I'd LOVE to learn to speak Italian!

All you need to know is "Prego."

It means thank you, can I have some tea, please, where's the bathroom and waiter, there's a fly in my soup.

Thanks loads babe

Somehow, I don't think you appreciate my contribution.

Prego

I pre-emptively accept your apology for using that disgusting emoticon.

caio.

Take a course - go for it. If you learned Latin, italian will be easy. The hardest part is figuring out what to do with the seeming over-abundance of vowels.

eh....at this point I'd really rather do some home study.

As an adult I took an adult spanish class....honestly, found all the other people distracting...

I'd of enjoyed the class if I already had some speaking knowledge, but it was like they were getting in the way of my learning.

When I want to learn how to do anything, I like to cloister myself and concentrate so I can really emmerse myself. Plus I wouldn't be shy about talking out loud. Once I felt comfortable, I could try it with others.

Well then, buy a cd set. It's expensive, but you can bring it with you anywhere.

Yeah, that's what I was wondering, if anyone knew of a particular on that's best.

I've seen ads for Rosetta Stone and looked at their website.

hmmm...I didn't look, but I wonder if there's some samples on there, just to see how they do it.

I like the idea of having something I can refer to in the future.

I know a good set for kids, but not for adults. Personally, I think taking a class, as distracting as it might be, would be the best way to learn. You can yap back at the cd, but it won't tell you if you're doing it right.

I will definately keep that in mind....

I wouldn't to anything until next month anyway....got guests coming in and have a couple bills to pay off first.

Not like it's a million dollars, but I like to put aside a little "me" money, know what I mean?

Oh, when I do something, I will definately let you know what I think about it...

and probably have questions.

Good luck with your learning, then

oh thanks...

I was looking at some on line basic lesson last night...you know, just free general stuff.

It did all look very similar to Latin, and conjugation isn't a problem, as far as saying something simple in the present tense. For instance I'm hungry, tired, thirsty, etc.

I don't think the vocabulary as far as nouns, adjectives, verbs will be a problem....it's the damn future, past tense stuff.

As someone from Roma...what would be your reaction to a tourist who was trying to converse with you, seemed to know the words, but wasn't getting the tenses right?

Would you appreciate they were making the effort, and think they will get better with time....or would you think they shoud keep their mouth shut until they can get it right.

I guess the reason I'm not to keen on formal classes with other people right away is the emphasis I would feel of having to say it perfectly correctly, knowing you'll be tested on it....

I more think that like a child learning a language, they can make their needs known, and gradually pick up the proper way.

What do you think Raphillon?

When some tourist tries to speak Italian I usually try to help. How can they learn if they don't try?

I've never found the "classroom competition" right. If people help each other they improve faster, I think. Beside, I'm sure my english is very far from perfect too, this is part of the reasons I'm in the forum: to learn by other people's corrections at my mistakes :wink:

Thanks

I was thinking about this last night while exercising....I think I'm going to start by building my vocabulary of nouns, verbs and adjectives, without regard to saying them in any proper order....

I know my learning style, which is to see it, then write it down in my own hand while saying it.

If, let's say I write words like "towel", "swim" "headache" over and over while doing something else like watching TV, I know that by the time I write it a dozen or 20 times, that word will belong to me in my mind. At the same time I can be saying them out loud. I'm not really worried about the pronounciation, as I had no problem with Latin, and Italian is so phonetic.

Then, when I'm learning to put them together in proper sentences, I won't be confused by what the words MEAN, but can concentrate on saying them correctly in a meaningful way.

Re classes...I'm not really concerned about the "competition", it's a combination of things, some irrational.

There are old demons in language learning classes for me....I can say that's all in the past, but you know what? That doesn't mean they just "poof" disappear.

For instance, I remember sitting in Spanish class, year 1, and being terribly confused by the word "que".....depending on where or how it's used in a sentence, it can mean different things.....at that young age, I just didn't get it. I remember asking the teacher over and over in class how to tell the difference...back then I thought the word "table" should always just mean one thing. Anyway, one day it was holding the whole class up, I was getting embarressed and frustrated, and old Charley Woods in front of me turned around and whispered "God, you are SO stupid" That made me burst out crying in front of 30 other people.

OK, I know that won't happen today...but it shows to me that if I'm stuck on something, I need to take the time it takes for me individually to "own" it. I can move faster or slower, at my own understanding.

When I took an adult spanish class, that kinda happened to (not the crying part). But either I'd be ready to move forward, or I'd be stuck on something important, but the class would move ahead, and I'd never really "get" something.

Then, I'll find people to converse with, and have some confidence. I grew up in the Northeast part of the country, and can always call some old friends who grew up speaking Italian in the home. Actually, that's a good idea....there're my friends.

Anyway......considering my step-daughter is arriving in a couple of days, I'll be busy for the next week.

I think I'm going to try that with the vocabulary words....I mean, that's how babies (bambinos) learn.

R - your english is quite good....and actually, you have been very encouraging to me. Perhaps I'll use this thread to post my progress occassionally.

I'm not in a race to learn, I think the journey will be beautiful.

Chai, when you read a word, or write it, don't you hear it in your head? I do. I fear that learning vocab without hearing it first will lead to trouble with prononciation later. Just my 2 cents.

As far as speaking the language in Italy goes...... I've been there, people are generally very helpful. I think speaking only in the present tense would be fine unless you were trying to schedule something. And even then, you could probably get around it if you had to. Are you going to Italy?

What might be helpful for you is to listen to some Italian radio stations on the Internet.

Here's a link.

http://www.italiansinfonia.com/stations.htm

Listening to the language this way is madness, but you'll get an idea for how it sounds nonetheless. Buona fortuna bella.

Gala, that's how I learned to speak Dutch. Radio.

In the old days it was short-wave radio.

Radio Nederland. You could listen to some Dutch-language programming, as well as English-language programming, and they had weekly Dutch lessons - with a little record you sent away for.

Listening to the radio regularly really helped me 'tune' my ear to the rhythm of the language - which is key for me. Current events on the news - versus where's the toilet, my aunt has a red pen - I think it's a better way to get a sense of how the language works. The interview programs are good - you can hear how a dialogue is supposed to work in the new language.