Following on from Monday’s shameless plugging of our new project, DontSpeakItalian.com, today we have links to another beginner’s grammar area.
This material is perfect for beginners but also for anyone, like me, who’s been studying Italian for years but still isn’t totally sure of the basics…
OK, Monday we took a look at the cursed gender – masculine and feminine nouns.
So what else is there that trips me up when I try to speak Italian?
Oh yes, articles!
I’m constantly asking my Italian wife ‘Un amica – Is that with or without an apostrophe?’
For some reason, back in 1998 when I was starting with Italian, but also struggling to earn a living in a country where I knew nothing about anything, the relevant grammar rule passed me by…
But it’s never too late! And it turns out that there is a simple explanation – to read it, follow the link below (also the links to the related practice exercise and listening tasks):
- Italian articles for beginners
- Italian articles practice exercise
- Italian articles listening practice (this is a good one – don’t miss it!)
More on Friday. Buona giornata!
P.S.
The. Best. Way. Of. Learning. Italian. Is. To. Read. And. Listen.
Grammar explanations are all very well, but getting grammatical knowledge from a printed page is a bit like an archaeologist looking at fossilized bones or footprints.
It’s obvious they’d rather be in Jurassic Park if they could, watching real dinosaurs splash through the mud.
Language learning is the same. Ideally, you want to be there, with Italian life being lived all around you!
Of course, you can simulate the experience by watching TV, though this can be hard at first as what you hear is not ‘graded’ for learners (‘graded’ is teacher-talk for ‘simplified’).
Another alternative is an easy-reader, like the ones in our online shop.
Pick a level that doesn’t challenge you too much (so as to start with a confidence boost!)
Read while listening to the audio – it’s faster that way, less risk of getting bored.
Then read again, without the audio, taking your time (but avoiding dictionaries – dictionaries are death!)
Finally, listen to the story without the supporting text. You might surprise yourself at how much you can follow…
(Repeat the ‘listening without the text’ stage as many times as you want.)
That’s it. You’re done. Now pick another story, maybe at a higher level, and repeat.
So that’s the most productive thing you can do for your Italian: a combination of morale-boosting, grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, reading practice, listening practice and general having-a-good-time.
All for just €9.99.
Visit our shop to get started.
