I don’t dance.
Dancing doesn’t interest me in the slightest.
But if I wanted to learn, I know how I’d go about it.
I’d sign up for one of those ‘salsa’ courses, checking carefully first to make sure that the other students weren’t all men.
I’d expect to be all left feet at first, but hope that the instructor would be encouraging, and that she would take it slowly for us beginners.
Within a couple of lessons, it would probably start getting a little easier, though I’d know that I’d have to keep practicing over the longer term if I wanted to get good.
Not to worry though, ladies. The ‘salsa’ classes of Bologna are safe from me, for now.
I’m more of the ‘sitting at the side of the dance floor drinking a cold beer and watching the action’ type, anyway.
Nevertheless, the same approach is also good when it comes to learning to write in Italian.
Find a course, do the work, and use the feedback you get from the experts to work on improving your approach and style.
It’s not rocket science.
It just takes a little time and effort.
ANYONE can learn to write in Italian, though most students of the language will never bother.
Shame really. Because if you can’t write in the language you’re studying, you’re excluding yourself from so many opportunities…
In the next article on this topic, I’ll cover the essential (but often ignored) PROCESS of writing well in Italian.
Hint: it’s not so much about what you write, but how you write it.
Like dancing, maybe.
P.S.
Our new Italian writing course is ready! Details in our online shop here.
For the first week or so, it’s 25% off.
John Thomson says
Daniel
How is this for synchronicity
You have just started a new project, as have I
Mine is on the ‘voiceless vegar stop’, you are probably more familiar with this as “il C dura”, the hard C in English phonology (fonologia), this is what makes I sintassi italiani cosi belli pieno di “quindi”, “infatti” “allora” “dunque” nel ogni testo.
I read recently that learning “la bella lingua italiana” could change one’s personality, cultural and even religious leanings.
Until now, I never believed this but I am a living example of this very phenomenon
It has changed me from a beer swilling, pub crawling Scottish Presbyterian into a home loving, church going Roman Catholic Italian, how did this happen?
Because I can now communicate with confidence that “Io sto a casa mia e vado alla chiesa ogni giorno”
(due ‘c’ dure)
Syntax is now within my grasp, hurrah, whereas it was only a joke (I hope you get it), in the old days. The “scherzo” is plain for all to see, I hope
Giovanni previously known as John / Jock
Daniel says
Are you joking, Jock? Or choking?
Churches have that effect on me too. And Catholics…
Karen says
You had me a bit worried for a moment John