Jump to content
Linguaholic

Italian trouble. Mamma mia!


buongiornopasta

Recommended Posts

Note: this is my first post and quite a long one at that, so please bear with me. 

(This, by the way, isn't the first time I tried learning another language. There was Spanish and French, too, but I eventually gave them up because of lack of dedication.)

I started learning Italian when I borrowed the Pimsleur Italian Course 1A from the public library. (Well, not exactly, I tried it on Duolingo before but stopped.) However, it was around the 7th "session" that I decided to take it seriously. I downloaded several apps, subscribed to tons of podcasts, and chose various sites. (This may or may not be a good idea.)

For the apps: I don't think I'm a fan of Duolingo's and Memrise's techniques. It feels dull and just memorizing a bunch of different words. I think that Busuu and Mindsnacks would've been fun and effective if it wasn't so limited to non-premium members. After, I forget most of the words I was introduced to. Not really forget it, more like, I know what it means and I'm familiar with it but I wouldn't recall it easily. 

Podcasts: I really like 30 Minute Italian, Coffee Break Italian, and Learn Italian Pod. I like the idea of News in Slow Italian (Beginners), but it can get really confusing. 

Sites: I haven't tried any of them, since after all these, I feel like I can't handle any more information. 

I would really like to try sites like iTalki, but I get very anxious when it comes to Skype. 

Since my native language and Italian are kind of alike, I thought that learning it would be easy. It's not. The grammar really confuses me, especially whenever the word changes depending on who you're talking to. 

I don't know what I should do next. Maybe I should just stop? I've heard horror stories about there being people who are just not fit for learning languages.

Or on a less pessimistic note, drop some apps, podcasts, and sites and focus on the remaining ones? 

I've tried searching for Italian lessons near me but they're too far. And, again, I get too anxious when it comes to Skyping or any kind of video chatting. Also, Italian isn't a widely spoken language here and I don't know anyone who speaks it, so I can't really practice with anyone. 

I've been doing these things every day, which is a huge pat-on-the-back for me, since I get lazy and rarely stick to my goal. So there's that. 

Any advice? Native speakers of Italian or those who learned Italian? I'm stuck and I don't know what to do. 

Thanks. (Or...grazie!)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Study With Us on Discord for FREE!

I would really like to try sites like iTalki, but I get very anxious when it comes to Skype. 

 

You have to overcome this in order to succeed in life in general. You know, anxiety is a terrible thing. Your fear is purely irrational. There's nothing to fear when it comes to using Skype or another similar service.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Hi, buongiornopasta. We all know at least one language, so why shouldn't we be able to learn another? I think you might be overloading your brain with information, with all those podcasts and apps. Especially since you say you study every day. Normally that would be a good thing (a very good thing), but in your case I really think you're trying to handle too much information all at once and it's having the opposite effect. Keep studying every day but try focusing on fewer things, maybe just a book and your favourite podcast.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...