#Learning Italian

[oediex]

(Languages taken from the top 10 foreign languages learned on Duolingo in 2024.)

I would like to bring your attention to two fundraisers that are near and dear to my heart.

@elhamhamdan-gaza is a young woman trying to survive in Gaza with her family. She was a top student at university until October 2023, when she and her family were displaced from their home in Khan Younis and forced to flee to Rafah. After the invasion in Rafah, they returned to their home in Khan Younis only to find it burned. They had no choice but to live in it. Elham and her family desperately need funds for blankets and clothes, because winter is here and nights in Gaza are very cold right now.

Elham's campaign is very low on funds! So far they have only been able to raise £594 and they desperately need more support. Please donate to them if you are able, and share this post and campaign with as many people as you can.

This campaign was verified by the Butterfly Effect Project (instagram) and is number 1180 on their spreadsheet, which you can access through the link on their instagram profile.

You can contribute to Elham's campaign by clicking on the link below:

Secondly, @drdarine is a young woman who is a medical student in Gaza. Despite being displaced and suffering hardships we can only imagine, Darine is continuing her studies and helping out others in the refugee camps and shelters in southern Gaza. Her family consists of seven people, one of them being my friend @dawoudi who is selflessly and unfailingly helping many other families in Gaza by verifying their fundraisers and promoting them on Tumblr. Everyday I see more campaigns added that he has verified, providing an important service to the many families in Gaza that need our help.

Darine's family has been fundraising since February, which is almost ten months! Despite that, they have only been able to raise $5,765, 19% of their goal. Progress on their campaign is extremely slow, often needing to wait multiple days for another donation to come in. We can do better than that.

This campaign was vetted by @gazavetters, and is number 15 on their spreadsheet, which you can find in the pinned post on their profile.

You can contribute to Darine's campaign by clicking on the link below:

Please support these fundraisers! Thank you!

Tagging for reach, let me know if you want me not to tag you in the future

@commissions4aid-international @funds4gaza @a-shade-of-blue @dlxxv-vetted-donations @kyra45-helping-others

@northgazaupdates2 @bilal-salah0 @imjustheretotrytohelp @devilofthepit @ankle-beez

@lukewarm-lesbian @wellwaterhysteria @appsa @qattdraws @laughteronsilverwings

@felixander-official @nabulsi @mukkie @oursapphirestars @fruitwoodmac

@comrademango @sunflowersmoths @mindchalice @battleteacake @girlinafairytale

[learningitaliano]

Guys, what are the most embarassing mistakes you have made while learning Italian (or any other language)? So far I have:

- confused "scroprire" (to discover) with "scopare" (to fuck) and said something like "I can't wait to fuck Italy"

- confused "pisolino" (nap) with "pisellino" (dick) and said something like "I really need a dick"

- thought "eccitata" (horny) meant excited and said that I was very horny because I'll visit Italy soon

And those are only the ones I know about ��� Please tell me I'm not the only one who embarasses herself like this?! 🙈😂

[h0neytalk]

Italian Audio/Books/Videos Masterlist

Now that I’m at the upper A2/lower B1 level for Italian, I figured I’d compile a quick list of where I’ve found the best stuff to read and listen to.

E-Books and Audiobooks

Kobo Rakuten Italia — where I buy my ebooks. You can read them online, in the app, or download them and [redacted] to export them elsewhere. Has a monthly unlimited subscription that functions like a combo Kindle/Audible subscription.

Storytel — monthly subscription for unlimited access to audiobooks.

YouTube

Learn Italian With Lucrezia — truly the savior of anyone learning Italian. My favorite videos are her Q&As, vlogs, and “n basic phrases you need to know.” I don’t get much out of her grammar explainer videos but that’s because of who I am as a person.

NovaLectio — commentary style mini documentaries. I export them to LingQ to read before watching and it helps me parse what’s going on. Also, they upload some videos dubbed in English so you can watch both.

Vogue Italia — celebrity interviews and fashion content. About 50/50 Italian and English but obviously high production value.

ArtandtheCities — criminally underrated channel imo. 10-15 minute art history/industry videos by an art historian. Super interesting, she’s easy to understand, and has captions.

