Buondì. Yesterday evening we went to a party, the end-of-year event for a local association which we’ve been part of for a few years. It was nice to see everyone again, there was food (not that much) and cool wine (enough), so the evening passed quickly. It’s suddenly got really hot in Bologna – it’ll […]
Flamingoes
Buondì. A quick one this morning, as I’ll be spending most of the day preparing our Summer Sale promotion, which runs from Monday 3rd of July to Sunday 9th of July. Ebook buyers and students who take one-to-one online lessons will be able to save 20% on their purchases, if they remember to use the […]
“Why the anger?”
Buondì. We don’t get many teachers here at OnlineItalianClub.com, at least as far as I’m aware. Currently we have about fifteen thousand club members. The stats function on our mailing system got broken about a month ago (they didn’t seem to notice, so were surprised when I got annoyed), but until mid-May between thirty and […]
Is Italian hard to read?
Buondì. Is Italian hard to read? Well, it can be. In certain registers (legal style, the more pompous newspapers) it can seem as if writers are intentionally minimising the chances of their readers getting any idea of the content of the articles, instead prioritising the self-serving, show-offy message: ‘Look at how well I can write! […]
Confused? Good! /And 4 Half-Price Easy Readers from 2015
Buondì. Following on from Friday’s popular quiz on ‘false friends’, today I have something similar for you. The words I chose for you last week were identical to English words, in their spelling, if not in their pronunciation or meaning. The examples I used were ‘male’ and ‘brave’. But there really aren’t so many of […]
A little quiz for you…
Buondì. Here’s a little quiz for you. Guess the fifteen English words defined below (= number of letters): a female horse (4) when goods are sold at a lower price than usual (4) a thin, bony flake on a fish (5) spies might use one to communicate (4) a military or police gesture that shows […]
Vai a quel paese, Bing!
Buondì. Checking emails this morning, I was struck by the subject line of one from a company we use for certain elements of our many websites: Introducing (company name) AI Assistant – Your New Partner in Content Creation The strapline was: Meet Your New Creative Writing Partner! Nah, I thought, I don’t need a ‘new […]
Parliamone
Buondì. Before seven a.m. this morning I was at Bologna’s Ospedale Maggiore for a ‘prelievo sangue’. It’s an imposing modern building with a helicopter pad on the top. Ayrton Senna, perhaps the most famous Formula 1 driver of all, was air-lifted there after the accident which ended his career, and his life. I was ‘recoverato’ […]
Mixed results to report
Buondì. Mixed results to report… The EasyItalianNews.com donations appeal, which ran from Tuesday last week to Tuesday this week, was a huge success, our best ever! Meaning that we can pay our team for a few months without having to worry. MANY THANKS to everyone who helped. We really, really appreciate it. And if you […]
Ebook reviews are back (maybe)
Buondì. Just a quickie today, as it’s the end of the month (lots of bills to pay!) Club member Felice has been helping me out trying to fix the ‘leave a review’ function in our ebooks store. Those of you paying attention will recall me moaning about this problem, which I assumed to be a […]