Language-learners' chat

Cherryfudge

I've started to learn a new language! Nearly new, anyway. I picked up a very few words of Italian for a holiday years ago and now that we're hoping to go again, I've decided life is not going to get longer and now's as good a time as any to make a start. It's such a beautiful language, even though I'm already getting stuck over when to use 'gli' ('the').

I've also discovered I'm half way through Duolingo's French course and it's taken me two years so far.

How is everyone else doing?

onomatopoeia99

Cherryfudge said:

I've started to learn a new language! Nearly new, anyway. I picked up a very few words of Italian for a holiday years ago and now that we're hoping to go again, I've decided life is not going to get longer and now's as good a time as any to make a start. It's such a beautiful language, even though I'm already getting stuck over when to use 'gli' ('the').

If you mean gli as a definite article, then before masculine nouns when plural and starting with a vowel. e.g. gli uomini , rather than i before masculine plural nouns that start with a consonant e.g. i libri

You'll meet gli again when you get to indirect object pronouns,  I learn at an evening class and our teacher had to explain what object pronouns are before she could teach us them in Italian as we all had no idea!

Cherryfudge

onomatopoeia99 said:

If you mean gli as a definite article, then before masculine nouns when plural and starting with a vowel. e.g. gli uomini , rather than i before masculine plural nouns that start with a consonant e.g. i libri

You'll meet gli again when you get to indirect object pronouns,  I learn at an evening class and our teacher had to explain what object pronouns are before she could teach us them in Italian as we all had no idea!

Thank you! I hadn't realised the Italians gleefully trip between (apparently) seven forms of 'the', I guess I will need to grasp the nettle and focus rather than letting instinct do the work.

I found a video online about pronouncing it and discovered it only sounds right if I stand up. Some Italian waiter is going to be very puzzled by the eccentric Englishwoman if I don't improve on this!

I love that your teacher had to explain object pronouns. I would definitely have been taking notes as I struggle with things like that. 

diminua

I'm on level 81 on the French course - just under halfway I think - and am picking up the Italian again after a lapse of about a year. Despite not leaving the UK for over two years (possibly three) what little Italian I do know still feels more embedded than the French, so I'm vaguely planning a holiday to France in Autumn 2023 to practice (and just for a holiday of course). 

halfamo

Anyone learning spanish, try '1001 reasons to learn spanish' AKA 'espanol con juan'   on youtube or on the authors own website. The professor is juan hernandez (IIRC) who is a real spanish language professor for the university of London  and his videos are so entertaining. He also does books which are quite helpful.
If you have an amazon kindle unlimited membership or trial running , I believe one or 2 of his books have been on there before and a few of Olly Richards' books are on there.

cinnamon123

I'm still learning German - slowly and still on Duolingo. Enjoying it even at the slow pace. Not looking to be fluent per se but happy to have any and all knowledge.

Cherryfudge

Hello all, how are you?

I'm still ploughing on with Italian and loving it - but I keep losing lives on Duo because my grammar remains hit and miss! Please could I have recommendations for a pocket-sized Italian grammar /website where I can look thing up on old fashioned tables?

Thanks  

tiddles

Hi cherryfudge.

I have a copy of Collins easy learning Complete Italian Grammar + Verbs + Vocabulary, and it has a fairly comprehensive grammar section, along with 120 verb tables, so that may suit your needs.

Cherryfudge

Thanks @tiddles, I'll look into that, it sounds perfect.

Edited to add - found it! Just about to order

Cherryfudge

tiddles said:

I have a copy of Collins easy learning Complete Italian Grammar + Verbs + Vocabulary, and it has a fairly comprehensive grammar section, along with 120 verb tables, so that may suit your needs.

My copy arrived today. I can see I have a lot to learn!  

It seems well set out and clear, it's not going to be too difficult to find things. I will have to get out the sticky back plastic to help it stay in one piece till I'm fluent.