As I sat down to write my last post about living the lingua, I found myself weaving in my experiences about learning Italian.  So I decided to regale you with my language learning experiences separately here and also provide some resources that I found helpful.

Living on an island off the coast of Maine, there were few opportunities to learn the Italian lingua. I was at a party at my friend’s house when some other friends mentioned they were thinking of taking Italian classes with Mr Language- about 45 minutes away.  Mr Language turned out to be Wayne Smith, a polyglot who knows over 20 languages and had extensive teaching experience.

I have to say it was with some trepidation that I decided learn a new language at my age.  I was taught French in high school for 2 years and had to reach an advanced level in the language at my college.  I was never successful in speaking French adequately but could read it well enough. Too well as it turned out, for my placement test for my college class put me in the advanced level.   As that meant I only had to take one year of the language, I was elated but there was that nagging voice that said -” you are over your head in this one”. And I knew I was in trouble when our professor, fresh “off the boat”  walked in speaking fluent French and reading the NY Times to learn English. I was terrified of conversing in French in my college class and would hide behind a pillar in the classroom, praying he would not call on me. It did not work. After I survived that class, I made a vow to never to take another language course in my life.

But then I went to Italy and the lure of the people and the culture left me hopeful that my past experiences would not be repeated and with the carrot of living in Italy dangling as my incentive and ultimate goal I started on this path.

Wayne is an excellent linguist and was very precise on proper language structure.  Also, because of his knowledge he was able to explain why words and structures were used in certain instances and how they were derived so I was able to relate to it. Without the strong foundation he provided, along with a great sense of humor and the camaraderie of my friends and fellow students I would not have advanced in my learning. I recount this as I feel this is important in learning a language at a later age, especially if you are working and may have a family or other responsibilities you do not have when learning as a student. Case in point was the word I referred to in Part I– chiacchierare- to chat.  Well every time it was my turn to read the lesson with this word in it, I just could not get it out right and the more I tried the more I laughed along with my friends.  I finally said I would never ask anyone to chat when I was in Italy. (They just ask me!)

Language learning tools

As I mentioned in my last post, I listened to audio lessons, mostly in my car, that tuned my ear to the rhythm of the language along with basic conversations.  I have since used these Pimsleur recordings for advanced learning as well. I highly recommend them for anyone who is contemplating embarking on learning a new language or traveling to another country.  Their basic conversational skills provide a boost of confidence.

I realized I needed more than the weekly class to keep me engaged in learning, so after much research, I purchased Fluenz for Italian.  I looked at Rosetta Stone and others but Wayne had told us that you learn much differently as an adult than you do as a child and Fluenz’s methodology embraced this.  I also liked that I could take a trial lesson online and that sold me.  I purchased the first 2 levels and as they added more so did I.  They also developed a great online flashcards program for reinforcement of each lesson and now the program is adapted for mobile devices along with a cloud-based product.

During my initial learning I also received daily emails from Learn with Oliver that I could tailor to my learning level.  This is a free service though you can upgrade and expand to audio support as well.  I still get these as they provide great examples of how phrases are turned in Italian.

I use several other language apps on my mobile devices.  Babbel is available on your computer and mobile devices and I have invested in an annual subscription.  They provide all levels of courses, including focused grammar, listening and speaking  as well as writing exercises. Culture, traditions, idioms and many other areas such as food, clothes, and transportation are among the many lessons. Babbel provides you with exercises that allow you to listen, learn and repeat.  For reinforcing such areas as verb tenses or listening to conversations, it is my go to course whenever I have 15- 30 minutes free time.  As you can download the lessons to your mobile device I often use these while traveling on the train here.

The other two apps I used initially were Accela Study and Italian Flash cards by Declan.  Both of these I used on my iPhone and were great at building my vocabulary.

And yes, learning a language is an investment in time and money.  In addition to the apps mentioned,  I also purchased exercise books and dictionaries.  But you must put aside time each day to immerse yourself in the language skills or what you have learned will be quickly lost.

CIDEB Books with audio

After my first trip to Bologna and the conclusion of my lessons with Wayne, I struggled to keep current with my Italian conversational skills. Andrea Quarantotto, my professor from Bologna Lingua, recommended that I listen to Italian as often as I could and suggested these mystery books by CIDEB with CD’s geared to your learning level.  These short stories have exercises for each chapter. They make great traveling companions.  I also would find videos on YouTube, listen to Italian radio and tripped over Yabla with videos and Italian TV shows broken into short segments complete with vocabulary reviews.  This is a subscription based service.

And recently I discovered Learn Italian with Lucretia, a delightful young woman from Rome who has great videos on learning the nuances of Italian and snippets of Italian life. Her well-modulated speech allows you to easily follow her conversations, often peppered with English or prompts.

Langauge classes- Bologna Lingua

As I made my plans for my trip here I once again looked at schools in Bologna and contemplated taking evening classes but for all the same reasons as the first time, I elected to take 2 weeks of lessons with Andrea  again at Bologna Lingua.  My biggest concern was taking a class with young students with whom I had nothing in common and were there to advance their skills for a university course or job.

Andrea has this wonderful way of making you feel at ease from the first moment you meet him. And the one-one allows me the freedom to make mistakes and receive immediate feedback.

I asked Andrea how he became a teacher and he told me he studied French and English in college with the intent of teaching but opportunities were not waiting for him upon graduation so he became a translator for a large company. But he kept his hand in teaching Italian through other schools as well as helping to establish one. When the opportunity arose for early retirement he decided to open his own school in his home. His students come from all over but the Netherlands sends a great share seeking to learn. Most people who take his classes are people like me, learning Italian later in life for travel or perhaps tracing their heritage.  Andrea has a quiet style that is non-threatening to timid learners. But he has a great sense of humor that has afforded me many laughs and lasting memories. His keen ability to quickly assess your skill level and then tailor conversations and exercises to strengthen them is what insures that you have a fulfilling experience.

With Andrea in Lake Garda- 2015

Some days you may have lunch with him and his family and engage in multiple conversations. Often when I would arrive in the morning for lessons, we would sit and chat over a cappuccino, talking about what I did the night before or how to shop in the local markets.  This happens in such a relaxing environment that you forget you are actually learning. You can also opt to take  excursions to local towns that provide not only the history and culture of the region but also memorable conversational experiences.

But nothing beats daily conversations in any language in its native environment where all day you hear and see the language and your ability to thrive is dependent on how well you can comprehend. Though I think there are people who can learn languages more easily than others.  From my encounters, it would seem that left- brain folks, especially those who are great with programming, math and music more readily adapt to language learning.  It could be that they don’t struggle as much with the grammar as they are more adept at discerning patterns and structures. And me, I am a right- brain type of person.

I also believe if you have a job in a foreign country you have more opportunities to engage in conversations and are challenged to think and respond more often than someone like myself, who is retired. I guess when I return to Italy I should enroll in a cooking course or similar where I can have a practical application of language skills. Some of my friends have recommended an Italian lover, though I would probably find one who wants to learn and speak only English!  But seriously I have noticed a number of the American expat bloggers have an Italian in their lives. Hmmm.