Learning Italian before I go
 

I am planning another trip to Italy in April. This time along the southwestern coast and into Sicily.

Before I go, I am trying to expand my knowledge of Italian. To help, I've written a simple Italian - English flash card application.

I wrote an article about how I created the word list and other information about the application.

I'd be interested in more words I should add to both my vocabulary and flash cards!

You should try to listen to the spoken word too. Get yourself some "tapes". April is kind of pushing it. I studied for a year.

Lots of Italians speak at least some English. But many won't admit it. I think they are just too embarrassed to try if their English is poor. But if you try your poor Italian, they will open up and try their English between the two of you it works.

Just some tips. Shops and restaurants are closed between 1PM and 3PM. Be sure to get what you need before then. It is called La Pausa or the pause.

You will find markets open in the morning. They will have a cart like these.

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=505526

They make great roasted chicken but I forgot you are a veggie. :) You are missing out. ;) Well they do have lots of fresh fruit and vegetables in those markets and some really great bread and cheeses if you are into that.




Some other works for your list.

Per-mai-so Use this when you want to get by someone.

I have learned not to ask for directions with a spoken response. Italians talk very fast and hard to follow if you don't speak the language. Instead ask them to write a map. Scriva mappa per favore.

I took some refrigerator magnets of Pittsburgh with me. I would give them out when someone went above and beyond. People seemed to really like them as refrigerator magnets are not real common in Italy.

Interesting flashcards.

I didn't quite get through them all. One of the vital verbs... at least in some parts of Italy is "BASTARE"

In many parts of Italy, you'll go into a a small store or shop.Something looks a bit fishy about:I would have translated it more as:
Da che parte e`
Where is it.

Ahh... just a spelling error...

WAY not WAS.

It might be easier to proof it you could send a bunch of word pairs. Comma separated?

At some point, you'll need to past verb conjugations. Definitely you'll need the past participle of every verb (only one additional conjugation), as well as learning which uses avere or essere. I've heard the south favors the passato remoto.

Oh, as a programming thing, the ability to go back might be nice. I was cruising along, and there were a couple of times I wanted to look back at the last card.

Learning Italian before I go
 

A good way to learn a language while listening to it spoken is the Rosetta Stone series:
http://m.rosettastone.com/?redir=rosettastone.com

My local library actually carries them.

Yes this.

These days you can probably pick up a CD package at your local library ... or find an intensive conversational Italian course online.

Or look to see if your local community courses offer an Italian course. It is probably a bit late, but you might be able to get into an intro one still.

This is what is offered in my area:
https://adulteducation.linc.tas.gov.au/

At this point, they only have one Italian course on offer (they've got a heap of other languages going) but if I were going somewhere, that would be the first place I'd look.

Nice flash card app. There should be a previous button and a option to test Italian to English.

I agree with the back button.

It is mixed with both Italian and English key words, but perhaps one would choose 100% English prompts, 100% Italian prompts, or a mix.

As far as hearing the language, there are quite a few Italian films available. Personally I find the subtitles distracting, but enjoy the films.

It has been a while, so I can usually understand a well articulated northern accent, but I have a lot of problems with films with a strong southern accent. Of course, the OP is wanting to travel in the south and Sicilia, so there may be some benefits of also adding those accents (hopefully not dialects) into one's studies.

Strange. When I tested previous, I thought I was seeing a mix. Tried again later and I must have gotten several Italian verbs in a row. Random number generator stuck I guess.;) Either that or I was just automatically translating them. ;) Actually I doubt my skills are that good. ;)

Some good suggestions. I'll try to implement them when I get some time in the next few days.

The app is designed to randomly present the words in a random order (so I don't get fooled into thinking I know something when I just know the order). In addition, whether you get English or Italian is random because I need to be able to find the right Italian for the an English word/phrase I am thinking.

As for my language skills, I first learned traveler's Italian over 10 years ago. I was in Northern Italy for a month last year and am going again in April. While I'm nowhere near fluent, I can hold a simple conversation with the people I stay and interact with. Of course, in Northern Italy, many (most, it seemed) spoke some English. I am assuming that won't be the case in the south.

I've been using Pimsler's from the library.

I'll add Bastare and I've fixed the typo. I like the idea of a past participle, too.

Thanks!

Basta seem to be a very popular word among Italian mothers.

My hotel room in La Spezia had a balcony. I rinsed my bike clothes and was hanging them to dry on the balcony. I looked across the street and there was a woman hanging her wash. It made me feel like a native.

Later there was a small boy out on the street screaming his lungs out, repeatedly. I went out on my balcony and yelled BASTA! He shut up! :)I really felt like a native then. :)

But of course Italian men don't seem to discipline their children in public. And certainly no self respecting Italian man would ever hang the wash. :)

]

Nice features added but does not seem to work now. I am not getting any flashcard words.

Sometimes a word will show but none of the buttons seem to work.

Seem to be working now.

A favorite phrase of mine and my one touring buddy is:

Devo fare una foto

The background on that: We have another mutual touring friend. When he is on the road, if he needs to relieve himself, he takes a camera with him and pretends to take a photo. This is so any passerby thinks he is just taking a photo and not taking care of nature's call.

So my other friend and I have adopted that phrase when we feel the need to stop. :)

I've been working on it while you were trying it. Sorry for editing a page while you are trying to use it. Normally, I do all my editing on a copy and then install it when it is working. But, I was working directly on the working page for the past hour or so. Sorry about that.

As Spinnaker has discovered, I've added buttons to determine if you see only Italian, English or a random mix and I have added a Previous button.

I will also try to add the past participle to the conjugation, but that involves a lot of data entry, so that won't happen until later today or tomorrow.

I found that studying frequently used grammar, picking up an electronic dictionary (usually on smartphone) and just working on phrases/words that I'll use frequently (or am just curious about) is pretty useful. Once the grammar framework is there, things pick up pretty quickly as my vocabulary grows. Even with limited knowledge of grammar, I think most people don't have too hard a time thinking of how to 'rephrase' what they're trying to get across.

There are several free language-learning websites out there which already offer far more than a single individual would be able to create. One such example is: https://www.duolingo.com/

If you have a basis in a foreign language, there's a useful free website for finding partners who want to do a language exchange (typically via Skype). For those of us who are native speakers of English, it's easy to find language partners for any other widely-spoken language, since there are many native speakers of other languages who wish to practice with a native English speaker. The Mixxer - a free educational website for language exchanges via Skype | The Mixxer

I have used both of these websites to improve my Spanish, and I could see significant improvement in my Spanish on a recent trip to Mexico.

I currently use Duolingo.com. But, at the lessons go on, it gets repetitive and less motivating.

I was unaware of The Mixxer and will try it. Thanks for the suggestion.

I have extended the flash card program to now

a) include past participles

b) have a "Show All" button that lists out the entire set of words and definitions.

Let me know if you have other suggestions of features or words to add (or errors you find).