LearnItalianPod

44. A Cheesy Collateral (Culture Shot)

  Level: Culture Shot

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Learn Italian with LearnItalianPod. VIP Member Lisa sent us one of the most entertaining email we’ve ever received. She says: “I read this article in the New York Times about an Italian bank keeping wheels of Parmesan cheese as collateral for bank loans to cheese makers. I was blown away by this but not really surprised because Italians are so resourceful! What a brilliant way to make loans available for cheese makers by allowing their aging cheese to guarantee their loans! I think this would make a great lesson as well as a cultural surprise for your listeners, Jane and Massimo!”

You said it, Lisa, Italians can surely be resourceful, and what an example you brought up! So here it is, a Culture Shot about banks, loans, Parmesan cheese, and, most important, about the worldwide famous “arte di arrangiarsi italiana” (the Italian art of going with the flow). Enjoy!

[Getting Around The House Vol. 1: The Kitchen & The Bedroom - LearnItalianPod VIP Members Extra Bonus!] Login to the Learning Center to find, as a special extra bonus, an audio file and PDF transcript entitled “Getting Around The House, Vol. 1: The Kitchen and the Bedroom“, composed of an audio file and PDF transcript of some of the names of things you find in the kitchen and in the bedroom that you absolutely need to know if you ever travel to Italy!

Culture Shot – Episode Nr.44

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• Level: Culture Shot
• Topics: culture, money
• 3 Comments

41. The Mayor’s Water (Culture Shot)

  Level: Culture Shot

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Learn Italian with LearnItalianPod. VIP Member Gloria was in Venice just a few days ago. She wrote us an incredibly nice email, where she says: “As I was walking around this marvelous city, I couldn’t help but notice a lot of billboards featuring the smiling mayor of Venice saying ‘Anch’io bevo l’acqua del Sindaco’ (I, too, drink the Mayor’s water). At first, I thought it was some kind of joke, but then my Italian friend Carlo explained to me: that’s actually the city of Venice promoting what was previously unthinkable: that Venetians should drink tap water”.

So, let’s dedicate this Culture Shot to “The Mayor’s Water” and let’s see what’s making this advertising campaign run by the city of Venice so unique! On the grammar section, we will review some of the most interesting expressions from the story giving grammar rules and extra examples. You will find a lot of useful Italian language to learn on this lesson, so let’s get right to it!

[Asking & Telling The Time - LearnItalianPod VIP Members Extra Bonus!] Login to the Learning Center to find, as a special extra bonus, an audio file and PDF transcript entitled “Asking & Telling The Time”, containing all of the most popular, must-know Italian words and sentences used when asking or telling the time – in fact, we have collected all of the sentences about time that we’ve ever published (and many more!) in a single audio file that you can take with you, listen and practice whenever and wherever you want: this is really a great resource to have and practice before taking your next trip to Italy!

Culture Shot – Episode Nr.41

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• Level: Culture Shot
• Topics: culture, verbs
• 3 Comments

40. The Fox and The Crow (Culture Shot)

  Level: Culture Shot

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Learn Italian with LearnItalianPod. Longtime VIP Member Patricia from Boston sent us a terrific email. She writes: “One of the fondest memories I have of my recent trip to Italy is the discovery of some great Italian tales written by an ancient author called Fedro. It all happened one night, by absolute chance, as I heard my Italian friend Luisa reading two fables to her children, before they went to sleep. Such a fascinating moment… and a great idea for a Culture Shot, right Jane & Massimo?”

Absolutely, Patricia! So, let’s feature a terrific, super famous, ancient Italian tale: “La Volpe e Il Corvo” (The Fox and the Crow). On the grammar section, we’ll be reviewing the hypothetical constructions, and we’ll learn and practice some more useful Italian sentences. Enjoy!

[LearnItalianPod VIP Members Extra Bonus!] Login to the Learning Center to download Audio & PDF Transcript of the super popular, “must-memorize”, regular 1st conjugation Italian verb “Parlare” (To to speak, to talk).

Culture Shot – Episode Nr.40

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• Level: Culture Shot
• Topics: culture, fables
• 2 Comments

1. Volare (Canta Che Ti Passa)

  Level: Canta Che Ti Passa

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Welcome to all of you Italian learners to the newest show on LearnItalianPod.com: “Canta Che Ti Passa”, episode #1! One of the easiest and most fun way to improve every aspect of your Italian, including pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, and expression, and at the same time to learn more about Italian culture, is through…Italian music!

So here it is, the newest LearnItalianPod show that will teach you how to dramatically improve your Italian through its most famous songs! In this first episode of the show, we start with the all time Italian classic, perhaps the most well-known Italian song ever: that is “Nel Blu Dipinto di Blu”, also known as “Volare”, sung by the great Domenico Modugno. So, let’s learn pronunciation, idiomatic expressions, cultural facts, and more about this great song! Happy singing, everyone!

[LearnItalianPod VIP Members Extra Bonus!] Login to the Learning Center to find, as a special extra bonus, lesson #1 (which includes audio file and PDF transcript) of the new mini series “How Would You Say It”. That’s a terrific way to improve your Italian and be prepared for those “real-life” situations when you need to say something in Italian but you can only think it in English. You will be amazed at how effective this new “How Would You Say It” series can be!

Canta Che Ti Passa – Episode Nr.1

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• Level: Canta Che Ti Passa
• Topics: culture, music
• 11 Comments

18. At The Galleria degli Uffizi (Upper Intermediate)

  Level: Upper Intermediate

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Learn Italian with LearnItalianPod. Episode #18 of the “Upper-Intermediate Level Series” is entitled “At The Galleria degli Uffizi” – Let’s follow Lucia and her colleague Tina, who is an architect from New York in Italy for business, as they visit the “Galleria degli Uffizi” in Florence, one of the most famous museums of paintings and sculpture in the world. We will review and practice almost everything you need to say when visiting an Italian museum – and we’re pretty sure that if you ever travel to Italy, you will definitely find this lesson super useful. Enjoy!

[Two Great Extra Bonuses for LearnItalianPod VIP Members!] Login to the Learning Center to download: – 1) an audio file and PDF transcipt containing the sixty-four (64) most popular, must-know Italian words related to art (words like trecento, quattrocento, terracotta, quadro, cupola, incisione, and so…), with definitions and the addition of blank spaces after each word instance so you can repeat it over and over. That’s the ultimate way to learn the Italian artistic vocabulary! – 2) Audio & PDF Transcript of the “must-know” irregular verb “Vedere” (To See).

Upper Intermediate – Episode Nr.18

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• Level: Upper Intermediate
• Topics: art, culture
• 2 Comments

29. The Jackpot Fever (Culture Shot)

  Level: Culture Shot

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Learn Italian with LearnItalianPod! This episode is about… winning the “SuperEnalotto jackpot” and become a legend! The SuperEnalotto is the Italian lottery, and that’s what 99% of Italians are thinking about this week as a record-breaking prize of one hundred million euros (more or less 140 million US dollars), is up for grabs! They say the fever for the game is so high in Italy that the Italian consumer rights group is demanding that the record jackpot for the popular game be seized because it is “too high”. – So, let’s learn a thing or two about this “SuperEnalotto’s Fever”, and let’s see what Italians do to “hit the jackpot” and change their lives forever!

Culture Shot – Episode Nr.29

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• Level: Culture Shot
• Topics: culture, games
• 4 Comments