Buondì. As mentioned on Friday, today we have the publication of our newest Italian ‘easy reader’, one from our ‘Book of the film‘ series of simplified texts based on classic Italian movies. So without further ado, a round of applause please, ladies and gentlemen, for… Fantozzi! Ragionier Fantozzi, Ugo is an Italian everyman, though not […]
Hate your job at a big company? Then you’ll love this!
OK, so I was wrong. After living in Italy for twenty years, I was convinced Italians had no sense of humour. But reading/listening to our newest Italian ‘Book of the Movie’ easy reader had me laughing out loud! The 1975 film, Fantozzi, features Ugo Fantozzi, a down-on-his-luck employee of a souless ‘mega-company’. A combination of […]
Hai dormito bene stanotte? (Another free Italian lesson…)
Buondì. I have another in our series of free Italian lessons based on common verbs. In each ‘lesson’ you get the basic conjugation, some examples of use, and a few, more idiomatic, expressions. Today’s common verb is dormire (to sleep). And sleeping, I can declare with all modesty, is one of my superpowers, as I’m […]
Faccio il ponte!
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 […]
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 […]