Posts Tagged ‘culture’
37. The Miracle of San Gennaro (Listen Up & Learn)
Level: Listen Up & Learn
Our friends Jim and Carla were in Naples, Italy, a few days ago, just at the right time to witness one of the most important days in the life of this beautiful city: the day of the San Gennaro Feast. Every year, on September 19, thousands of devotees crowd into the “Duomo di Napoli” (Naples Cathedral), to witness the miracle of the liquefaction of the blood of their protector and patron saint, San Gennaro.
Let’s celebrate this traditional day of faith and prayers, which holds a special place in the hearts of Italian people everywhere. — Then as usual, after listening to the story, take the “7 Question Challenge” to test your comprehension, speaking, and grammar skills. Enjoy!
[VIP Members Only Extra Bonus - Back To Basics: The Verb "Dire" [To Say, To Tell]] Login to the Learning Center to download, as a special extra bonus, a useful audio file and PDF transcript entitled “Back To Basics: The Verb ‘Dire’ [To Say, To Tell]“, containing the “must-memorize” verb “Dire” (To Say, To Tell), conjugated in the present, past, future, conditional, and subjunctive tenses, with the addition of blank spaces after each verb instance so you can practice your pronunciation over and over!
Listen Up & Learn – Episode #37
36. The Devil’s Violin (Listen Up & Learn)
Level: Listen Up & Learn
Our friend and VIP Member Cathyanne says she’s going to Italy to see her friends and to perfect her Italian. “Once in Italy”, she says, “I will rent a violin, I will play it in some orchestras, and I will give lessons”. – Then she asks if we can dedicate a LearnItalianPod episode to what, in her opinion, is the most important thing ever made in Italy: the violin! – You asked, we listened.
Let’s dedicate this lesson to an Italian music legend who has been called “the very first rock star” of history, the great “devil’s violinist” Niccolo’ Paganini. – Then as usual, after listening to the dialogue, take the “7 Question Challenge” to test your comprehension, speaking, and grammar skills. Enjoy!
[VIP Members Only Extra Bonus - Back To Basics: The Verb "Mangiare" [To Eat]] Login to the Learning Center to download, as a special extra bonus, a useful audio file and PDF transcript entitled “Back To Basics: The Verb ‘Mangiare’ [To Eat]“, containing the “must-memorize” verb “Mangiare” (To Eat), conjugated in the present, past, future, conditional, and subjunctive tenses, with the addition of blank spaces after each verb instance so you can practice your pronunciation over and over!
Listen Up & Learn – Episode #36
13. Where Does It Come From? (5 Minutes A Day)
Level: 5 Minutes A Day
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
11. What’s With The Last Name? (5 Minutes A Day)
Level: 5 Minutes A Day
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
10. Che Bella Figura! (5 Minutes A Day)
Level: 5 Minutes A Day
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
5. Caffe’ e Cornetto, per Favore! (5 Minutes A Day)
Level: 5 Minutes A Day
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
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