Italian Language Home Training

[Di]

Hi Friends-
We went through a 2 week Italian class in Tropea this year which was great, and we'll likley return several more times (over time) to improve. In between those intensive immersive sessions, we want some things to practice with. Does anyone have a good experience to share about one of the many CD and computer courses sold around the world? The Rossetta Stone courses are advertised everywhere, but I wonder how good they really are. The CD collection we have now is more annoying than informative! Thanks for sharing your experience with these products. Simpatici saluti, Di and Doug

Have you tried Michel Thomas CDs? His courses go upto advanced level.

[Margaret]

Hi - probably not much use to you in Oregon but here in the UK we have a dish aimed at the satellite carrying the Italian TV (Yeah, ha-ha, is someone going to that much trouble to get Italian TV!) and would think it could be good for learning. There's an early evening quiz programme where they speak quite slowly and repeat things. In Oregon you'd probably need a ginormous dish so ? worth it. Someone near us here has a dish aimed a somewhere round the curve so to speak and it takes up half their garden and looks like they're linked to NATO! Also, we used to have a group that would meet for coffee and to speak Italian. Do you have many native speakers where you are? We used to live in Vancouver (sort of your neck of the woods - well, loosely) and there was a large immigrant community there. Cheers.

[Italy4me]

Good grief, Margaret, where have you been hiding?
Good to see you here 8-))

We have Michel Thomas CDs but are not very self disciplined at sitting down with them

Jacquie rates the Pimsleur CDs highly but we haven't tried them yet.

Lesley & Brian

[Andy&Kath]

Hi Di & Doug

Hope you are well. We were pleased to hear that you found a place you like. We are using the Pimsleur CD's and find them really good but not sure what level you would need as you have already taken lessons. Italian 1 parts 1,2 & 3 are for complete beginners like us, so you may be fine starting at Italian 2. I like the fact that they teach you everyday spoken Italian rather than theoretical (proper gramatical) Italian.

We down load them from www.talking-book-store.com as they were quite competitive on the price.

Hope this helps.
Andy & Kath

[Di]

I guess my reply post went to hell according to the machine, so a shorter attempt this time. Thank you all for the input. We'll try the Pimsleur materials. With a cold wet winter approaching, I want to hunker down by the stove and study! Hopefully not too much snow shoveling. We are closing on the property and setting up restoration contracts the last of November, then home to study Italian on winter weekends. Be well, Doug

[Margaret]

Like Di's my message just written got sent to Hell - am sending this to see if the same thing happens. Cheers M

[Margaret]

OK - that didn't get sent to Hell so will try again! Hi L&B - see above. Hope to be down in March so hope you're not off anywhere then. Have had unelievable summer - more in pm - though your move probably puts me to shame - and managed to get to Scalea in Sept after two cancellations. Then between staying in Naples and hospitals it was more like a day trip. Ci sentiremo nei prossimi tempi! Watched the quiz last night and forgot to say that they put the questions on the screen and then repeat them - like 'Millionaire' in the UK (and apparently half the countries in the world it seems). Some of the questions are a bit way out for us ignorant Brits (speak for yourself did someone say) - e.g. questions on Shakespeare. Don't think I'd know anything on Dante - except Abandon Hope - which brings me back to Hell and fingers crossed that this message doesn't go there as well! Vediamo!

Now I'm getting frustrated! I can't believe the number of times I have tried to posta reply and it's just disappeared into the ether mist. Why?

That guy's voice on Pimsleur is so irritating. I tried the free sample on their website but I don't think I will add it to my collection. I have about 7 different courses but still can't speak the language, Living in Italy for 2 years is the only answer. Magari.

