’d stopped opening them.

Actually, I earn my living, or did until the pandemic killed it off almost entirely, teaching English to real people, in a real classroom (and on Zoom while that was forbidden), both adults of all ages and levels, and children from the age of three.

I’m a well-qualified, hugely-experienced, language teacher, and have, over the years, been a teacher-trainer (the best bit of that was meeting my wife), Director of Studies, examiner, and for the last seventeen years, owner of a language school in Italy. I’ve taught CEOs of billion dollar companies, and toddlers with urine-soaked clothes – on the same day!

So the ebook business?

It’s a sideline, but a fun one. I get to commission stories from young writers, and watch them grow as a result. We’ve done hundreds of titles over the years, and some of them are as good as anything you could buy from a ‘real publisher’, or better!

I publish and market (see below) the materials that I wish I could have had access to, twenty or more years back, when I was sowing my own seeds on stony ground.

Until now, I’ve never taken a cent out of the business (but as I said, I’m ‘retiring’ with no pension, so plan to.)

The point of it all, invece, was to try to bridge the huge gap between all the free materials on the club website, and the goals that most students rightly have – of understanding, and of being able to communicate.

Do the free grammar exercises. But then what?

At a certain point I also started taking one-to-one lessons myself, in the languages I was learning, and, seeing how effective that could be, began offering lessons with native-speaker teachers.

That did well – lots of teachers we knew were grateful to have a chance to earn, or to supplement what little they made from their regular jobs.

And the feedback, from students who have improved their speaking and their self-confidence, has been amazing, a reward in itself.

And still, I didn’t earn a cent.

The stony ground?

Many students, perhaps most students, are learning in a vacuum. They learn new words, they get their heads around unfamiliar grammar structures, but what they’ve learnt is hard to retain, so progress feels beyond reach.

BESIDES studying, learning also requires students to put the new language into practice.

People need to hear the grammar and vocabulary used.

They need to read it.

And they need to have opportunities to use it themselves, over and over again, until it becomes habitual and natural.

At a certain point, I realised that however well something was taught, if it wasn’t going to be used – regularly, intensively, meaningfully – then it was unlikely to stick.

The reading, the listening, the interactions with native speakers are the fertile ground in which you plant your seeds.

Little more effort is required.

The rain falls, the sun warms the moist ground, time passes.

Green shoots appear, then a small plant, then a mature plant, with fruit of its own.

These articles can take a long time to write, and writing them (and all the other things I do) has mostly displaced ‘paid work’, which was just as well, given the market for teaching English these days.

I never had in mind to be a writer, still less to write ‘commercial’ emails (the horror!)

But, in the decade or so I’ve run the club, I’ve seen that learners need to be shown other ways.

People need things explained. They have to be convinced to try.

And that where there are no, or few, materials to hand, someone needs to make sure they become available.

This isn’t my job, it’s my vocation.

Go study tenses if you must.

But don’t say that no one ever told you there were other ways to learn!

A lunedì.

Ebook offer – last few days!

Here’s a final reminder about this week’s half-price Ebook of the Week, ‘2 giugno 1946‘, said date coming up next week, actually. Which is, of course, why I’ve chosen it. (SEE WHAT A BORE WRITING THIS IS??)

Bologna, 2nd of June 1946. Italy is slowly recovering from the devastating effects of World War II. A referendum has been organised to decide whether the reborn state will be a republic or continue as a monarchy. And for the first time in history, Italian women can go to the polls! Newly-wed Marcella is so excited at the prospect she barely slept last night. But her husband, Antonio, is unconvinced…

• .pdf e-book (+ audio available free online)
• .mobi (Kindle-compatible) and .epub (other ebook readers) available on request at no extra charge – just add a note to the order form or email us
• 8 chapters to read and listen to
• Comprehension questions to check your understanding
• Italian/English glossary of ‘difficult’ terms for the level
• Suitable for students at any level
• Download your Free Sample Chapter (.pdf)

Buy ‘2 giugno 1946‘, just £3.99! | Free Sample Chapter (.pdf) | Browse our Catalog!

How do I access my ebook?

When your order is ‘completed’ (allow up to 24 hours), a download link will be automatically emailed to you. It’s valid for 7 days and 3 download attempts so please save a copy of the .pdf ebook in a safe place. Other versions of the ebook (.mobi/Kindle-compatible, .epub) cannot be downloaded but will be emailed to people who request them.

P.S.

Thursday’s FREE bulletin of ‘easy’ Italian news includes a reminder about their bimonthly appeal for cash! (OH MAN, HE’S ASKING FOR MONEY AGAIN!)

If your Italian has improved as a result of regular reading/listening to their thrice-weekly bulletins (which cost £1000 a month to produce), why not help out with a donation?

