A lady in the USA wrote to me this week asking for feedback on her study plan, which involves getting to B1 (intermediate) level and taking the CILS exam in December this year. This sort of query is bread and butter for anyone who works in a language school, as I do, so . We’re […]
Archives for April 2017
Buon rientro!
Last week we had the school Easter break, which was very welcome. I went sailing, and ate too much. Then yesterday was Liberation Day (which celebrates the end of the military occupation in WW2.) So today it’s back to normal: the ‘reentry’. If that makes you think about spaceships, then fair enough. But ‘il rientro’ […]
Two FREE intermediate Italian listenings with new tasks
The Easter Sale is over, and it’s back to normal here at onlineitalianclub.com. Thanks to everyone who supported us with your purchases of online Italian lessons and/or ebooks for learning Italian. This week, and for the immediate future, I’ll be writing on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, as always. And, until I’ve had time to prepare […]
Cogli l’attimo!
Call me boring, but I’ve been doing the family shopping at the same Italian supermarket for the past 17 years. Which means that I can spot a bargain when I see one. For example yesterday, when I passed by a waist-high wicker basket-type display. It was piled high with a jumble of the sort of […]
Last orders, please, ladies and gentlemen!
Nineteen-eighty-four may have been a gloomy year for George Orwell’s characters, but for me and my mates it was the year we discovered pubs. Not yet eighteen, but near enough to get away with it, a whole new world opened up on Saturday nights. My first drink was in the Turk’s Head. Later we ranged […]
24 hours to go (and now comes the hard part!)
Which time zone are you in? Here in Bologna, Italy, as I start writing this, it’s just before twelve noon (on Saturday.) Lunch has to be on the table for around one, when my younger daughter gets back from school. So, internet permitting, this article should be zinging into your inbox in about an hour. […]
What’s hot and what’s not? (Easter Sale – 48 hours left!)
Into the final straight of the Easter Sale, which ends on Sunday night, and I thought I’d feedback on what’s been most popular with club members since the sale began last Friday. By ‘club members’ I mean the roughly six thousand of you from around the world who receive thrice-weekly emails about learning Italian (this […]
Support that supports? Help-desks that help?
Customer ‘service’? You’re kidding. The Customer Service Department is organised to serve the company, not the customer. What did you expect? Support that actually supports? A help-desk that can help? If you even get a reply, it’ll likely be a link to an online FAQ or ‘help’ article that seems to have no relevance to […]
The ‘Easy Readers’ Bargain of the Century!
Just a quick one this morning, as I have to go to school for a staff training session. Sigh, the holiday’s more than half over! But at least there’s a beautiful blue sky, after yesterday’s rain. Also more than half over is our Easter Sale (details below), which ends on Sunday 23rd. Hurry, hurry, get […]
How to unzip/decompress attachments & some to practice on!
Buondì. I’m back at home after the holidays (sad face). But the Internet connection here in Bologna is WONDERFUL! Attachments containing ebooks, which took ages to upload at the seaside, are done in a flash. The joys of fast broadband, huh? That said, computers can be anything but straightforward. Several people have written to me […]
