1. How To Ask What’s Up (HTI) Learn Italian with Podcasts at LearnItalianPod

1. How To Ask What’s Up (HTI)

November 12th, 2007

PDF Transcript - Video Practice - Glossary - Flashcards

How To Ask What's Up - Come Chiedere Che Si Dice

Learn Italian with LearnItalianPod! This is the first episode of a new series called “How To Italian” that we’re adding to our podcasts. “How To Italian” are 5 to 7 minutes audio lessons that will show you “how to” successfully learn, practice, and master a very specific topic of the Italian Language. What’s important to say is that, on this series, we will only speak “the real, informal, everyday Italian”, the one you will hear if you ever happen to mingle with real Italians.

Today, we are going to re-explore how to greet people but in a more down-to-earth, “real-life” kind of way. And, if you are a LearnItalianPod VIP subscriber, you’ll just LOVE the way you’ll be able to practice these “How To Italian” episodes - we promise you it will be the closest thing to a real dialogue with an Italian. Benvenuti a “How To Italian”, everybody!

How To Italian - Episode Nr. 1

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This entry was posted on Monday, November 12th, 2007 at 12:12 am and is filed under How To Italian. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

20 Responses to "1. How To Ask What’s Up (HTI)"

Rosemarie Says:

November 12th, 2007 at 11:39 am

Alla grande! Jane and Massimo—you have totally outdone yourselves! The new, TRULY interactive dialogue component in the VIP area is amazing–for the first time I really feel that I am speaking Italian. Grazie! Ciao–devo scappare!

Tom Says:

November 12th, 2007 at 12:29 pm

Amazing! This is what I needed to really feel I’m having a real conversation in Italian. Grazie!

Julie Byrnes Says:

November 12th, 2007 at 4:19 pm

Greetings from Australia - love the new series - down to earth & practical. Grazie!
JUlie Byrnes

Mark Says:

November 12th, 2007 at 8:51 pm

Benissimo!

Jen Arnold Says:

November 12th, 2007 at 11:00 pm

I like the new “How to..” series, it’s nice and streamlined.

Dave Says:

November 14th, 2007 at 6:29 am

Hey Jane, Massimo e Mambo
Stra bello!! Assolutamente perfetto.

Rosemarie Says:

November 17th, 2007 at 3:51 am

Forte! Yet another new feature in the Learning Center—”Flashcards”—and they even “flip” and “shuffle”!
Una domanda, per piacere: for the translations given for “Stay well”—is Stammi bene more colloquial than Stai bene?
Grazie!

Steven Clopper Says:

November 17th, 2007 at 11:52 am

great!

LearnItalianPod.com Says:

November 17th, 2007 at 12:40 pm

Rosemarie, yes it is a little more colloquial.

Angela Says:

November 18th, 2007 at 7:24 am

I’ve been enjoying your site, thanks. Just one comment–I’ve been living in Como, Italy for a year now, and have noticed that two female friends, as well as two friends of different s e x e s, will greet each other with two kisses, one on each cheek.

LearnItalianPod.com Says:

November 18th, 2007 at 2:29 pm

Angela, thanks. In general, friends of the same s e x (especially males) do not kiss, unless they haven’t seen each other for a long time. But I’m sure you’ll witness exceptions to this.

Cindee Says:

November 19th, 2007 at 3:34 pm

This is the most amazing innovation to date! You guys are spectacular! How in the world did you ever think of this? I am going to be a lifetime subscriber. Jane and Massimo, you rock!!!!!

canice Says:

November 21st, 2007 at 10:04 am

Thank you, Jane and Massimo, this new interactive lesson is wonderful. I am a beginner but, it comes a little easier with new learning material.

Jennifer66 Says:

December 3rd, 2007 at 11:46 am

My daughter and I are enjoying the subscription to LearnItalianPod very much - it is helping us alot. We had a few questions on this episode regarding the use of the article “la” before Jane: “La Jane!” We hadn’t seen that before. Is that common? Can one simply say “Jane!” without the article? If that had been Massimo, would it have been “Guarda chi si vede - il Massimo!” ?

Grazie!

LearnItalianPod.com Says:

December 4th, 2007 at 9:18 am

Jennifer, yours is a great question. According to the rules of the traditional Italian grammar, “L’articolo determinativo può essere usato davanti ai nomi propri femminili. L’articolo, invece, non può essere usato davanti ai nomi propri maschili”.

To summarize: the article can be used before female first nouns, but it’s not used before male first nouns.

This is changing, though.

You will hear both “Ho visto Massimo, la Jane, Marco e la Patrizia” and “Ho visto Massimo, Jane, Marco e Patrizia” (I’ve seen Massimo, Jane, Marco, and Patrizia). Both are valid Italian.

In the “everyday” Italian, the first expression is still more used than the second.

Luisa Kelly Says:

January 8th, 2008 at 8:52 pm

Hi Jane and Massimo
I just signed up and I am truly enjoying your lessons. I wanted to know if it would be possible to listen to the dialogue without the introduction in both slow and fast paces. In the dialogue practice (which is totally awesome) I wish we could have a regular pace reading so that I don’t have to hear the whole introduction to the lesson each time. Ciao and grazzie mille!

LearnItalianPod.com Says:

January 8th, 2008 at 11:53 pm

Luisa Kelly, we’re in the process of working a feature just like that - a condensed version of the lesson just for practice purposes - it would be published as an extra feature / upgrade of the Learning Center.

marvin Says:

February 14th, 2008 at 11:02 pm

Ciao,
I have a question about the use of the apostrophe in italian. In the sentence ..’Che cos’e'? (What is it?)’…must one always use the aposrophe or could I have asked ‘Che cosa è?’…?

LearnItalianPod.com Says:

February 14th, 2008 at 11:46 pm

Marvin, you could have used “che cosa e’?”, but it is really not very common in the everyday spoken and written language.

marvin Says:

February 16th, 2008 at 4:34 am

grazie a LearnitalianPod.com…..

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