This page has a choice of currency options and, if you scroll down, full instructions on how to navigate the payment process.

If, on the other hand, your Italian hasn’t (yet) improved, then make sure you’re reading and listening to each bulletin (read advice on how to do that).

Help EasyItalianNews.com with your gift

+++

OnlineItalianClub.com | EasyItalianNews.com | EasyReaders.org (ebooks) | NativeSpeakerTeachers.com (1-1 lessons)

Buondì.

The weather’s rather hot in Bologna, where I live, and that’s been trying everyone’s patience.

For which reason, Roomie and I were out of the house early on Saturday and Sunday morning, with the aim of leaving my wife a little time to knit. The longer we were gone, the better.

We plodded to the park, then romped around, climbing on things, tripping over things, marvelling at the world and at the animals and people in it.

Until, that is, we clashed heads (metaphorically) over the advisability of drinking from the waste-water receptacle under the drinking fountain (which even the local dogs aren’t permitted to touch), and then over getting back into the stroller/pushchair once more, so we would be able to make faster progress.

Despite occasional disagreements, I believe we managed about two hours out each morning, before fraying nerves and rising temperatures drove us home to ‘mamma’, and a chilled beer.

Anyway, while I was pushing the stroller, I had plenty of time to reflect on my usual topic, language-learning, specifically on the wild imbalance between WHAT LEARNERS CAN SAY and WHAT LEARNERS CAN UNDERSTAND.

Bear with me.

+++

ROOMIE’S LANGUAGE AUDIT 24-05-22

Roomie can say these 1 syllable words:

no / si (mostly ‘no’)
giù / up
animal noises: bau (dog), mau (cat), muu, roar, bee (sheep), cra (frog)
ciao (hello, goodbye)
io (me, I want, give to me)

Roomie can say these 2 syllable words:

mamma, papà, pipi, acqua, chiuf chiuf (train, Thomas the Tank Engine), fuff fuff (blowing, as with hot food, or to make bubbles with detergent)
other animal noises: iih ooh (donkey), qua qua (duck)
bua (an injury, something that hurts – Romagna version) / bubba (Bologna version)

Roomie can say just one 3 syllable word:

aereo (we live under the flight path)

Roomie can understand:

Chi è la bimba più bella del mondo? (risposta: “Io!”)
Sei molto intelligente!
Hai fame? Hai freddo? Hai sette? (‘Have you’ hunger/cold/thirst?)
nanna (sleep), pappa (food)
Il cocodrillo come fa? (a song – How does the crocodile do it?)
La bella lavanderina, che lava i fazzoletti.. (another song, with actions!)
gatto, cane, pesci, piccioni, gallo, gallina,
latte, biscotti, gelato, sale, pepe, mela, banana, ecc.
bacio, le coccole, cara (touch gently, be gentle),
borsa, palloncino, libro, bicicletta,
supermercato, Coop, scala mobile, carrello (supermarket trolley), pagare, monete, banconote,
parco, altalene (swings), scivolo (slide), fiori,
Macchina! (There’s a vehicle approaching, come close to me, to be safe!)
HANDS! (Go wash them, it’s time to eat!)
chicchirichì / coccodè (what the cockrel/hen respectively say)
semaforo, rosso, verde
Vuoi un gelato? Vuoi guardare il TV? Vuoi venire in braccio? Vuoi giocare? Vuoi ascoltare la radio? (Do you want a / Do you want to ?)
Mangiamo? (Shall we eat? / Let’s eat!)
Non lo vuoi? (Don’t you want it?)
Non toccare! (Don’t touch!)
Fa male!
Stiamo quasi li.
Basta urlare!
Peppa Pig, Paw Patrol, Shrek, Spirit, Thomas the Tank Engine, ecc.
sorellina
nono/nonna, granny/grandad
Hai la pipì?
Cambiamo il pannolino?
Balli? (Are you dancing?)
Hai capito? (Do you understand?)
Arrivo (I’m coming, be patient!)
sabbia
Togliamo le scarpe? (Shall we take off the shoes?)
Se vuoi uscire, devi mettere le scarpe! (If you want to go out, you have to put on the shoes!)
Vieni qui! / Aspetta li! (Come here! / Wait there!)
seggiolino (child’s car seat), passeggino (pushchair/stroller), scale, scuola, dada (nursery school staff member), letto
cappello (hat)
capelli (1 ‘p’ is ‘hair’)
Pettiniamo i capelli? (Shall we brush the hair?)
Facciamo la coda? (Shall we tie your hair up?)
Vuoi la spilla? (Do you want a hair pin?)
Facciamo il bagno? (Shall we do the bath?)

Roomie can’t understand:

poliziotto

+++

That was fun to put together, and I hope it was fun to read. Roomie’s a real live wire, and her language skills improve daily, even hourly.

