improve my italian

i have an language-exchange partner, an italian who wants to learn english – hopefully this should help loads!

I was pretty fluent when I moved to iceland two years ago, but havent used it at all and have been working on another language, so now its dissapearing though I can still read it. AIUTO PER FAVORE! Maybe we should just move back to italy…..

I come from a part Italian family, but my Italian is pretty poor, and I always feel ashamed of it at family gatherings. My goal is to learn five words a day, and practise them, sticking just to basic vocab until april/may and then start working on verb tables and ‘complex’ sentance construction … hopefully this time next year my Italian will be whole lot less crappy than it is now!

Had my first lesson this week – its a bit weird learning basic things even though I can just about have a conversation with my teacher thanks to spanish. Oh, and my teacher is ace (as long as we don’t get distracted talking about work etc)!

My Italin is, in spite of my English, a lot better than it was 4 monthes ago. I’m really impressed by my progress.

Arriving in Italy, they out me on level C1 (which is more than I actually should be, but on the entrance test they always place Spanish, Portughese abd French speakers on a higher level we really should be) and now I’m taking the C2 (the highest one. wow!).

I’d have 5 more months to complete this course at Università per Stranieri di Perugia and take my diploma, but I won’t. I’m moving to Rome and I have no intention of doing more Italian classes.

So, I decided to press the green button. Yes, I improved my Italian. And how I improved it! Anyway, the round arrow will be permanently beside this goal, since I will never stop learning and I will never ever be completely satisfied with what I know.

[25-oct-2007]

My workmate actually used to be a teacher so she’s gonna give some classes!

By the end of September I got several exams to pass from level C1 to level C2 (the last and highest one) and I’m glad to say I got grade 30/30 in almost all, except for the written “Lingua Italiana” test, in which I scored 26/30.
Nerd me. :P

[07-oct-2007]

During the last week of September I’ll have all the final exams to pass from C1 (the level I’m now) to C2 (the final level!).
Please wish me luck, ‘cause I’ll need it.

Last week I met the owner of a restaurant here in NYC who is from Rome. I got to chat with him and some Italian friends over wine, espresso and Grappa until five in the morning. Met with him again for dinner at his restaurant a few days later. This is definitely a way to improve my Italian although he is Italian style to the fullest and of course wants more than to just chat. Hmm . . . will have to work on that.

For me, Italian is so lyrical and passionate. In my opinion, it’s much more forgiving than French and, dare I say, even sexier. This summer, I plan to spend more time reading, speaking, and writing in Italian. I would love to go to Rome and be mistaken for a native. :-)