LearnItalianPod

Our friends Jim and Carla were in Naples, Italy, a few days ago, just at the right time to witness one of the most important days in the life of this beautiful city: the day of the San Gennaro Feast. Every year, on September 19, thousands of devotees crowd into the “Duomo di Napoli” (Naples Cathedral), to witness the miracle of the liquefaction of the blood of their protector and patron saint, San Gennaro. Let’s celebrate this traditional day of faith and prayers, which holds a special place in the hearts of Italian people everywhere. — Then as usual, after listening to the story, take the “7 Question Challenge” to test your comprehension, speaking, and grammar skills. Enjoy! [VIP Members Only Extra Bonus – Back To Basics: The Verb “Dire” [To Say, To Tell]] Login to the Learning Center to download, as a special extra bonus, a useful audio file and PDF transcript entitled “Back To Basics: The Verb ‘Dire’ [To Say, To Tell]”, containing the “must-memorize” verb “Dire” (To Say, To Tell), conjugated in the present, past, future, conditional, and subjunctive tenses, with the addition of blank spaces after each verb instance so you can practice your pronunciation over and over! Listen Up & Learn – Episode #37

Our friend and VIP Member Cathyanne says she’s going to Italy to see her friends and to perfect her Italian. “Once in Italy”, she says, “I will rent a violin, I will play it in some orchestras, and I will give lessons”. – Then she asks if we can dedicate a LearnItalianPod episode to what, in her opinion, is the most important thing ever made in Italy: the violin! – You asked, we listened. Let’s dedicate this lesson to an Italian music legend who has been called “the very first rock star” of history, the great “devil’s violinist” Niccolo’ Paganini. – Then as usual, after listening to the dialogue, take the “7 Question Challenge” to test your comprehension, speaking, and grammar skills. Enjoy! [VIP Members Only Extra Bonus – Back To Basics: The Verb “Mangiare” [To Eat]] Login to the Learning Center to download, as a special extra bonus, a useful audio file and PDF transcript entitled “Back To Basics: The Verb ‘Mangiare’ [To Eat]”, containing the “must-memorize” verb “Mangiare” (To Eat), conjugated in the present, past, future, conditional, and subjunctive tenses, with the addition of blank spaces after each verb instance so you can practice your pronunciation over and over! Listen Up & Learn – Episode #36

Alexandra, a longtime friend and VIP Member, who a couple of years ago left everything behind to fulfill her lifetime dream of living in Italy, sent us a terrific email. Recently, she felt that she needed a new hairstyle, so she clipped a photo from a magazine with the hairstyle she’d like to have, went to a beauty salon, and announced: “This is the way I want my hair to look. Let’s do it!” – Wow, talking about being decisive, Alexandra! So, let’s hear Alexandra’s story (almost) as it happened and let’s learn a lot of useful “ready-to-use” Italian words and sentences that will greatly improve your knowledge of Italian. – Then as usual, after listening to the dialogue, take the “7 Question Challenge” to test your comprehension, speaking, and grammar skills. Enjoy! [VIP Members Only Extra Bonus – Back To Basics: The Parts of the Body] Login to the Learning Center to download, as a special extra bonus, a useful audio file and PDF transcript entitled “Back To Basics: The Parts of the Body”, containing all of the “must-know” parts of the human body in Italian – and, as an added value, the PDF transcript contains a chart with a drawing of the human body which will allow you to see each body part while you listen to its name, so you can learn faster! Listen Up & Learn – Episode #35

Longtime VIP Member Alice sent us a great email from Rome, Italy. She was in a bus a few days ago when “il controllore” (the ticket controller) jumped in and started checking tickets. – “What followed,” – she says – “can only be described as comedy at its very best. There was this woman without a ticket, and she would say anything in order not to get a fine. – I know the fact itself isn’t funny at all, but the tone of the conversation made me feel like I was in a sitcom!” So, let’s pay a tribute to “real-life Italian comedy”, as Alice defines it, by listening to a conversation between a woman caught without the ticket on a bus and the ticket controller”. – Then as usual, after listening to the dialogue, take the “7 Question Challenge” to test your comprehension, speaking, and grammar skills. Enjoy! [VIP Members Only Extra Bonus – How Would You Say It: Taking The Train] 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: Taking The Train“, a terrific way to test and improve your knowledge of Italian by translating English sentences into Italian on the fly. Practice this, and get ready to catch the (Italian) train! Listen Up & Learn – Episode #34

Episode #33 of the fun-to-practice and extra-useful “Listen Up & Learn” lesson series is entitled “How Would You Like Your Sandwich?” -Ask any Italian what their favorite snack is and chances are very good that you will hear the words “panino imbottito” (literally “small stuffed bread”), the all-Italian version of a tasty sandwich. – Today, let’s celebrate good food by following our friend Elena as she’s ordering a delicious made-to-order all-Italian “panino imbottito”. – Then as usual, after listening to the dialogue, take the “7 Question Challenge” to test your comprehension, speaking, and grammar skills. Enjoy! [VIP Members Only Extra Bonus – How Would You Say It: I Need Help] 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: I Need Help!“, a terrific way to test and improve your knowledge of Italian by translating English sentences into Italian on the fly. Practice this, and learn how to deal with all kind of emergencies (even if we certainly wish you’ll never have to use it). Listen Up & Learn – Episode #33

