Another Monday morning (afternoon in Australia..) and another Italian listening exercise to practice with.
This is number 5 out of 8 in our A1-elementary series. Watch out for the more difficult A2, B1, etc. to come!
As usual, make sure you listen to the track at least once before scrolling down to view the transcript at the bottom of the page…
(If you’re reading this in an e-mail, click here to visit the website and do the listening exercise)
TRANSCRIPT
5. I TERMINI DI PARENTELA
La famiglia di Clara
Sono Clara e ho 44 anni. Lavoro come commessa in un negozio di abbigliamento.
Vivo in un condominio di sei piani.
Al piano terra vivo io con la mia famiglia. La mia famiglia è composta da mio marito, da mia figlia e da mio figlio. Mia figlia frequenta la scuola media, mentre mio figlio frequenta il liceo.
Al primo piano ci sono i miei genitori. Mio padre Flavio è pensionato mentre mia madre Maria è maestra in una scuola elementare.
Al secondo piano vive mia sorella maggiore. Si chiama Francesca ed è sposata. Ha due figli gemelli di nome Mara e Michele. Mara e Michele sono anche i miei nipoti. Frequentano ancora la scuola elementare.
Suo marito si chiama Giulio ed è mio cognato.
Al terzo piano invece vive mio fratello con sua moglie. Sua moglie è mia cognata. Loro non hanno figli.
Al quarto piano vivono mia nonna Gilda e mio nonno Francesco. Loro sono i miei nonni materni, perché sono i genitori di mia madre.
Al quinto piano vivono mio zio e mia zia con i miei cugini.
Ho anche una bisnonna che però vive a casa con i miei nonni paterni a Milano.
A Natale tutta la famiglia si riunisce per festeggiare insieme. E’ bello perché siamo in tanti e c’è molta allegria.
Did you find this exercise useful? Tell us about it. Click here to comment on this article.
july rice says
Hello Daniel. This is about the weekly *parliamo.* Today was the fourth meeting with two people participating, although one could only stay for half the lesson. The connection was poor. I could not hear one person at all and the other’s voice was barely audible or understandable – the delay was frustrating. What a shame! The idea of weekly lessons on line is great, but the lack of regular participation and bad conections is off putting. Paulo is all that you could wish for in a teacher. Can the situation be improved in the future or is it pulling teeth to get full participation? It is so much more rewarding when there are more people.
July
Daniel says
Hi July,
Sorry about the delay in approving your comment – it would have happened automatically, but you typed your e-mail address incorrectly, meaning the system saw you as someone new.
I’m sorry you’re not happy with the online conversation groups. It’s one feature of our website that I really believe has potential, so I would like to persevere with it and ideally to perfect the experience for everyone involved.
If I’ve understood correctly, the problems are:
– some other participants (not you) have a poor Internet connection, which affects the quality of the experience for everyone
– some other participants (not you again) don’t participate each week, or because of other commitments have to leave early
And that these factors mean the conversation is naturally less satisfactory for you, and that you are not making as many friends online as you would like.
Is that right?
Paolo (the teacher) has given me similar feedback, as we are currently evaluating if/how to renew the classes after they finish next week.
He suggests that at least part of the problem is that some of our users are unfamiliar with the ‘online meeting’ technology. They may not, for example, have headphones. They may not be very familiar with microphone settings.
There’s also the issue of Internet connection speed. Clearly we market this type of lesson at people who have an adequate Internet connection. We specifiy this very clearly. Intermittent problems can happen, sure enough, but if someone is regularly having difficulty joining in, it’s very likely that they simply don’t have a good enough Internet connection.
Conclusion?
After a month of (free trials) we decided on limiting the number of participants in the paid conversation groups to 5 (plus the teacher) which should mean that there are no technological issues on our side.
Most participants have already had free trials, so it should ideally be the case that those without the technological knowledge or a suitable Internet connection would already have chosen not to pay for the group.
In theory, therefore, everything should be working smoothly, though clearly it isn’t.
I plan to propose a couple of solutions –
1. New participants get a technical trial, perhaps alone with the teacher. So we can be sure that they will be able to benefit from the group, and be as sure as possible that this will not disrupt the experience for others.
2. A ‘money-back’ guarantee for anyone who feels that the quality of the experience has been adversely affected by technical issues. If it doesn’t work, well it doesn’t work. We’ll refund the payments until we get the formula right.
Thanks for taking time to write here, July. Please let me know if I have understood your feedback correctly, and what you think of my proposed solutions (or any other suggestions you may have!)
John Thomson says
Hi July. Paolo and Daniel
I am sorry I could not attend the last conversation, Like July I enjoy them very much
The reason I could not attend was the fact that my sister is visiting us from Scotland and she is not very well.
I hope to be able to attend future meetings, I agree with July that sometimes the connections are not very good I am sure they will improve
Again, like July. I agree that Paolo is a good teacher, he keeps the whole session flowing
Ancora mi dispiace
John
Daniel says
You’re very naughty, John. Here’s me getting my knuckles rapped by July, and it turns out that you are prioritising a sick sister. Well really!
(Just joking, obviously. Hope your sister feels better soon!)
John Thomson says
Daniel
Sono certo che i tuoi due innovazioni, gli esercizi di ascolto e le conversazioni possono essere fatte per funzionare subito.
Sono entrambi molto buono per migliorare la nostra comunicazione.
Grazie per chiedere di mia sorella ed io spero che tu stia meglio
Siamo tutti con te e Paolo
John
Daniel says
Si, sono a posto ora, John. Grazie. Fuori della dannata ospedale e tornato a lavoro…
Jo says
Yes, I imagine it would indeed only be only ‘part of’ the extended family! I would love to have my family all living together like this. I think it is wonderful how some cultures still look after the elderly members of the family. Anyway, thanks again Daniel (and the teacher) – this is a really nice way to learn the names for the different members of the family (rather than trying to learn lists of vocabulary as Karen mentioned). I think this way we are more likely to remember them. Hearing the words spoken as well as seeing them written (and all in Italian) is so fantastic. Jx : )
Daniel says
You’re welcome, Jo! Thanks for the feedback on the listening.
A presto!
Karen says
Another good one. I hate learning lists of vocabulary. Imagining this block of flats is a good way to learn the names of family members, although I wouldn’t fancy all my extended family living in the same block
Daniel says
Hi Karen!
Now, let’s be fair… It’s only PART of the extended family living in the same block, which is actually very common in Italy.
There are plenty of advantages, too. No mortgage to pay for the youngsters, for example. And for young couples with kids, baby-sitting and house-cleaning services are provided. Plus grandparents get to live autonomously for as long as possible.
Guess it’s what you’re used to..
Katy Wheeler says
Hi Karen
I also hate learning vocabulary (doesn’t everyone?) but I discovered this free online software called Teach2000 last year, which has made the whole process easier, more fun and more effective. You enter the information and it tests you, rather like flashcards. Here’s the link, if you’d like to take a look:
http://www.teach2000.org/index.php?hl=english
Daniel says
Hi Katy…
No, I have to say I don’t hate learning vocabulary. Not that I do much of it, but I find the whole process rather relaxing, and satisfying when I manage to remember things!
I took a look at the site you suggested. It’s free, so I guess there’s nothing to lose.
But the old fashioned way of writing things down on a piece of paper and getting a friend to test you worked pretty good too. And didn’t require a 21-minute instruction video!!!