Chef Max Mariola — utter chaos but fun. A Roman chef cooking various dishes, sometimes with a guest. Gives very “your uncle is hosting Thanksgiving and forgot until yesterday” vibes but in the best way.

TV/Movies/Documentaries

RaiPlay (free!) — Italian version of PBS. Lots of documentaries and some kind of goofy soap operas/narrative shows. You can also watch live TV.

Podcasts and Radio

RaiPlay Sound — basically NPR. Also free! You can find podcasts, live radio stations, audiobooks, and even audio descriptions of movies and TV shows.

Articles

Formula 1 Italia — Formula 1 news. I’m a big Ferrari fan but they cover a lot of news/current events (as long as they can connect it to a driver). The writing is short and to the point so it’s easy to parse for beginners. And honestly the drama is better than a lot of TV shows.

Stile Arte — long, more complex articles about art and archaeology. Cannot recommend it enough if you have an interest in any of those things. There are some straightforward history articles at the B1/B2 level, and also some more creative essays that push C1.

Corriere della Sera — daily news site. I started reading the news only in Italian to keep me from doom scrolling because America is terrifying. This is just the site I have ended up using a lot. Mostly because it’s easy to navigate and they have a ton of content.

[dustypinetree]

POV: You're learning Italian at 24 years old

(aiutamiiiiii)

Ft Dustydroid and @shrimperini's Shrimpdroid <3

[unearthitaly]

Masterpost about Italian Culture

[I have already posted it on the SayItaliano Community, but I am publishing it in my account as well.]

I took advantage of a pause from work to go through all my past entries here on the platform and I've decided to make 2/3 masterposts that might be useful if you're looking into Italian culture/language/tourism.

Here you are a masterpost about ITALIAN CULTURE, broken into different topics. Enjoy!

ITALIAN HISTORY

Italian Republic Day ;

Italian "Day of the Faith" ;

Pompeii and Herculaneum: How they ended up buried by the Vesuvius [+ Resources for studying and visiting];

The Holy Shroud of Turin;

The executioner;

The history of Vespa;

Dubbing in Italy;

Italian Iconic Pictures.

ITALIAN MUSIC

Spotify Playlist with 30 tunes Italians consider great classics;

Lyrics of “La Guerra di Piero”, the Italian “Blowin’ in the Wind” ( + Translation )

EATING IN ITALY

Are Italians food-nazis? [WordPress];

Etiquette in Restaurants in Italy;

Is the “11 am Rule” Concerning Italian Cappuccino Real?

Pizza Margherita;

Italian Bread;

Rice in Italy;

Chocolate in Italy;

Neapolitan Street Food: 6 Snacks you should try;

Desserts from the Campania region;

Biscuits from the Liguria region;

Desserts from South Tyrol, Italy;

Italian Amaretti Cookies;

Mussels in Italian language and culture;

Pumpkin in Italian Culture and Language.

ITALIAN MENTALITY

Understanding the Italians: traits and peculiarities [wordpress];

4 Popular Stereotypes that Annoy Italians;

Love-hate relationship Italians have with Italy;

Italian Culture: Sacred and Profane;

What's campanilismo?

Doors in Italy.

ITALIAN CUSTOMS AND LIFESTYLE

How to dress like an Italian [wordpress];

Most Common Carnival "Pranks" in Italy.

If you have questions about these topics or also concerning other things, my ask box is open :)

Hi! I’m Sara, unearthitaly on tumblr! I have a formal education in cultural and linguistic mediation and I work in the hotels in one of Italy's most developed tourist destinations, Alto Adige/South Tyrol. I embody some sort of "bridge" between Italian and other cultures professionally but also vocationally. I like to help Italophiles discover Italy beyond the obvious and I share tips on travel, culture, lifestyle and language.

You can also find me on my blog, Instagram and Threads. A presto!

[the-0ther-mother]

25/100 days of productivity

Tuesday, 15 October, 2024

Today was mostly the result of me being sleep deprived. I was just sooo sleepy the whole day.

🪐 went to my Microeconomics lecture

🪐 went to the library

Honestly, the desire to wear cute autumnal outfits is the only thing getting me out of my bed and carrying me through the day these days.