Episode #32 of the fun-to-practice and extra-useful “Listen Up & Learn” lesson series is entitled “Come Fly With Me” – Summer is in full swing in Italy and summer time usually means a more relaxed traveling and the opportunity to fully recharge one’s body, mind and spirit. – Let’s follow our Italian friend Giovanni as he visits his travel agent to book a trip to a wonderful foreign destination. – Then as usual, after listening to the dialogue, take the “7 Question Challenge” to test your comprehension, speaking, and grammar skills. By studying and practicing today’s dialogue, you will learn a lot of useful words and sentences that you will definitely use if you ever travel to Italy. Enjoy! [VIP Members Only Extra Bonus – How Would You Say It: At The Hotel] 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: At The Hotel“, a terrific way to test and improve your knowledge of Italian by translating English sentences into Italian on the fly. Practice this, and make your next check-in to the Italian hotel a breeze! Listen Up & Learn – Episode #32

Episode #31 of the fun-to-practice and extra-useful “Listen Up & Learn” lesson series is entitled “Haven’t We Met Before?” – The “haven’t-we-met-before” pick up line is possibly one of the most conventional and cheesiest ways a man can use to approach a woman he likes. Our friend Antonio doesn’t care to sound cheesy and, to add insult to injury, he even calls the woman he’s talking to with the wrong name. Not good, Antonio, not good. — Will our friend be able to clean up the mess and get a date going? Just listen to today’s dialogue to find out. – Then as usual, after listening to the conversation, take the “7 Question Challenge” to test your comprehension, speaking, and grammar skills. Enjoy! [VIP Members Only Extra Bonus – How Would You Say It: At The Restaurant] 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: At The Restaurant“, a terrific way to test and improve your knowledge of Italian by translating English sentences into Italian on the fly. Practice this, and get ready for a delicious meal the Italian way! Listen Up & Learn – Episode #31

Episode #30 of the fun-to-practice and extra-useful “Listen Up & Learn” lesson series is entitled “The Commute Is Killing Me!” – The protagonist of today’s story, Anna, is a student at a prestigious Italian university who just moved to her new apartment. Everything should be well, except that… it is not. – So, let’s listen to an informal phone conversation between Anna and her friend Carlo and let’s find out why she’s not happy and what her plans are. – Then as usual, after listening to the conversation, take the “7 Question Challenge” to test your comprehension, speaking, and grammar skills. Enjoy! [VIP Members Only Extra Bonus – How Would You Say It: Courtesy Expressions] 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: Courtesy Expressions“, a terrific way to test and improve your knowledge of Italian by translating English sentences into Italian on the fly. Be courteous to your fellow Italians, and they’ll love you forever! Listen Up & Learn – Episode #30

Episode #29 of the fun-to-practice and extra-useful “Listen Up & Learn” lesson series is entitled “The Island of Glass” (L’Isola del Vetro). – According to recent news, the island of Murano and its worldwide famous glass making tradition are in real danger of disappearing soon. A decreasing labor supply and most importantly, the growing competition from China and Eastern Europe, are putting this “100% made in Italy” glass making industry on its knees. But the Venetian glass makers are not ready to surrender yet… So, let’s pay a tribute to this fantastic artistic tradition by learning about its fascinating story and cultural aspects. – Then as usual, after listening to the story, take the “7 Question Challenge” to test your comprehension, speaking, and grammar skills. Enjoy! [VIP Members Only Extra Bonus – Back To Basics: The Verb “Piacere” (To Like)] Login to the Learning Center to find, as a special extra bonus, a super useful audio file with PDF transcript entitled “Back To Basics: The Verb Piacere (To Like)“. This verb it’s not as easy as it seems (no worries, we’ve made it easier for you!) but it is a must-know if you really want to “Say It Like Italians Do!” Listen Up & Learn – Episode #29

Episode #28 of the fun-to-practice and extra-useful “Listen Up & Learn” lesson series is entitled “One For Each Body Part” – This lesson has the double purpose to teach you a lot of cool new Italian idiomatic expressions while at the same time to help you memorize the different parts of the body. – Yes, Italians have at least one great idiomatic expression for each body part you can think of and so here they are, the 10 most famous Italian idiomatic expressions, each one featuring a different body part! – Then as usual, after listening to the sayings, take the “7 Question Challenge” to test your comprehension, speaking, and grammar skills. Enjoy! [VIP Members Only Extra Bonus – Back To Basics: Sapere vs. Conoscere] Login to the Learning Center to find, as a special extra bonus, a super useful audio file with PDF transcript entitled “Back To Basics: Sapere vs. Conoscere“. These verbs have the same translation (“To Know”), but they are used with different meanings, and they are must-know if you want to master the Italian language! Listen Up & Learn – Episode #28

