Lucky Number Seven – Now It’s Your Turn! Posted by Geoff on Oct 6, 2014
All photos by Geoff Chamberlain In our first two blogs about Amber, the kitten that we rescued three weeks ago, Serena wrote the text in Italian followed by an English translation. In the third blog I wrote in English followed by an Italian translation. Well, here’s part 4, and this time it’s your turn dear…
Who’s Who? Posted by Serena on Oct 2, 2014
I’ve often noticed that English speakers who are learning Italian tend to mistakenly use chi instead of che. Of course, they look and sound very similar, and English to Italian dictionaries tend to give chi as the primary translation for who. If only it were that simple! Today we’re going to look at the difference…
Why Can’t The Italians Speak ‘Proper’ Italian Posted by Geoff on Oct 1, 2014
… just like I learnt in my grammar book? I know that I mention this topic frequently but I’m very aware that the difference between ‘exercise’ book Italian and colloquial Italian is a major source of frustration for students. A reader recently asked me to write more posts highlighting some of the frequently used expressions…
Lucky Number Seven – Part 3: Amber’s Antics Posted by Geoff on Sep 29, 2014
With photos by Geoff & Serena English text by Geoff with translation by Serena Those of you who follow our blog will have read about the latest addition to our household, little Amber: Part 1 – Lost and Found and Part 2 – Mittens for Kittens. The first two posts were written in Italian with…
What Did They Just Say? Posted by Geoff on Sep 25, 2014
It always seems a bit ironic to me that students of Italian put so much effort into learning their grammar, with all its convoluted rules and exceptions, only to be confronted with what appears to be a totally different language when they finally set foot in Italy. In fact, there is a vast difference between…
Speak Italian Like a Boss! Posted by Geoff on Sep 24, 2014
No, this isn’t another one of those silly blogs promising you that you’ll be speaking Italian fluently in two weeks. It’s simply a few tips, based on personal experience, that may help you to communicate more effectively when you’re in Italy. Let’s look at three important aspects of confidence building: 1. Attitude Have you ever…
Lucky Number Seven – Part 2: Mittens for Kittens Posted by Serena on Sep 23, 2014
“Ahia che male!” Ho le mani tutte rovinate, specialmente la sinistra, perché quando è l’ora della pappa il micino ci si aggrappa disperatamente con le sue unghiette affilatissime e comincia a far la pasta con le zampine anteriori. “Dar da mangiare a questo gattino sta diventando sempre più doloroso, qui bisogna trovare una soluzione. Ecco!…