STEP UP YOUR ITALIAN GAME IN 2022 (Part I)
Well, it’s 2022! I know, time flies so fast! Have you made any New Year’s resolutions? If your answer is yes and stepping up your Italian game happens to be on your list of things to do in 2022, make sure you read on! In this short article, I’d like to share with you a few tips on how you can surround yourself with Italian and improve your skills in this charming language even if you are not physically based in Italy.
PASSIVE DOESN’T MEAN WORSE
I am conscious that the ultimate goal in language learning for most of us is being able to speak the language. We’re longing for that moment when we’ll finally be able to string fluent sentences together and turn our hesitant attempts at speaking into witty and eloquent speeches. Let’s not forget about the basics though! Passive language skills - reading and listening comprehension - are extremely important and have to be practiced regardless of whether you’re starting your language learning adventure or you’ve already acquired a good deal of skills and can easily get by in everyday conversations. After all, what’s the point of being able to talk if you can’t fully understand the questions asked?
Here’s a few tips on what sources, in my personal opinion, can help you with practicing your passive Italian skills:
- Read, read & read… Choose whatever you fancy, it can be newspapers, books, magazines. Think of the topics that you enjoy most and find Italian blogs, podcasts or magazines that talk about exactly that. Are you passionate about traveling and wildlife? Is National Geographic your magazine of choice in your native language? Well, how about you now start reading it in Italian too?
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| Photo by Mattias Diesel on Unsplash |
- For those of you, my lovely fellow language learners, who’d like to stay up to date with the latest news and current affairs - why not listen to Italian radio and watch Italian TV? Try RaiNews 24 for a 24-hour access to news stories from Italy and other parts of the world. Also, one of the podcasts that I think is brilliant is ‘Nessun luogo è lontano’ by Giampaolo Musumeci available on Radio 24 - give it a listen, you’ll soon discover that even the most remote corners of the world hold no secrets from you.
- Why does it have to be so serious, all work no play, you may ask? Well, is Netflix your guilty pleasure after a long day of hard work? Why don’t you combine it with a bit of a language learning activity? There’s quite a few Italian movies and series on Netflix. I’d definitely recommend checking out ‘Il processo’ (a mini-series, 8 episodes) and ‘La ragazza nella nebbia’ with the excellent Toni Servillo whom you might know from ‘The Great Beauty’ (‘La Grande Bellezza’). Incidentally, Paolo Sorrentino’s latest movie is on Netflix too - ‘The Hand of God’. Try and test your level of understanding - are you able to follow the movie without the subtitles on? No? That’s OK. Don’t be too harsh on yourself, turn the subtitles on but do try and memorise as much as you can. As your Italian language adventure progresses, you’ll gradually be able to understand more and more…please just don’t forget to be patient with yourself. It’s a journey and it takes time, but you’ll get there :)
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