Episode #27 of the fun-to-practice and extra-useful “Listen Up & Learn” lesson series is entitled “The Tortellino X-perience” – Scientists from the University of Bologna are so passionate about their hometown’s world famous pasta, “Tortellini”, that their passion has become the inspiration for their latest software: a multimedia teaching game called “Tortellino X-perience”, that promises to teach anyone the very difficult art of making this delicious pasta. – So, let’s celebrate “Tortellini”, technology, and another amazing display of Italian creativity by learning all about the “Tortellino X-perience”. – Then as usual, after listening to the story, take the “7 Question Challenge” to test your comprehension, speaking, and grammar skills. Enjoy! [VIP Members Only Extra Bonus – Back To Basics: The Verb Dare (To Give)] Login to the Learning Center to find, as a special extra bonus, a super useful audio file with PDF transcript entitled “Back To Basics: The Verb Dare (To Give)“. This verb is a must-know if you really want to “Say It Like Italians Do!”. Listen Up & Learn – Episode #27

Episode #26 of the fun-to-practice and extra-useful “Listen Up & Learn” lesson series is entitled “We All Scream For Ice Cream” – Summer’s here, and with summer, comes ice cream! – “Gelato” (the Italian word for “ice cream”), is loved by kids and adults alike, it is arguably the most famous dessert in the world, and it is indeed a must on hot summer days! — Let’s celebrate the beginning of summer by finding out a few curiosities and facts about this delicious dessert. – Then as usual, after listening to the story, take the “7 Question Challenge” to test your comprehension, speaking, and grammar skills. Enjoy! [VIP Members Only Extra Bonus – Back To Basics: The Verbs Stare (To Stay)] Login to the Learning Center to find, as a special extra bonus, a super useful audio file with PDF transcript entitled “Back To Basics: The Verbs Stare (To Stay)“. Often confused with the verb “Essere” (To Be), the Italian verb “Stare” (To Stay) is an absolute must-know if you ever want to speak fluent Italian. Practice this super-useful bonus, and get this ubiquitous verb under your belt once and for all! Listen Up & Learn – Episode #26

Episode #25 of the fun-to-practice and extra-useful “Listen Up & Learn” lesson series is entitled “The 7 Ways To Good (and Bad) Luck” – It is a well known fact that Italians are big on superstitions. Today, let’s have fun by uncovering the top seven ways to bring “la buona fortuna” (the good luck) or “la cattiva fortuna” (the bad luck) according to the Italian tradition. – Then, after listening to the superstitions, take the “7 Question Challenge” to test your comprehension, speaking, and grammar skills. Enjoy! [VIP Members Only Extra Bonus – Back To Basics: The Verbs Can, Want, Must] Login to the Learning Center to find, as a special extra bonus, a super useful audio file with PDF transcript entitled “Back To Basics: The Verbs Can, Want, Must“, containing three verbs you absolutely must-know if you want to speak fluent Italian: the verb “Potere” (Can), “Volere” (Want), and “Dovere” (Must) conjugated in the present, past, and future tenses. That’s everything you need to master these three pillars of the Italian language! Listen Up & Learn – Episode #25

Episode #24 of the fun-to-practice and extra-useful “Listen Up & Learn” lesson series is entitled “I Declare You Husband and Wife” – This time, get ready to have fun as we’re going to talk about Italian wives, husbands, and the meaning of marriage… according to Italians! — Jane’s parents are celebrating their 25th anniversary this week, and we couldn’t think of a better way to congratulate them than featuring the 10 most famous Italian sayings about marriage. – Yes, it’s all here: the good, the bad, and the ugly of being married according to the Italian tradition. – Then as usual, after listening to the story, take the “7 Question Challenge” to test your comprehension, speaking, and grammar skills. Enjoy! [VIP Members Only Extra Bonus – How Would You Say It: Getting Married] 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: Getting Married“, a terrific way to test and improve your knowledge of Italian by translating English words and sentences into Italian on the fly. Practice this, and get ready for “The Big Italian Wedding”! Listen Up & Learn – Episode #24

Learn Italian with www.LearnItalianPod.com – Episode #23 of the fun-to-practice and extra-useful “Listen Up & Learn” lesson series is entitled “Once Upon A Time” – The expression “Once Upon A Time” (in Italian, “C’era Una Volta”) is the classic opening line of a tale or a fable. This time, get ready to listen to one of the most popular fables of all times and train your ears to truly understand the Italian language. – The title of the fable is “La Tartaruga e La Lepre” (in English, “The Tortoise and the Hare”), and this popular fable is still used in Italy to teach Italian to students in schools. – After listening to the fable, take the “7 Question Challenge” to test your comprehension, speaking, and grammar skills. Enjoy! [VIP Members Only Extra Bonus – Back To Basics: The Verb To Be & To Have] Login to the Learning Center to find, as a special extra bonus, a super useful audio file with PDF transcript entitled “Back To Basics: The Verb To Be & To Have“, containing the two most important, must-know verbs of all of the Italian language: the verb “Essere” (To Be) and “Avere” (To Have) conjugated in the present, past, future, conditional, and subjunctive tenses. That’s everything you need to master these two pillars of the Italian language! Listen Up & Learn – Episode #23