LearnItalianPod

Learn Italian with LearnItalianPod.com – Learn Italian with LearnItalianPod.com – Episode #15 of LearnItalianPod “5 Minutes A Day” lesson series is now live! This one is entitled “To Stay or To Be: That Is The Question”. Several LearnItalianPod VIP Members have requested that we explained why and when the verb “stare” (to stay) is used versus the verb “essere” (to be). Although both “essere” and “stare” mean “to be”, they are not interchangeable, and this can create a bit of confusion to students of Italian. — So, let’s shed some light on these two verbs and let’s try, once and for all, to answer the question: “To Stay or To Be?”. Enjoy! [How Would You Say It: In The Park – LearnItalianPod VIP Members Extra Bonus!] Login to the Learning Center to find, as a special extra bonus, a super useful audio file with PDF transcript entitled “How Would You Say It: In The Park“, a terrific way to test and improve your knowledge of Italian by translating sentences on the fly. Practice this, and get ready for a walk in the (Italian) park! 5 Minutes A Day – Episode #15

Learn Italian with LearnItalianPod.com – Episode #14 of LearnItalianPod “5 Minutes A Day” lesson series is now live! This one is entitled “The Omnipresent Verb ‘Fare'”. VIP Member Matteo from San Francisco, California sent us some great feedback. He says: “I love learning Italian. He’s such a musical language, and you can get caught up in that music!” – Then he adds: “I’ve recently spent one entire month in Italy, and one of the things I’ve noticed is how much Italians use the verb ‘fare’ (to do, to make), and how many Italian idiomatic expressions use this verb, where English use other verbs. I think that a lesson about this verb is in order, Jane & Massimo… do you agree?” We do, Matteo, thank you! So, let’s learn and practice the important verb “fare” together with a lot of useful, ready-to-use idiomatic expressions. Enjoy! [How Would You Say It: Going Out – LearnItalianPod VIP Members Extra Bonus!] Login to the Learning Center to find, as a special extra bonus, a super useful audio file with PDF transcript entitled “How Would You Say It: Going Out“, a terrific way to test and improve your knowledge of Italian by translating sentences on the fly. Practice this… and get ready to party! 5 Minutes A Day – Episode #14

Learn Italian with LearnItalianPod.com – Episode #13 of LearnItalianPod “5 Minutes A Day” lesson series is now live! This one is entitled “Where Does It Come From?”. VIP Member Francesca from Orlando, Florida sent us a great email. She asks: “What about the name “Italia”? Where does it come from?” That’s an interesting question, Francesca! — So, let’s learn about the origin of the name “Italia” plus some very interesting cultural and historical facts about beautiful Italy! On the practice section of this lesson, available to LearnItalianPod VIP Members only, you will also find a thorough grammar explanation of the super-common and important “Relative and Absolute Superlatives” with lots of extra example sentences that you can practice. Enjoy! [How Would You Say It: School & Education – LearnItalianPod VIP Members Extra Bonus!] Login to the Learning Center to find, as a special extra bonus, a super useful audio file with PDF transcript entitled “How Would You Say It: School & Education“, a terrific way to test and improve your knowledge of Italian by translating sentences on the fly. Practice this to learn everything you need to know about the Italian school system! 5 Minutes A Day – Episode #13

Learn Italian with LearnItalianPod.com – Episode #12 of LearnItalianPod “5 Minutes A Day” lesson series is now live! This one is entitled “10 Italian Proverbs You Can’t Live Without”. Many linguistic experts agree on the fact that there is no better way to learn Italian language and culture than to practice Italian proverbs. In fact, they say, by learning and practicing proverbs one learns about the nuances of the spoken language as well as the traditions of a culture. So here they are, 10 absolutely must-know Italian proverbs that will greatly improve your vocabulary and comprehension of Italian. Enjoy! [How Would You Say It – Tech Talk: Computers – LearnItalianPod VIP Members Extra Bonus!] Login to the Learning Center to find, as a special extra bonus, a super useful audio file with PDF transcript entitled “How Would You Say It – Tech Talk: Computers“, a terrific way to test and improve your knowledge of Italian by translating sentences on the fly. Practice this, and you’ll be a master of the [Italian] computer lingo! 5 Minutes A Day – Episode #12

Learn Italian with LearnItalianPod.com – Episode #11 of LearnItalianPod “5 Minutes A Day” lesson series is entitled “What’s With The Last Name?”. What’s really interesting about Italian last names is that the vast majority of them were created from a few very specific sources: from a parent’s name, from a job or trade, from a nickname describing a unique quality, or from a location’s name. For this reason, they usually yield some important clues about family heritage. So, let’s learn some very interesting cultural facts about Italians and let’s find out what those Italian last names really mean! — On the practice section of this lesson, you will also find a thorough grammar explanation of the important “present and past participle of verbs” with lots of extra example sentences. [How Would You Say It: Weather and Seasons – LearnItalianPod VIP Members Extra Bonus!] Login to the Learning Center to find, as a special extra bonus, a super useful audio file with PDF transcript entitled “How Would You Say It: Weather and Seasons“, a terrific way to test and improve your knowledge of Italian by translating sentences on the fly. Practice this, and weather won’t be an issue in Italy! 5 Minutes A Day – Episode #11