This morning in bed, looking at a book with pictures of the city – transport hubs, supermarkets, and so on – we were playing the ‘can you see this thing in the picture?’ game.

Which is how I know that she knows ‘carrello’ (supermarket trolley, as pushed by mamma coniglio and traveled in by a rather bored-looking baby coniglio), and ‘raccolta vetro’ (bell-shaped green container to deposit glass for recycling – we have a lot of beer bottles in our house), but doesn’t know ‘poliziotto’, who are rarely seen in these parts.

Conclusions?

Roomie is not an adult learner, like you and I, but it’s quite striking how little she can actually say, compared with the list of things she can and does understand (and the list would have been longer if I’d had more time.)

Also that what she can say is very transactional (si/no), there’s a lot of signalling (noises representing things), and there’s virtually no grammar, except for the pronoun (io!)

But compare what little she can say with the long list of what she understands!

Two potential problems make adult learners miserable: they can’t SAY what they want to, and/or they can’t UNDERSTAND what others are saying.

They’re both valid reasons for frustration, in that they both impede normal life when you’re using a foreign language you know little of.

But if you HAD TO have one of those problems (and you can see from the list that Roomie really does), which would be worse?

Not being able to speak? Or not understanding?

Many adult learners prioritise being able to ‘express their thoughts’, so learning the words and grammar needed to form ‘proper sentences’.

Personally I’ve never seen the point. How many people actually have anything interesting/original to say?

I’m sure I don’t, at least not in conversation, so I’ll always prioritise eliminating the other problem first.

I don’t care overmuch that I can’t speak, or can’t speak gramatically, or that I can only express myself in grunts and with pointing, or that my accent is risible.

But I do, totally, want to know what people around me are saying. I want to be in the loop. I absolutely do NOT want to be excluded!

If someone suggests an icecream, or a kiss for that matter, I want to recognise what’s on offer, rather than be off, in my own world somewhere, busy conjugating verbs in preparation for my next unmissable utterance.

Language learners SHOULD understand more than they can say, like Roomie can – or something is wrong with their approach to learning.

That means doing plenty of reading/listening practice, and from the beginning, not waiting until you’ve studied all the grammar, or finished Duolingo…

Reading/listening practice rapidly results in understanding, and that understanding grows and grows as time passes.

Which progress eventually feeds into your ability to express yourself.

Sure, that cycle can take years! But do you have something better to do?

And done that way, clockwise rather than anticlockwise, if you’ll excuse the metaphor, at least you won’t miss out on so much in the meantime.

Roomie is already super-expert at not missing out on things!

A venerdì.

P.S.

Tuesday’s FREE bulletin of ‘easy’ Italian news contains their bimonthly appeal for donations.

If your Italian has improved as a result of regular reading/listening to the thrice-weekly bulletins (which cost approximately £1000 a month to produce), perhaps you’d like to help them out with a donation?

This page has a choice of currency options and, if you scroll down, full instructions on how to navigate the payment process.

If, on the other hand, your Italian hasn’t (yet) improved, then make sure you’re reading and listening to each bulletin (read advice on how to do that). I’ll be back, rattling my collection tin, in the last week of July, which should be enough time for you to notice the difference that regular practice has made.

Donate to EasyItalianNews.com

P.P.S.

Don’t forget this week’s half-price Ebook of the Week, ‘2 giugno 1946‘, said date coming up next week, actually. Which is, of course, why I’ve chosen it.

Bologna, 2nd of June 1946. Italy is slowly recovering from the devastating effects of World War II. A referendum has been organised to decide whether the reborn state will be a republic or continue as a monarchy. And for the first time in history, Italian women can go to the polls! Newly-wed Marcella is so excited at the prospect she barely slept last night. But her husband, Antonio, is unconvinced…

• .pdf e-book (+ audio available free online)
• .mobi (Kindle-compatible) and .epub (other ebook readers) available on request at no extra charge – just add a note to the order form or email us
• 8 chapters to read and listen to
• Comprehension questions to check your understanding
• Italian/English glossary of ‘difficult’ terms for the level
• Suitable for students at any level
• Download your Free Sample Chapter (.pdf)

Buy ‘2 giugno 1946‘, just £3.99! | Free Sample Chapter (.pdf) | Browse our Catalog!

How do I access my ebook?

When your order is ‘completed’ (allow up to 24 hours), a download link will be automatically emailed to you. It’s valid for 7 days and 3 download attempts so please save a copy of the .pdf ebook in a safe place. Other versions of the ebook (.mobi/Kindle-compatible, .epub) cannot be downloaded but will be emailed to people who request them.

+++

OnlineItalianClub.com | EasyItalianNews.com | EasyReaders.org (ebooks) | NativeSpeakerTeachers.com (1-1 lessons)