Buondì. Tomorrow is a national holiday in Italy, as in many other places, I’m sure. The efficient and business-friendly Brits organise their ‘bank holidays’ for Mondays, in order not to mess up the rest of the week (except for the most important ones – Christmas, New Year and Easter – which are beyond the reach […]
Archives for April 2018
A new series, another false friend, and a final reminder!
Buondì. We’ve finished the ten mini-lessons based on nouns, so now I have some verbs for you, starting with one of the most common verbs of all, andare. This is a nice little exercise, even if you know the verb well, as there are some useful idiomatic expressions. But if you’re just beginning with Italian, […]
Buona festa della liberazione!
As I’m way later than usual, I’ll wish you ‘Buon pomeriggio’ rather than the customary ‘Buondì’. But also, as it’s the 25th of April, ‘Buona festa della liberazione!’ If you’re in Italy, you’ll have been ‘liberated’ from work or school for the day. In which case, you’ll have no excuse not to study Italian… Here, […]
Put on your walking boots, pick up your backpack: we’re off!
Published just a few minutes ago, ‘La Via Francigena‘ is Roberto Gamberini’s account of his journey along the ‘Via Francigena’, the famous pilgrim route from the French border down to Rome. If you’re up for a challenge, you too could spend twenty days walking three hundred kilometres through beautiful Tuscany and Lazio. Or you could just […]
Girls! (And a new, super-advanced easy reader)
Buondì. I’ll be brief today, as recent comments have accused me of rambling (but in a nice way, apparently…) Also, because I’m short on time, having spent most of the morning reading and listening to a new, super-advanced level easy reader ebook, more about which in a moment. First, though: girls! But as in young […]
What’s in my inbox that I still haven’t looked at?
I was planning to have finalised my ‘new look’ study program by today and so write about that. But hey… Life got in the way. So instead, here are some extracts from emails I’ve had from club members in the last few days, with suggestions or recommendations. +++ A week or so ago, Anne from […]
Time for a change of plan
Winter’s done, up here in the northen hemisphere at least. We’re over two thirds of the way through the academic year, which is always a cheering thought for teachers. And in the next fortnight we have a couple of holidays: Liberation Day on April 25th, then the first of May. Perhaps I’ll spend them spring […]
One for the stirrup?
According to Wikipedia: Il bicchiere della staffa è l’ultimo bicchiere che si beve prima di congedarsi dagli amici, in genere per recarsi a casa propria per riposare. Si ritiene che l’espressione sia nata nell’Ottocento, quando i signori che si recavano nelle locande bevevano l’ultimo bicchiere quando già avevano un piede nella staffa, pronti per montare […]
A valuable lesson learnt, and another in our ‘Nouns’ series!
Buondì. Apologies to everyone who has written to me since Monday without receiving a reply. I wrote back to the first couple of people who entered our ‘competition’, but then got overwhelmed! A valuable lesson was learnt, though. To get lots of people involved in something, make it easy! And another, I really mustn’t run […]
Una mela al giorno toglie il medico di torno
Buondì. After the end of the Easter Sale (thanks to everyone who participated), it’s back to normal here at OnlineItalianClub.com. Expect articles on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays with new materials or inspirational thoughts. But as today I’m all out of the latter, having worked hard all weekend, try this: La mela It’s the sixth in […]
