If you’re the sort that opens your e-mails (lot’s of people don’t), you might have received one that looked a bit like this a few weeks ago… I’d added an offer to go out automatically 2 days after someone joins our mailing list. Everyone already on the list would have received it too. The e-mail […]
Would you pay €3200 to speak really good Italian?
It’s been a good couple of weeks since I posted here, and people are starting to nag… I noticed that, you are not writing recently.. Is there some problem or did you decide to quit the page? I hope you did not. Coz, I really benefit out of this super user friendly web site. Thanks, Aysegul, […]
Italian Prepositions Error Checklist
Thanks to everyone who responded to my call for examples of how prepositions are used differently in English and Italian. As promised, I’ve drawn up a checklist based on your suggestions. Scroll down to see it. It’s organised preposition by preposition, assuming you’ll be mentally translating from English into Italian.. P.S. This is not in […]
Wanted! Your help with Italian prepositions
OK, I admit it. I’ve never really gotten the hang of prepositions in Italian. It’s not so much that the prepositions themselves are hard to remember. For the most part, they’re straightforward. It’s the differences in use between my language (English) and Italian which always trip me up. Like a lot of foreigners, I’m prone […]
A five-minute guide to Italian pronouns
Here’s a quick ‘cheat-sheet’ for you on Italian pronouns, which lots of OnlineItalianClub.com members tell me that they don’t really get. It should take just five minutes or less to get the general idea, but note that I’ve skipped ALL of the complications. The idea is to give you an overview here of how things work […]
Back to Basics: Italian Pronouns (1) Direct Pronouns
Time for some more grammar that I really should have learnt a decade or so ago, but somehow managed to avoid by prioritising trivia like earning a living and bringing up children. This time, by popular request, Italian pronouns! Given that people seem to find pronouns a confusing area, I’ll be tackling them in bite-sized […]
How to say “I like” in Italian
One of the advantages of taking a formal Italian course or using quality self-study materials is that you’ll spend your time and energy on the grammatical essentials, rather than waste time on crap you’ll never use (passato remoto, anyone?) But I learnt Italian “my way”, without a proper course or decent materials, and consequently, after […]
Why it’s OK to be scared and make mistakes
Starting to learn Italian is exciting, but it can also be terrifying when you suddenly find yourself unable to understand anything or express yourself. And disorientating, as you realise that the new language works in strange and mysterious ways. Sometimes even humiliating, when you make mistakes in front of others. That was certainly how I […]
Skype Offer Ends: So Now What Shall We Do?
That’s it. We sold all sixteen “special offer” Skype Italian lesson slots we had available, so the price has reverted to normal. You can still give them a try if you wish, but we’re not pushing them any more. But watch this space! We hope to run a similar promotion in September when all our teachers are back from the beach. […]
Ever felt let down by an expensive ice-cream?
I’m writing this from San Giuliano Mare, Rimini. It’s a small part of a large-ish resort on the Adriatic sea, on Italy’s east coast. Opposite Croatia. My wife and two daughters and I went for a walk along the seafront after dinner last night (see picture). You know how this works: as soon as we […]