learn to speak Italian fluently

I wished I understood better Italian was when I visited an exhibition with sketches by Fellini.
There were many notes in his own – illegible anyway – handwriting, so it was really hard for me to decipher what was written there. I got bits and pieces, but not the full picture.

I enjoy the Italian culture. I would love to be able to speak Italian!

In this episode I learned:

• per Torino – for Turin
• uscita – flight gate in this case, also means exit
• i biglietti – the tickets

Other useful phrases

• Buongiorno – Good morning (lit. good day)
• Prego – You’re welcome
• Ecco.. – Here is/are…
• Va bene – Right/okay
• Basta! – That’s enough!
• Vediamo – Let’s see
• Andiamo – LEt’s go

Numbers 1-10

one – uno; two – due; three – tre; four – quattro; five – cinque; six – sei; seven – sette; eight – otto; nine – nove; ten – dieci

I listened to the first episode today and I think I’ve grasped very basic greetings.

Ciao, Salve – hello
Come stai, come va – how are you?
(Molto) Bene, Benissimo – well or very well
Grazie – thank you
Ti presento to introduce a friend
Piacere to say that it’s a pleasure to meet you

And I also picked up -
Sono stanco/a to say I am tired
e tu, to ask “and you?” for emphasis
E presto, to say that it’s early
ma – but
Sono le sei – It’s six o’clock
del mattino – in the morning
Si – Yes

I bought a cheap tutorial and I’m using online resources to start myself off, and I’ve also set my facebook in Italiano.

There’s just not enough time.

I’ve always found that I teach myself best. I am using online dictionnaires, basic grammar tutorials and chatrooms to teach myself Italian. The best way to learn a language is to speak it, and chatting to native speakers can help me grasp written Italian at least. Of course, living somewhere where I can actually use the language and speak it out loud would be perfect, but until I can do that, I will rely on getting the written part down and finding some Italian friends.

So far, I’ve learned that I’m a “brutta strega” – or ugly witch!

I had Italian lessons with a tutor for 6 months.
I studied hard, but my brain seemed to resist learning new stuff.
I never reeally spoke the language; I was too self-conscious for that.

I understand a lot of what is being said.
I can watch Italian TV stations, and I understand discussions if they’re carried out clearly and slowly (like during a business meeting).

But I want to actually SPEAK it next time I’m in Italy (which will probably be next April).

...I’ve been attending an Italian language course since October (again – I learned Italian before, but then had to pause for a while), but the best thing is that I’m finally going to Italy – to Bologna in July! 2 weeks of learning Italian in a school during the morning, and enjoying the beauty of this lovely city, the culture, cuisine, people etc during the rest of the day…
Can’t wait!! :)

i want to be able to understand my two little cousins haha