Episode #10 of LearnItalianPod “5 Minutes A Day” lesson series is now live! This one is entitled “Che Bella Figura!”. Italian author Beppe Severgnini in his interesting book “La Bella Figura – A Field Guide To The Italian Mind” says that only in Italian does there exist an expression like “fare bella figura”. It corresponds to the English “to look good, to make a good impression”, but it literally means “to make a good figure” and it’s more of an aesthetic judgment (and it also says a lot about how Italians think and act). — Practice this lesson, and discover how you can make a “bella figura” and impress your Italian friends! [How Would You Say It: Let’s Talk Colors – LearnItalianPod VIP Members Extra Bonus!] Login to the Learning Center to find, as a special extra bonus, a super useful audio file with PDF transcript entitled “How Would You Say It: Let’s Talk Colors“, a terrific way to test and improve your knowledge of Italian by translating sentences on the fly. Colors can boost our mood instantly and cheer us up – so let’s practice them! 5 Minutes A Day – Episode #10

Learn Italian with LearnItalianPod.com – Episode #9 of LearnItalianPod “5 Minutes A Day” lesson series is now live! This one is entitled “25 Great Ways To Be Romantic”. It has been said many times that Italian is the language of love. So, what better way to celebrate the end of the “month of love”, February, than to learn and practice 25 terrific Italian sentences you can use when you want to be romantic with the one you love! [How Would You Say It: Courtesy Expressions – LearnItalianPod VIP Members Extra Bonus!] Login to the Learning Center to find, as a special extra bonus, a super useful audio file with PDF transcript entitled “How Would You Say It: Courtesy Expressions“, a terrific way to test and improve your knowledge of Italian by translating sentences on the fly. Practice this great extra bonus, and be courteous to your fellow Italians! 5 Minutes A Day – Episode #9

Learn Italian with LearnItalianPod.com – Episode #8 of LearnItalianPod “5 Minutes A Day” lesson series is now live! This one is entitled “7 Conversation Starters That Never Fail”. We’re sure there are times when you wish to start conversing in Italian, but you do not find the right words or topics to begin the conversation. That’s really a shame, because even one simple conversation with a native Italian will greatly improve your knowledge of the language. – So, LearnItalianPod.com comes to rescue and here you have it, 7 great ideas of “always-working” conversation starters that will get the conversation going! [How Would You Say It: Shapes and Sizes – LearnItalianPod VIP Members Extra Bonus!] Login to the Learning Center to find, as a special extra bonus, a super useful audio file with PDF transcript entitled “How Would You Say It: Shapes and Sizes“, a terrific way to test and improve your knowledge of Italian by translating sentences on the fly. Practice this great extra bonus, and get ready for some serious (Italian) measurement! 5 Minutes A Day – Episode #8

Learn Italian with LearnItalianPod.com – Episode #7 of LearnItalianPod “5 Minutes A Day” lesson series is now live! This one is entitled “Twisting Your Tongue… The Italian Way!”. Tongue twisters are a great way to practice pronunciation, and they’re useful to sharpen your ability to articulate words and sentences. — And let’s face it, just trying these tricky phrases is usually… a lot of fun! — So today, let’s have fun by learning and practicing three super-famous, terrific Italian tongue twisters that are sure to make your tongue twist, your brain work, and will definitely put a smile on your face! [How Would You Say It: At The Post Office – LearnItalianPod VIP Members Extra Bonus!] Login to the Learning Center to find, as a special extra bonus, a super useful audio file with PDF transcript entitled “How Would You Say It: At The Post Office“, a terrific way to test and improve your knowledge of Italian by translating sentences on the fly. Practice this terrific extra bonus, and using an Italian post office will always be a breeze! 5 Minutes A Day – Episode #7

Learn Italian with LearnItalianPod.com – Episode #6 of LearnItalianPod “5 Minutes A Day” lesson series is now live! This one is entitled “The Top Ten Italian Verbs”. Anyone learning Italian will soon discover how important it is to learn and practice verbs – in fact, your knowledge of Italian verbs will truly determine your real level of Italian language. — Let’s have fun by learning and practicing the top 10 Italian verbs, the ones you absolutely must know in order to be able to understand and speak “la bella lingua”! [How Would You Say It: Shopping is Fun! – LearnItalianPod VIP Members Extra Bonus!] Login to the Learning Center to find, as a special extra bonus, a super useful audio file with PDF transcript entitled “How Would You Say It: Shopping is Fun!“, a terrific way to test and improve your knowledge of Italian by translating sentences on the fly. Let’s practice lots of great sentences you can use when shopping (and bargaining for a discount) in Italy. 5 Minutes A Day – Episode #6

