Buondì. We had two responses to Wednesday’s challenge to translate this section from Canto XXXI of Dante’s Inferno: Poi disse a me: «Elli stessi s’accusa; questi è Nembrotto per lo cui mal coto pur un linguaggio nel mondo non s’usa. Lasciànlo stare e non parliamo a vòto; ché così è a lui ciascun linguaggio come […]
Having trouble learning Italian? Blame Nimrod.
Buondì. Having trouble learning Italian? Can’t understand a word anyone says to you? Can’t get a coherent sentence out? Blame Nimrod, A.K.A. Nembrotto. He was a King from Genesis (the first book of the Bible, not the English rock band.) He’s a giant, apparently, famous for having tried to construct the Tower of Babel. So […]
‘Anselmo e la moglie spagnola’ – get it while it’s hot!
Buondì. Last week we published the first in a trilogy of historical mysteries set in the court of the infamous Borgias, Anselmo e l’omicidio di Giovanni Borgia. And as it is with buses, which come along in threes after you’ve waited ages and ages for one, so too with historical mysteries: Anselmo e la moglie spagnola […]
Dante, and the usual reminders
Buondì. Sorry I’m late today. I had to walk around the corner and queue (there was one person in front of me) to stock up on ‘socialised medicine’. I needed new supplies of three different medications out of the five that I have to take every day. Plus blood tests (Italians call them ‘esami’, which […]
Janet’s question
Buondì. Here are some extracts from an email I received from Janet in Sydney, Australia last week. I’ve bolded her question, so it stands out: I always enjoy your emails about language learning. … Thank you for all the free stuff, and the Dante. It’s enriched my life and I probably would never have delved […]
Who killed the pope’s son?
Buondì. Yes, I know. Pope’s aren’t supposed to have sons. But in history they did. So there. As promised last week, today we’re publishing a new ebook, Anselmo e l’omicidio di Giovanni Borgia, the pope’s son in question. This one’s level C1/2, so quite hard. Do check out the free sample chapter (.pdf) BEFORE you […]
Follow up to Wednesday, more Dante, and an exciting new story!
Buondì. A quick follow up to Wednesday’s article, “How do I learn Italian using your site?” Andy P. emailed with some ideas that I think are worth sharing (my bolding of his text): …the question of how do you learn a language is one I’d wish I’d asked myself 4 or 5 years ago. I […]
“How do I learn Italian using your site?”
Buondì. I have another Dante for you, and this one is GORY! It has disembowelment, severed heads and mutilated tongues. Who said the classics were boring? Inferno XXVIII (The previous twenty-seven exciting articles in our series can be found on the Literature page.) By the way, sorry I’m later today. As always, things are busy, […]
Back to normal at the clubhouse today
Buondì. Thanks to everyone for your patience during Autumn/Fall Sale week, which is now over. Today it’s back to normal here at OnlineItalianClub.com HQ – that is to say, another Dante canto, given that Dante and Virgil still have a good bit of hell to see. But before that, a quick ‘Ciao’ to Liz and […]
Autumn/Fall Sale – This is your final reminder!
Tomorrow things will be back to normal here at OnlineItalianClub.com, with just three articles a week on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Some more Dante, probably. I’ve missed him. Thanks, everyone, for your patience and for supporting the club with your online purchases. We’ve sold over a hundred and forty packs of online lesson credits, along […]