Buondì.
A quickissimo article today, as I have work piled up, sky-high, this due to having spent the previous four days (and nights) chasing an infant human around, in an effort to keep her away from things she can damage, or that can damage her, while at the same time entertained, stimulated (not too much), fed, hydrated, and ideally dry and clean, hair brushed and nose blown.
We were at the seaside for part of that time and, while there was a cold wind and violent waves, I caught a little sun while traipsing from swing to slide to climbing frame, first on the beach, then in various parks.
So anyway, thankfully the kindergarten is open for business once more, so here I am, back at the computer, dealing with a backlog of emails, and the occasional website comment.
Someone commented that they’d joined our club but hadn’t received anything. Had something gone wrong?
Spam filters are the usual culprit, and often people don’t think to check.
But it’s not uncommon that my thrice-weekly missives ARE received but are not recognised as something useful (it takes all sorts, doesn’t it?)
I guess people are expecting miracles, in irresistable little chunks, just pop one on your tongue and, as it dissolves, Italian will flood your brain and you’ll start to twitch. Mamma mia, that’s good stuff, you’ll exclaim, and press ‘Like’.
Like what happens when a not-yet-two-year-old gets her hands on a chocolate egg, goes rather quiet for a few moments as she gets her fingers sticky, and then BOOM, she’s off, high on refined sugar and remembering she’d intended to drop the toothpaste down the loo, or clean the flatscreen TV with a dripping mop.
That’s what the language-learning market is looking for, I’m sure, and no doubt there are plenty of people out there in socialmedialand promising to provide it.
Someone I know is really into Italian grammar explanations on Youtube, for instance. He might listen to three different people explaining the same, still-puzzled-over-after-all-these-years grammar point, hoping there are insights yet to be discovered.
Beh, anyway, our join page does mention ‘exercises’, so that’s probably got something to do with the occasional puzzled comments and the high level of list ‘unsubscribes’ (go ahead, I won’t mind!)
Back in the day, I did send out links to ‘exercises’, as I regularly added them to the club website, but eventually there was more than enough material there, free to access for anyone who wanted it, and not many ads, either!
E poi, we started the thrice-weekly bulletins of ‘easy’ Italian news, which I paid for out of my own pocket for the first few years (donations cover the costs these days), so I figured that that would have to be good enough.
But the club website still has all that stuff, and it’s still freely available for anyone who wants to learn from it.
A quick copy/paste from the homepage menu gets me this, for example:
Go on, have a poke around, browse a little. Bet you’l find something there you could use to improve your Italian, if you could be bothered.
Sure, our explanations and exercises can’t be found in your social media feed, nor are they downloadable from the Apple Store.
But they’re there, and my job is to encourage you to make use of them.
I try to be the chocolate egg of language-learning!
A venerdì.
P.S.
Don’t forget this week’s new ‘easy reader’ ebook, Colpa della terra, Libro 3, Senza dire niente, the third in a series of five.
Each tale in this series is narrated by a different member of the family, and the story arc as a whole spans more than fifty years, from the end of the nineteenth century until WWII. With this one, we’re up to 1908, I think.
Libri 4 and 5 will be published at two week intervals, so roughly at the beginning and the middle of May.
Anyway, here’s the blurb from our ebooks shop:
An original Italian easy reader by Francesca Colombo
The third in a series of five ‘easy reader’ ebooks which tells the story of three generations of an Italian family who emigrate to the USA.
Libro 3 is narrated by Antonio, one of the twins. He came to New York from Italy when he was just as a child, but is now a young man, a merchant sailor, and hoping to start of a family of his own.
“Forza, maledetti italiani! Che avete? Non volete lavorare? Volete stare seduti sugli alberi a prendere il sole senza fare niente, come siete abituati al paese vostro?! Forse volete diventare ancora più negri dei negri!” Un giovane americano spavaldo e arrogante ci insulta con disprezzo, sventolando alcuni fogli che ha in mano.
Siamo tutti ragazzi giovani, poveri e abbastanza affamati, quindi lavoriamo per poco. La paga che ci ha offerto, però, è davvero troppo bassa. Sento due siciliani che parlano tra loro e uno dice: “No, compare, per questi quattro spiccioli non lavoro. Mi rifiuto! Non siamo bestie.”
Io sto in silenzio guardando il mare e poi mi giro verso la mia ragazza, che è venuta ad accompagnarmi al porto. Vengo umiliato dal reclutatore di marinai proprio davanti a lei, ma non ho il coraggio di ribellarmi. Rosalba, la mia fidanzata, mi dice all’orecchio: “Andiamo via, Antonio, domani ci sarà un’occasione migliore.”
- .pdf e-book (+ audio available free online)
- .mobi (Kindle-compatible) and .epub (other ebook readers) available on request at no extra charge – just add a note to the order form or email us
- 8 chapters to read and listen to!
- Comprehension questions to check your understanding
- Italian/English glossary of ‘difficult’ terms for the level
- Suitable for students at intermediate level or above
- Download your Free Sample Chapter (.pdf)
Buy Colpa della terra, Libro 3, Senza dire niente, just £5.99 | Free Sample Chapter (.pdf) | Catalog
What if you’d like to read this one, but didn’t get around to buying Libri 1 and 2??
Those aren’t discounted like this week’s new one, but here are the links, for those who’d prefer to tackle the series in order:
Colpa della terra, Libro 1, Colpa della terra | Free Sample Chapter (.pdf)
Colpa della terra, Libro 2, La traversata | Free Sample Chapter (.pdf)
But if you don’t read/listen confidently at B2(+) level? Not to worry – you’ll find plenty of other ebook options from beginner upwards in our online Catalog, all with downloadable free sample chapters and FREE online audio!
How do I access my ebook?
When your order is ‘completed’ (normally immediately after payment), a download link will be automatically emailed to you. It’s valid for 7 days and 3 download attempts so please save a copy of the .pdf ebook in a safe place. Other versions of the ebook (.mobi/Kindle-compatible, .epub) cannot be downloaded but will be emailed to people who request them.
P.P.S.
Have you listened to Tuesday’s bulletin of ‘easy’ Italian news?
It’s free, as is subscribing to receive each of the three weekly bulletins, directly to your email inbox, as soon as they are published on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.
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OnlineItalianClub.com | EasyItalianNews.com | EasyReaders.org (ebooks) | NativeSpeakerTeachers.com (1-1 lessons)