Learn Italian with LearnItalianPod.com – Episode #5 of LearnItalianPod “5 Minutes A Day” lesson series is now live! This one is entitled “Caffe’ e Cornetto, per Favore!”. History has it that the President and CEO of the largest coffeehouse company in the world had the idea of his business after a trip to Milan, in Italy, where he was fascinated by Italian coffee shops. So today, let’s hear about Italians and one of their favorite treats, coffee (or cappuccino) and “cornetto”, the Italian version of the French croissant. You will learn and practice a lot of useful Italian words and sentences you can use to impress your “barista” if you ever walk into a real Italian coffee shop! [How Would You Say It: Taking A Train – LearnItalianPod VIP Members Extra Bonus!] Login to the Learning Center to find, as a special extra bonus, a super useful audio file with PDF transcript entitled “How Would You Say It: Taking A Train“, a terrific way to test and improve your knowledge of Italian by translating sentences on the fly. Let’s practice some useful sentences you can use when taking a train in Italy. 5 Minutes A Day – Episode #5

Learn Italian with LearnItalianPod.com – Episode #4 of the all new LearnItalianPod “5 Minutes A Day” lesson series is now live! This one is called: “I Need A Pharmacy”. In Italy, for small emergencies and for minor aches, colds or flu, the best solution is to go to a “farmacia” (a pharmacy). – Even if we certainly wish that you’ll never need this lesson, let’s follow the old adage “better be safe than sorry”, and let’s learn a lot of Italian words, sentences, and useful information you can use if you ever need to go to a pharmacy while in Italy. [How Would You Say It: I Need Help! – LearnItalianPod VIP Members Extra Bonus!] Login to the Learning Center to find, as a special extra bonus, a super useful audio file with PDF transcript entitled “How Would You Say It: I Need Help!“, a terrific way to test and improve your knowledge of Italian by translating sentences on the fly. Let’s learn and practice some useful sentences you can use in case of emergencies, or if you need help. 5 Minutes A Day – Episode #4

Learn Italian with LearnItalianPod.com – Episode #3 of the all new LearnItalianPod “5 Minutes A Day” lesson series is now live! This one is called: “Happiness is a Bowl of Pasta”. Pasta is definitely “the queen of Italian cuisine”, and it is also certainly one of the most loved foods in the world. So, let’s have a little fun today and let’s learn and practice a lot of useful Italian words, sentences, grammatical and cultural facts around “la pasta”, and more in general, about eating… the Italian way. Enjoy! [At The Restaurant: How Would You Say It? – LearnItalianPod VIP Members Extra Bonus!] Login to the Learning Center to find, as a special extra bonus, a super useful audio file with PDF transcript entitled “At The Restaurant: How Would You Say It?“, a terrific way to improve your Italian and be prepared for those “real-life” situations when you want to say something in Italian but you can only think it in English. Practice this, and you’ll see the difference next time you walk into an Italian restaurant! 5 Minutes A Day – Episode #3

Learn Italian with the newest show on LearnItalianPod.com: “5 Minutes A Day”, episode #2! “5 Minutes A Day” lessons are “fun-to-listen-to” and “fun-to-practice” 5 to 10 minutes lessons that will provide you with knowledge on a great variety of topics and they are great for beginner, intermediate, and upper intermediate students of Italian. On this second episode, we are going on a “white week” (settimana bianca), which means “going on a ski-holiday, going to the mountains”. Italians love to take their “settimana bianca” in January or February. You will get the chance to practice and improve your pronunciation and learn some interesting grammatical and cultural facts about this topic. Enjoy! [How Would You Say It: At The Hotel – LearnItalianPod VIP Members Extra Bonus!] Login to the Learning Center to find, as a special extra bonus, a super useful audio file with PDF transcript entitled “How Would You Say It: At The Hotel“, a terrific way to improve your Italian and be prepared for those “real-life” situations when you need to say something in Italian but you can only think it in English. 5 Minutes A Day – Episode #2

Learn Italian with the newest show on LearnItalianPod.com: “5 Minutes A Day”, episode #1! “5 Minutes A Day” lessons are “fun-to-listen-to” 5 to 10 minutes lessons that will provide you with knowledge on a great variety of topics and they are great for beginner, intermediate, and upper intermediate students of Italian. – On this first episode, let’s talk about New Year’s resolutions, and let’s discover what the 7 most common New Year’s resolutions are for Italians. You will get the chance to practice and improve your pronunciation and learn some interesting grammatical and cultural facts about this topic. Enjoy! [The 7 Ways To Greet In Italian – LearnItalianPod VIP Members Extra Bonus!] Login to the Learning Center to find, as a special extra bonus, a super useful audio file with PDF transcript entitled “The 7 Ways To Greet In Italian“, where you will learn how to properly greet… like Italians do! 5 Minutes A Day – Episode #1