Buondì. It’s June tomorrow, and while it’s still spring here in Italy, the summer is ‘coming soon’, which is exciting! Yesterday we were in Rimini, on the Adriatic coast, enjoying a windy but sunny day, with plenty of good clean air to breathe in. Fingers crossed there’ll be more such weekends in the next few […]
Archives for May 2021
Banal tips on language-learning
Buondì. A while ago, a club member sent me a link to a blog (in English) on learning Swedish, assuming I’d be interested, given that I’m learning Swedish. Actually, I wasn’t really. I’m learning Swedish mostly by listening to the radio, doing conversation with a native speaker and, to a lesser extent, reading the news […]
Short cut? Or long way around?
Buondì. You have to write a letter to your bank manager, which is something you’ve never done before and have no idea how to go about. (Do bank managers even exist now? And letters? But bear with me…) Perhaps you’ll be writing in your own native tongue, as in the video clip I link to […]
Attitude adjustment needed?
Buondì. We all have attitudes, which may be helpful or otherwise. Our attitudes, to many aspects of our lives, including our approaches to language-learning, are likely to affect the outcomes of our actions. Think, for example, about work, about relationships, about bringing up children. What we think about these things affects what we do and […]
The ‘read aloud/translate aloud’ method?
Buondì. An interesting emailed question from Karen, who writes: You’ve continually advised to read for the general gist, not word for word. I totally agree with this and have always done so. I read every EasyItalianNews email and without really trying, I believe my vocabulary has increased considerably. However in every Italian class I’ve been […]
Last but not least
Buondì. Big news! The Italian government hasn’t forgotten language schools after all! Though it’s clear we come way, way down their list of priorities, after bars, restaurants, shopping malls and so on. There’s a new decree out (signed yesterday), detailing the gradual lifting of the anti-Covid restrictions (read more here.) From today, for example, the […]
Stop trying to understand
Buondì. Someone commented recently – I forget who, or where – that it was frustrating not being able to understand all the Italian he read, and so very helpful to have a word-for-word translation into English. I don’t have a lot of hair, but there’s even less now. And my forehead is bruised from the […]
Obvious (once you’ve figured it out…)
Buondì. A quickie today, as I have lots of stuff to get through, including a Spanish conversation lesson mid-afternoon, before which I’ll try to find some time to listen to Spanish radio and glance through El Pais, to ‘tune in’ my ageing and sleep-deprived brain. “How to choose activities/materials that complement and reinforce each other” […]
What’s your iceberg made of?
Buondì. Yesterday, in a rare idle moment, I was flicking through the Le Monde (French newspaper) app, which I pay monthly for but use less than I should, when I came across the ‘podcasts’ section. And while scrolling down through that, a recent ‘program’/podcast, whatever the correct word is, on the 200th anniversary of Napoleon’s […]
“Can I make notes when doing listening exercises and exams?”
Buondì. Here’s a reasonable question from Sue: I would just like to know if you are allowed to make notes when doing listening exercises and of course during an exam. I find it impossible to remember details in English, never mind Italian. Many thanks in advance. And my reply: In an exam your approach should […]
