amoredise

It's a challenge to stay focused sometimes, there is so much going on to distract us. But, keep coming back. If you lose your motivation for a day, a week or a month, just bring yourself back. Remind yourself of why you wanted to learn this new language in the first place. Hang a photo of the country or something that reminds you of the language where you can see it daily. Don't beat yourself up if you fall behind on your goal, just keep coming back!

I don't have a lot of money to spend on learning a foreign language. So, I utilize free apps, i.e. Duolingo, I go to second-hand book stores and find deals on audio books in Italian, CDs and children's books to read in Italian. If money were no object, I would fly to Italy and live there to immerse myself in the language. I would connect with other Italians who want to learn English and meet for wine and practice conversational Italian. :grin:

Are you looking for a podcast in Italian or are you looking for an instructional podcast on learning Italian?

A suggestion is "Prima di dire addio" written by Giulia Beyman. Some say it is much easier than the classics "Pinocchio" and "Cuore". You may want to consider Silvia Avallone's contemporary novel, "Acciaio".

I'm learning Italian so that I can talk to my grandmother in her native tongue. She was born in Italy and moved to America on her own. She is the only family member to leave Italy. She met my grandfather, fell in love and moved to Santa Barbara, CA. She speaks perfect English but I know how much our Italian heritage means to her and I know she misses her family. I want to surprise her this Christmas with a little conversational Italian!

Consider learning a new language, an ongoing process. In my experience the more you put it, the more you'll get in return. Give yourself 15 minutes everyday for a couple of months and see how much you've learned. After you evaluate your progress, you can determine if you need more time each day for practice. Be patient with yourself and have fun!

Well, we all have accents right? I have a valley girl, California accent and when I talk with my Italian side of the family, they laugh at me. My accent sounds funny to them. I think their accent is beautiful and would love to have their accent. But, yes my accent is very obvious to them.

The top 5 languages that I want to learn are: 1. fluent Italian: I know some but would like to be fluent. 2. fluent Spanish: same as above 3. French: Such a romantic and sexy language. 4. Russian 5. Laotian

I have not tried learning a fictional language yet. I am a pretty big Lord of the The Rings fan and I would like to learn Elvish, in specifics Quenya. But they seem very complex languages to learn. The script is beautiful calligraphy and I would start with writing it, then learning to speak it.

For me, I learn best when interacting with another person. I've used Duolingo, audio CDs and software to help me learn Italian, but I don't retain the language as well as when I learn in conversation with another person.

My interest in learning Italian stems from my family. My grandmother is Italian and it has been a goal of mine to hold a conversation with her in her native tongue.

If you have a foundation knowledge of the language i.e. can read some, know the basic words, immersion is a great next step! When you get there, find a local who wants to learn English. You could share some wine and learn from each other!

I started using the duolingo app six (6) months ago. I like the user friendly interface and the fast loading time. I like the multi media approach to learning, but I feel I'm at my best when using the app. If I try and retrieve the new words that I learned the night before using duolingo, I can't find them. My brain is dependent upon duolingo for the words. Are others experiencing this?