Italian Picture Dictionaries

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OUR NEW NAME AND ADDRESS IS VIA OPTIMAE! {www.viaoptimae.com}

Didattichiamo! will slowly be phased out, but all of the digital magazines I created are now available at the new site. You can also subscribe by email to receive our latest updates.

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All of the Italian Picture Dictionaries I created in one digital "stand".  Click through each digital magazine to see beginning vocabulary plus learn a little about Italian culture and expressions!

Italian Food Picture Dictionary, Vol. 04

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Italian food vocabulary and food-related idiomatic expressions organized into a fun digital magazine format. Flip through the pages of this digital magazine at Glossi.com or view other volumes in the collection: Vol. 01, Vol. 02, Vol. 03.

Happy Studying!

-Alex

Verbi Pronominali

Many Italians I know have complained about the confusing phrasal verbs in English, and while Italian is a little easier on its learners in that regard, there are still some verbs that have different, often idiomatic meanings based on the pronouns that are attached to them.  These meanings must be memorized (instead of rationalized) as each word often cannot be literally translated.

If you're unfamiliar with these verbs, you can check out a quick explanation, plus the translations of some of them in English on about.com. I've found though, that these expressions are best understood in context, so I created this flashcard exercise with sentences on side A, and the proper pronouns or combination of pronouns on Side B.  

Dai su! Ce la fai!

(Come on! You can do it!)

More Verbi Pronominali practice:

Impariamo Italiano Verbi Pronominali Quiz

Cantare per imparare: Claudio Baglioni "Amore Bello"

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OUR NEW NAME AND ADDRESS IS VIA OPTIMAE! {www.viaoptimae.com}

Didattichiamo! will slowly be phased out, so read this post on our new site and subscribe by email to receive our latest updates.

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Learning with songs: 

First, listen to the song without looking at the lyrics. Either write down or just notice the words that you recognize. What is the song about? If you don't understand it all, can you grasp the general idea? the mood? 

Next, listen to the song again, this time looking at the lyrics (below).  Were you right about the words that you heard? Is the overall meaning clearer after reading it? 

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Così vai via                            

non scherzare no...

domani via

per favore no...

devo convincermi però      

che non è nulla

ma le mie mani tremano...

in qualche modo io dovrò

restare a galla...                 

e così te ne vai...

cosa mi è preso adesso?

Forse mi scriverai...

ma sì è lo stesso...

Così vai via

l'ho capito sai...

che vuoi che sia

se tu devi vai...

mi sembra già che non potrò

più farne a meno                

mentre i minuti passano...

forse domani correrò

dietro il tuo treno...

tu non scordarmi mai...

com'è banale adesso...

balliamo ancora dai...

ma sì è lo stesso...

Amore bello come il cielo

bello come il giorno

bello come il mare amore...

ma non lo so dire...

Amore bello come un bacio

bello come il buio

bello come Dio

amore mio

non te ne andare...

Perché è così...

no non è giusto se è così...

se te ne vai...

se te ne vai...

Perché è così...

perché finisce tutto qui

tra poco andrai...

un lento, l'ultimo oramai...

E fare finta, che ne so

di essere matto

piangere urlare e dire no...

non serve a niente, già lo so

è finito tutto...

e se tu caso mai...

ma non mi sente adesso...

balliamo ancora dai...

ma sì è lo stesso...

Amore bello come il cielo

bello come il giorno

bello come il mare amore...

ma non lo so dire...

Amore bello come un bacio

bello come il buio

bello come Dio

amore mio

non te ne andare...

Vai via così...

no non è giusto ma è così...

sei bella sai...

sei bella sai...

Vai via così...

finisce allora tutto qui

fra poco andrai...

un lento, l'ultimo oramai...
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Now let's look at the phrases and words that I highlighted.

andare via: 
-also-                        both mean 'to go away'
andarsene:               vai is the "tu" form of andare

a galla: afloat
restare a galla then is 'to stay afloat'

cosa mi è preso:        'what has come over me'/ 'what has gotten into me'

fare a meno di qualcosa:           'to do without something' 
farne a meno then is 'to do without the previously mentioned thing, "it"

Are there any other words or phrases that you didn't understand? Use a dictionary to look them up (I personally like WordReference)

The song meaning should be clearer, but it's ok you still don't understand everything. Keep listening and try to sing along to work on your pronunciation. The more you listen the better you'll get and the more natural it will feel, so keep pressing play. If you have any questions or need clarification, feel free to comment!

Happy singing!

I Flash Card: Verbi da "Le luci nelle case degli altri"

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OUR NEW NAME AND ADDRESS IS VIA OPTIMAE! {www.viaoptimae.com}

Didattichiamo! will slowly be phased out, so read this post on our new site and subscribe by email to receive our latest updates.

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I've always been a big fan of making flashcards for language study, and now with various computer programs and apps, I can do so without hurting the trees.  My favorite site is Quizlet because it allows me to easily copy and paste word lists from Microsoft Word or Open Office- plus, it keeps tracks of frequently missed words, automatically creates tests and games, and allows sharing of lists with other users.  It is also compatible with several iPhone apps.  (I use Orange or Apple)

I recently read a book by Chiara Gamberale called "Le Luci nelle Case degli Altri".  (A very good book- so good that I went out and bought the author's previous work "La Zona Cieca" featuring two of the characters found in "Le Luci..") 

As usual, while reading I wrote down the words that I didn't know or wasn't sure about then found the definitions and typed it all out in a table.  I then converted the table to text (using tabs to separate the terms) and then copied and pasted the entire document using Quizlet's "Copy and paste from another source" function.

Below, is the verb set that I made for this book.  All the verbs are intermediate or advanced level, and probably best suited to those learning Italian from English and not viceversa (the English side would have to be simplified or clarified for English learners).

Choose a Study ModeScatterLearnFlashcards

Study these flash cards | Study italian flash cards

I have more lists I'll make public soon! Or- get reading and make your own lists! [View and save a copy of my Blank Vocab List word document to get started!]

Buona lettura!/ Happy Studying!
-Alex