LearnItalianPod

23. I Want, I Can, I Must! (5 Minutes A Day)

 June 13th, 2010

• PDF Transcript - Dialogue - Expansion - Glossary - Quiz

Learn Italian with LearnItalianPod.com - We have said several times how important it is to learn and practice verbs and it is a known fact that your knowledge of verbs will truly determine your real level of Italian language.

So today, let’s have fun by learning and practicing three super important Italian verbs together with a lot of useful, ready-to-use sentences and expressions. - The three verbs are the so-called “modal verbs” or “helping verbs”: volere (to want), potere (can), and dovere (must, to have to). - These verbs have different meanings when used in different tenses and you absolutely must know how to properly use them in order to be able to understand and speak “la bella lingua”… so, let’s get to work!

[How Would You Say It: The Days of The Week - 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: The Days of The Week“, a terrific way to test and improve your knowledge of Italian by translating words and sentences on the fly.

5 Minutes A Day - Episode #23

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• Difficulty Level 5 Minutes A Day
• Topics: expressions, verbs
• 1 Comment

15. To Stay or To Be: That is The Question (5 Min. A Day)

 April 11th, 2010

• PDF Transcript - Dialogue - Expansion - Glossary - Quiz

Learn Italian with LearnItalianPod.com - Learn Italian with LearnItalianPod.com - Episode #15 of LearnItalianPod “5 Minutes A Day” lesson series is now live! This one is entitled “To Stay or To Be: That Is The Question”. Several LearnItalianPod VIP Members have requested that we explained why and when the verb “stare” (to stay) is used versus the verb “essere” (to be). Although both “essere” and “stare” mean “to be”, they are not interchangeable, and this can create a bit of confusion to students of Italian. — So, let’s shed some light on these two verbs and let’s try, once and for all, to answer the question: “To Stay or To Be?”. Enjoy!

[How Would You Say It: In The Park - 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: In The Park“, a terrific way to test and improve your knowledge of Italian by translating sentences on the fly. Practice this, and get ready for a walk in the (Italian) park!

5 Minutes A Day - Episode #15

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• Difficulty Level 5 Minutes A Day
• Topics: expressions, verbs
• No Comments

14. The Omnipresent Verb “Fare” (5 Minutes A Day)

 April 4th, 2010

• PDF Transcript - Dialogue - Expansion - Glossary - Quiz

Learn Italian with LearnItalianPod.com - Episode #14 of LearnItalianPod “5 Minutes A Day” lesson series is now live! This one is entitled “The Omnipresent Verb ‘Fare’”. VIP Member Matteo from San Francisco, California sent us some great feedback. He says: “I love learning Italian. He’s such a musical language, and you can get caught up in that music!”

- Then he adds: “I’ve recently spent one entire month in Italy, and one of the things I’ve noticed is how much Italians use the verb ‘fare’ (to do, to make), and how many Italian idiomatic expressions use this verb, where English use other verbs. I think that a lesson about this verb is in order, Jane & Massimo… do you agree?”

We do, Matteo, thank you! So, let’s learn and practice the important verb “fare” together with a lot of useful, ready-to-use idiomatic expressions. Enjoy!

[How Would You Say It: Going Out - 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: Going Out“, a terrific way to test and improve your knowledge of Italian by translating sentences on the fly. Practice this… and get ready to party!

5 Minutes A Day - Episode #14

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• Difficulty Level 5 Minutes A Day
• Topics: expressions, verbs
• 2 Comments

10. Che Bella Figura! (5 Minutes A Day)

 March 7th, 2010

• PDF Transcript - Dialogue - Expansion - Glossary - Quiz

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

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• Difficulty Level 5 Minutes A Day
• Topics: culture, verbs
• 1 Comment

6. The Top Ten Italian Verbs (5 Minutes A Day)

 January 31st, 2010

• PDF Transcript - Dialogue - Expansion - Glossary - Quiz

Learn Italian with LearnItalianPod.com - Episode #6 of LearnItalianPod “5 Minutes A Day” lesson series is now live! This one is entitled “The Top Ten Italian Verbs”. Anyone learning Italian will soon discover how important it is to learn and practice verbs - in fact, your knowledge of Italian verbs will truly determine your real level of Italian language. — Let’s have fun by learning and practicing the top 10 Italian verbs, the ones you absolutely must know in order to be able to understand and speak “la bella lingua”!

[How Would You Say It: Shopping is Fun! - 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: Shopping is Fun!“, a terrific way to test and improve your knowledge of Italian by translating sentences on the fly. Let’s practice lots of great sentences you can use when shopping (and bargaining for a discount) in Italy.

5 Minutes A Day - Episode #6

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• Difficulty Level 5 Minutes A Day
• Topics: verbs
• 2 Comments

48. Hurrah for The Lantern (Culture Shot)

 November 8th, 2009

• PDF Transcript - Dialogue - Expansion - Glossary - Quiz

Learn Italian with LearnItalianPod. When you think about a sea-bathing establishment right on the beach, you mentally picture men, women, and children all together enjoying their time outside. Not so if you enter the sea-bathing establishment “La Lanterna” in Trieste, Italy, where men and women cannot mingle together but are in fact separated by a wall!

What’s even more incredible is that “i Triestini” (the citizens of Trieste) love their wall, and no one wants to hear about knocking it down: in fact, the sea-bathing establishment is one of the busiest establishments in the entire area. So, let’s dedicate this Culture Shot to a peculiar piece of Italian culture: “il bagno La Lanterna”. Enjoy!

[The Imperfect Subjunctive - 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 “Il Congiuntivo Imperfetto”, containing the full conjugation of the imperfect subjunctive for the verbs “essere“, “avere“, “parlare“, “vendere“, and “dormire” (one sample verb for each of the three conjugations!) - That’s really the perfect tool you need to master the Italian imperfect subjunctive!

Culture Shot - Episode Nr.48

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• Difficulty Level Culture Shot
• Topics: places, verbs
• No Comments