🪐 finished my notes for microeconomics ch. 2

🪐 finished my notes for calculus ch.1.2

🪐 finished my notes for calculus ch.1.3

So, this week will be spent catching up on my last week's material and all the homework. It's a lot but I'll manage. I'm really excited about my micro notes though. I'm going to print them out tomorrow. They'll be very useful.

I've missed two days of my Italian lesson on Duolingo though :(

Breathe in and out. Don't lose track of the big picture.

Arrivederci <3

[virromanus]

20 Latin Phrases And Their Italian Equivalents Still In Use Today

Latin: "Carpe Diem" - Seize the day. Italian: "Cogli l'attimo" - Catch the moment.

Latin: "Veni, Vidi, Vici" - I came, I saw, I conquered. Italian: "Venni, Vidi, Vinsi" - I came, I saw, I won.

Latin: "In vino veritas" - In wine, there is truth. Italian: "Nel vino c'è la verità" - In wine, there is truth.

Latin: "Aqua vitae" - Water of life. Italian: "Acqua della vita" - Water of life.

Latin: "Caveat Emptor" - Let the buyer beware. Italian: "Acquirente, attento" - Buyer, be careful.

Latin: "Homo Sapiens" - Wise man. Italian: "Uomo sapiente" - Wise man.

Latin: "Ad Astra" - To the stars. Italian: "Verso le stelle" - Towards the stars.

Latin: "Ars longa, vita brevis" - Art is long, life is short. Italian: "L'arte è lunga, la vita è breve" - Art is long, life is short.

Latin: "Tempus fugit" - Time flies. Italian: "Il tempo vola" - Time flies.

Latin: "Amor Vincit Omnia" - Love conquers all. Italian: "L'amore vince tutto" - Love wins everything.

Latin: "Memento Mori" - Remember that you must die. Italian: "Ricorda che devi morire" - Remember that you have to die.

Latin: "Alea iacta est" - The die is cast. Italian: "Il dado è tratto" - The die is cast.

Latin: "Verbatim" - Word for word. Italian: "Parola per parola" - Word for word.

Latin: "Vox Populi" - Voice of the people. Italian: "Voce del popolo" - Voice of the people.

Latin: "Mea Culpa" - My fault. Italian: "Colpa mia" - My fault.

Latin: "Tabula Rasa" - Clean slate. Italian: "Tavola rasata" - Clean slate.

Latin: "Non sequitur" - It does not follow. Italian: "Non segue" - It doesn't follow.

Latin: "Per se" - By itself. Italian: "Di per sé" - By itself.

Latin: "Status Quo" - The existing state. Italian: "Stato Quo" - The existing state.

Latin: "De facto" - In fact, in reality. Italian: "Di fatto" - In fact.

[babooshkaa]

ways to make duolingo useful

1. jump units

in the new "tree" all the new vocabulary is in the first lesson, then duolingo makes you study it for like a week if you're lucky, so if you're confident you've learnt all the new words just jump to the next unit (I also find myself remembering my mistakes better if I make them while trying to jump than when I make them in regular lessons)

❗after jumping always come back to the stories you missed, they're like the most useful thing there is in the app

2. use other resources

I know this is a post about duolingo, but people, mostly beginners, seem to think that they only need duolingo to become fluent. my mom has a 700 days strike and she still can't keep a simple conversation in english or understand an episode of fucking teletubbies, that should tell you everything. read content for beginners, watch youtube videos, tv-shows, use other apps, I promise the owl won't kill you for it

3. stop when it starts slowing you down

trust me you don't need to use duolingo when you're intermediate, it's just not worth it. leave it for the days you can't study properly and want to do at least something

[vempress]

been practicing italian like a madman lately and i feel like i’m starting to understand the words a little better. just wanted to share my technique that i am currently using. mainly so that i wont forget it when i wake up tomorrow haha.

i pick an italian video, i personally like easy italian (because their videos are fun and have subtitles) and then i write down everything they say in a document on the computer. using my script i then play the video a couple times and read along.

at this point i’m pretty familiar with the words, but i look up the “new” or interesting words that i am either curious about or just find useful. i write the words or phrases down in my notebook and practice them. afterwards i reread the script along with the video again.

