Learning Italian by learning phrases

Confession time: I’ve been so, so, busy lately that I haven’t had time to post here. Hope you noticed!

I’ve found time today only because I promised to help Lucia (OnlineItalianClub.com) sell her e-book. That’s the confession part.

But soon, soon, I’ll be writing regularly again. Promise!

I’m planning a series called “Think Italian Like An Italian”.  The idea is to deal with those areas of the Italian language which require a change of mindset to master.

For example, I STILL have problems with masculine and feminine nouns.  If I could “think like an Italian”, I guess I’d automatically see paper as female but a newspaper as male (is that right?)

Anyway, that’s the idea behind the new series, to try to change the way I (you) think about certain areas of grammar, in order to finally master them.

Who knows? Maybe I’ll never learn to think like an Italian. But we can have fund trying! The first article will be coming soon: watch this space.

But for now… .

Learning Italian by learning phrases

Take the traditional route to language-learning, and you’ll be following a syllabus containing a mix of grammar, vocabulary, and pratice. Maybe some useful phrases too.

Nothing wrong with that. That’s how our “Italian Workout” series is organised.

But it’s not the only way.

A quarter of a century ago, before taking up an English-teaching job in Turkey, I memorized the whole of the BBC’s “Turkish in a Week” (not sure about the title after all these years).

When I got off the plane in Ankara in the middle of the night,  and for months afterwards, I was glad I had.

Later, when I first came to Italy, I used the same approach. OK, I couldn’t conjugate my verbs, but I could at least say SOMETHING.

But phrase books are not just for travellers. They’re also a great resource for students of a language, as a supplement to, or subsitute for, a more traditional course.

They can be a great way to expand your vocabulary, and to start to recognize grammar in a more meaningful context, which should really help you to understand it better.

Learning phrases helps you build a usable body of Italian in your head, and start making mental connections between grammar, vocabulary and meaning.

Plus you’ll be able to order drinks in bars and restaurants.

Suggested approach

1. Buy the book (very important!)

2. Print it

3. Study a chapter each day (any order, personally I’d leave the beauty salon one until the end)

4. Revise the chapters you’ve studied before

5. Create your “personal master list” of essential phrases and memorize until you have them really fixed in your brain. A good technique is to rewrite them on slips of paper, then go through them in idle moments (on the bus, on the toilet.)

About the authors

“L’italiano in viaggio” is not an OnlineItalianClub.com publication, but we’re proud to be selling it in our shop because it’s been written by Lucia, who manages our Skype Italian lesson teachers.

Many of you will know her, so you’ll understand how excited she was to have published her first book (the design was done by an old friend of hers, the talented Angelica Cantasano.)

Special Launch Price!

As usual, there’s a special launch price. New! Cheap! How could you resist?

This week “L’italiano in viaggio” costs just €7.50. That’ll go up to €9.99 from next Tuesday, but I won’t be bombarding you with reminders, so best get your copy now before you forget.

Don’t forget, as always with e-books, there’s a 60-day money-back guarantee. Not satisfied for any reason whatsoever? Just let me know why, and I’ll action your refund, no messing about.

So, ready to try learning Italian by learning phrases? Here’s that link again:

Click here to get your copy of “L’italiano in viaggio” at the special launch price!