[caoimho]

:lol:
hi all
for anybody that has an ipod ,there are free italian podcast lessons (about 100)available from the itunes store. i have these and they are very good (after you fast forward the irritating jingle at the start).they range in difficulty but there are a lot of useful expressions to be heard.to get them you need to open itunes,then itunes store,then education, then languages and then take your pick,
ciao a tutti
kevin and niamh :P

[Di]

Thought I'd share the link to the school in Tropea if you haven't heard of it. Although it was at times intimidating to Doug to sit there not knowing what the instructor said or wanted him to say, we learned some good basics of verb conjugation and preposition usage. If you can afford the time, and the cost, we highly recommend the school. Lovely town to hang out in too! We still have the texbook for technical study, but using CD's for verbal work is handy, doug and di

http://www.piccolauniversitaitaliana.com/

[mary]

I found the Michel Thomas advance course great to get going on verbs and grammar. Now doing his Italian vocabulary course cd. A half an hour every day in the car on the way to work using the pause button has really brought my stumbling halting Italian to a much less stumbling state! Well reccommended. Mary

[jessie]

Hi All,
I have also been using the Michel Thomas 8-cd package and have found it very good. We were able to go to Spar and buy furniture etc. without miming this summer!! Have downloaded them onto my Ipod and try to listen to them a couple of times a week. Great if you're out walking just to pop in the headphones and kill two birds with one stone.

[Margaret]

Watched 'Milionario' the other night and with the time they get for each question there's time to look every word up in the dictionary. Though maybe the contestants try to drag the time out as , unlike'ours' it's live so they might want to give the 'phone a friend' the chance to look up the answer. Has anyone watched L'eridata'? Am amazed that anyone ever manages to win anything as the last stage is a word connection thing which is usually really obscure. Again, the words are on the screen for ages and they talk about it for ages so not bad for learning.

Yes!1 have seen L'eredita'. What about those girls dancing? Weird!!!

[Doug]

Hi Margaret- I'm curious whether you watch those shows in Italy, or from the UK? From other posts it sounds like we'll need to get used to satellite television soon. We're happy with 6 working channels here, but I can see the advantage of the things available with a dish....especially to get around Italian game shows!

Thanks all for the tips. We are going to finish up the CD materials we have while working the written texts before moving on to try the Thomas series. doug & di

[Margaret]

Just testing - as instead of getting sent to Hell I now seem to be violating some 'antispam' rule. Will try again if this get through. Anybody else had this?

[Margaret]

Right - to try again. We get Italian TV in the UK with a dish. It's bigger than the usual ones but not enormous. It's directed at 'Hotbird' satellite, 13 degrees and you need a de-coder. We get RAI 1, RAI 2, RAI 3, Retequattro, Canale 5 and Italia 1. Someone near us (UK) has a satellite to get a country a lot further 'round the curve of the earth' and it's ginormous - looks like MI5 have taken over their garden so I geuss it would be the same in Oregon - anybody know? Anyway, good luck!

[Italy4me]

Originally Posted by Doug

We are going to finish up the CD materials we have while working the written texts before moving on to try the Thomas series. doug & di

Oh my word Doug & Di!
Piano, piano you will be putting us "permanente" to shame otherwise.
On the other hand I have a mental picture of you both stepping off the plane and launching into perfect Italian immediately!
I wish we could! Just been to our neighbours this afternoon (picked her up on our lane, she had been feeding the "animale" and was heading home).
Got invited (dragged) in for a Cedro (local home-made liquer) and biscotti.
Maria has a Christmas tree and pastoral scene on her fireplace (would have loved to have taken some pics but wasn't sure if it might have seemed disrespectful) with Mary & Joseph and shepherds (and the whole of the rest of the countryside - animals, people, you name it they were there).
Absolutely fabulous, just love it here - Lesley

[Doug]

Lesley, when I say "we are going to finish the CD materials", I didn't say when!! I don't do New Years resolutions, but am promising myself to spend a couple hours each weekend with the lessons this winter. Then, hopefully, I can hold some kind of conversation with the house contractor when we visit next time.

Yes, that cedro is a nice cool ,light drink. Have you and Brian run into anyone making their own wine that they sell? We'll have to get into that some day. Maybe I shouldn't say this in front of the Scalea area crowd, but I found the vino rosso locale in the Tropea area to be a little smoother with just a tad more body, and only 3 euro/bottle without a label. Better than some of the $35/bottle Pinot Noirs they sell around here! Saluto simpatici, Doug