Archive for 'Italian Language'
A Brief History Of Spoken Italian Posted by Geoff on Oct 31, 2016
Although Italian has existed for centuries as a standard written language, it wasn’t until the advent of television and the spread of mass education in the 1950’s that it became widely spoken. Latino Volgare Spoken Italian is a lingua neolatina (new Latin language) which has evolved from Latino volgare, the everyday spoken Latin of the…
Gli Ospiti Di Annalisa Posted by Serena on Oct 27, 2016
My friend Annalisa is a lovely sweet person with a very poetic soul. She can turn everyday facts into beautiful special events. So when I read this little tale on her Facebook page I decided (with her permission) to share it with you, my dear readers. Ho l’abitudine di mettere appena fuori casa del cibo…
Carmela’s Story Posted by Geoff on Oct 18, 2016
A year ago I began writing the story of Carmela and her shoe obsession. Originally intended as a one off article, the story took on a life of its own, becoming five separate chapters. Then our little white kitten Bianca, inspiration for Carmela’s cat, fell ill and died in my arms. Distraught, I avoided writing…
At The Dentist in Italy Posted by Serena on Oct 14, 2016
In this weeks blockbuster blog, our hero, Geoff, demonstrates immense courage in the face of a ferocious Italian dentist. Based on a true story! The characters: Geoff, the dentist, and the secretary The setting: a private dental surgery in Italy Segretaria: “Buongiorno, come posso esservi utile?” Secretary: “Good morning, how can I help you?” Geoff…
A Special Italian Kiss On The Hand Posted by Serena on Sep 20, 2016
It’s September, and, as usual at this time of year, our aia (stone patio) is completely covered with hazelnuts that have fallen from the noccioli (hazelnut trees). Beautiful plump tasty nocciole (hazelnuts), just perfect for making a delicious chocolate spread … if you’re not Geoff, who is allergic to them! The mouthwatering thought of home…
Beginner’s Guide to Italian Posted by Transparent Language on Aug 30, 2016
If you’re a fan of this blog, you’ll love our new Beginner’s Guide to Italian. Here on the Italian blog, Serena and Geoff post a variety of content for learners of all levels. For the beginners among us who haven’t combed through the archives, you may be missing some of our older, but extremely…
Communicate Posted by Serena on Aug 24, 2016
Here’s a group of verbs appertaining to communication. They’re fairly straightforward in themselves, but what can be confusing is the fact that most of them use the preposition ‘a‘ (to) or ‘con‘ (with), even when they don’t in English. A small group, however, don’t use a preposition. Remember: when the preposition ‘a‘ is followed by…