[thementallyillapollochild]

Duolingo fired half it's workers for ai and I'm trying to find a new app but babbel isn't free and everything else also uses ai so I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations of apps or anything

I would ask my mom if I can learn Italian with an actual language teacher but we can't really do that with our current situation 🫠🫠🫠🫠

[fancy-strawberry-beard]

Just wanted to check something out...

My aim is to create a relaxed and informal space that encourages experimenting and having fun.

Also a place for you to learn about our history, cousine and culture!

[hoe-hara]

sorry to bother and put that in tags that probably don't suit the post but I would to know if anyone know if the city of Pellezano speak Italian or a dialect ? My grandparents came from here and I want to learn the language but I know so little about it.

If anyone can help me thank you so much

[learningitaliano]

Salve:) do you have any Italian YouTube commentary channels (or any channels of commentary isn’t your thing) where they don’t speak super fast? I want to get used to how the language sounds ~

Salve :) I don't know any commentary channels (maybe @sayitaliano can help? Or anyone else who reads this - feel free to add your suggestions), but here are some other channels that are easy to understand as a beginner:

- italiano con Lucrezia (has vlogs, grammar explanations, book recommendations, vocabulary, etc)

- italiano con amore (talks about italian culture, recipes, language learning advice etc)

- podcast italiano (italian language and culture, the difficulty varies (I think they are sorted by level? At least on the podcastitaliano homepage they are), but he generally speaks pretty slowly and clearly

- Easy Italian (this is great for hearing different people speak: it's short videos of street interviews about a range of topics, with simultaneous subtitles in English and Italian).

Those are the ones I watched a lot in the beginning. I hope you find something you like! Italian is truly a beautiful language, enjoy your journey with it! :)

[perseusnot]

hii, my name is mel, i’m currently learning italian🇮🇹and looking for some italian friends (that sounds kind of weird ahaha) that could maybe help me in my journey, in exchange I can help with english or latvian if you’d like :)

here’s a bit about me:

• a small list of fandoms I am in - marauders, asoiaf, voltron, percy jackson, dune, etc.

• I like playing video games (assassin’s creed, minecraft, red dead redemption, terraria, hades)

• I watch movies and read books every so often

• I’m fluent in 2 languages and am currently learning 2

• nico di angelo and regulus black🙏🙏

(p.s. you don’t have to be italian to be friends!!! very happy to also make non-italian speaking friends:))

[rotzaprachim]

I find the dialect issue really interesting in Italian, like it’s been a hot second since I studied it (don’t want to get it mixed up with Spanish etc) but I used to be faaaairly profficient-ish. But Italian has some interesting stuff with dialect and language that is of course super political - absolutely I believe that the minority languages of Italy are LANGUAGES, not “dialects,” eg napolitano, Sicilian, Calabrian etc. However! That doesn’t stop the complicating factors that

a) many are (due to repression in part) somewhat unstable and there’s been clear linguistic pushes in the direction of standard Italian

b) many (not all) young people don’t speak their regional language (which is also geographically associated)

c) the minority languages are for the most part still related to Italian and lend easily to blending and mixed forms

d) the standard language in Italian classes for foreigners is that florentine standardized form and they will almost never tell you regional slang or alterations

in essence there’s a dual issue here: minority languages are called “dialects” in a way that is deeply politically loaded, but for many many speakers there is a kind of language spectrum between minority languages (or remnants and borrowings from minority languages and “standard” Italian) that created a lot of…. Actual dialects in modern spoken Italian

but anyway I do think this all encourages a situation where the reality is that the majority of Italian speakers have some kind of mixed form or where regional dialects affect the standard spoken form at LOT , so that when you learn Italian you’re like oh this is easy. I’m getting an a. I’m a b2. Why the fuck can I not understand anyone ever. What is this. Like the standard form/minority language binary are kind of two ends of a spectrum and class will prepare you for like, official tv channels and Dante but not talking. Italians can understand you and they tend to be very very friendly and accommodating in matching that official form and altering their words/grammar, but you can’t easily follow a lot of *their* conversations and daily pronunciation and the literary language is very ornate. There are also not so many resources for this kind of thing