I’ve always had trouble with the word ‘pescheria‘ (fishmonger’s), which seems to get mixed up in my head with ‘pesche‘ (peaches). That said, ‘pescivendolo‘ (fishmonger) is a lovely word which, with it’s coherent sequence of vowels and memorable stress pattern, rolls delightfully around my mouth! Yup, unlike that ‘pesche’, ‘pesci’, ‘pescheria’ mess, ‘pescivendolo’ is fun to […]
New Italian Conversation: not suitable for vegetarians!
Today I have Italian Conversation no. 29 for you. We’re in a butcher’s shop, or more likely at the butcher’s counter in a supermarket. Either way, it’s definitely not suitable for vegetarians. If you’ve ever stood in a queue waiting for the person in front to finish asking what seems like an endless list of […]
Clothes shop dialogue and a new ‘Book of the Week’ offer!
Following on from Monday’s ‘Italian Conversation’, which was set in a supermarket, today we have some short exchanges that you might hear when shopping for clothes in Italy. Between you and me, shopping for clothes interests me not at all. But if you’re a snappy dresser, or simply wish to improve your Italian listening comprehension, here are […]
New Italian Conversation: Supermarket Dialogues
If you have a large family, as we do, you might sometimes feel that your waking life is divided between work and the supermarket. My kids go through the contents of the fridge in a flash, especially the milk, so I’m always at our local Coop to stock up. Which is why, hand on heart, […]
‘Fare shopping’ – another borrowed word!
Today’s Italian Conversation is the first on a new theme: fare shopping! ‘Fare shopping’, of course, is a phrase which contains another borrowed word, and one which is in common use in Italian. Careful though, as ‘fare shopping’ is not used to mean ‘do the shopping’ (groceries), for which there’s another term ‘fare la spesa’. Rather ‘fare […]
New Dialogue: Asking For A Refund (+ Book Of The Week!)
Announcing another ‘Book of the Week’ offer… Back in May I published ‘Cielo libero‘, an e-book Italian easy reader (with audio). Sadly, it didn’t make much of an impact at the time, which was a shame because I think it’s a lovely little story and one that would be great for anyone learning Italian. For which […]
New Italian Conversation: Road Traffic Accident!
Apparently Italy is not the worst place in Europe for road traffic fatalities. I think it might be France, where they are even more murderous behind the wheel. But whatever. If you plan to rent a car and drive here, you’ll need to know what to do when the (almost) inevitable happens: call the ‘vigili’! The […]
Having a nervous breakdown?
Actually, that should be ‘Having A Nervous Breakdown’, without the question mark. But I figured that, after the stresses of November, it might resonate more if I personalized it… Anyway, the question / sentence is a rough translation of the title of today’s Italian Conversation: Problemi, Avere un crollo. To listen to a young architect having […]
Latest Italian Conversation: Getting Arrested!
Hope this never happens to you. You’re passing through Rome airport and have to show your passport. But the policewoman accuses you of having stolen the passport and you’re arrested! Listen to today’s Italian conversation, no. 22: Problemi, Venire arrestato. Or see all the conversations in this series on our Italian Conversations home page. P.S. OK, […]
New easy reader today! Plus another ‘Italian Conversation’
This morning I have a new easy Italian reader for you to take a look at. Plus the latest in our ‘Italian Conversations’ series of free audios with transcripts. First though, ‘Caccia all’autografo‘ (autograph hunt). Having passed his last exam of the academic year, university student Alberto flies to Sicily to visit his grandfather, who […]