Whenever I ask my students about the Italian music they like and remember, they sing me cheesy songs from the eighties, or even before. It is fascinating to me to know why some songs resonate with my students more than others. So I’ve started to note down the songs they remember and compare the success these songs had abroad with their success in Italy. Let’s start with Ricchi & Poveri. A pop band born out of and made…
How many tenses does Italian have?How many Italian verbs are there?Where can I find a complete list of irregular verbs in Italian?Queste sono le domande che i miei studenti mi fanno quando incominciamo a studiare i verbi irregolari. Proviamo insieme a fare un po’ di ordine per memorizzare più velocemente questi verbi. Dividiamoli in gruppi. Gruppo dei verbi -gliere I…
If you’re considering escaping to Italy not only for art and architecture, food and wine, history and culture – but to progress your knowledge of Italian – look no further than the little known region of Molise. Most people haven’t heard of it, including some Italians, and there’s a joke that claims “Il Molise non esiste…” Not true. It’s a…
Courses Programme here Enrolment is now open for Italian Language Courses at the Italian Cultural Institute in London. in collaboration with Italian Language Services. New term starting on 21 January Whether you are new to the language, totally fluent, or everything in between, we can help. We offer General Italian courses on all levels, weekday mornings, afternoons, evenings, and weekend. In addition, there are morning…
In the last week I read an article in which a politician used the English idiom “a pie in the sky” and I was amazed as I had never heard this expression before. I was surprised not because of the particular expression, but because after living for so many years in London, I am still learning new expressions. This is…
Guarda l’intervista e rispondi alle domande L’intervista a Pavarotti del 29 aprile 1986 Ascolta l’intervista e rispondi alle domande Cosa l’ha aiutato di più nella vita? Qual è il momento magico della sua vita? Ha paura del pubblico? Cosa vuol dire essere un tenore per Pavarotti? Cosa vuol dire nascere in Emilia? C’è in giro un secondo Pavarotti? Qual è…
ITALIA DOC returns to the Bloomsbury Studios for its 3rd series of FREE documentary screenings. 15 January-Arrivederci, Saigon – FREE screening All screenings are in Italian with English subtitles. Book here All screening are followed by an informal Q&A session with the documentary director All of them, bar one, were under age, they were going to be big on the international…
Italian Language Services workshops @ Italian Cultural Institute Italian & Cinema This short-course is designed for intermediate and upper-intermediate students of Italian. The course is aimed at students who wish to expand their knowledge of Italian cinema while improving their speaking, reading and listening skills and by participating in discussions based on selected scenes.The course will help student expand and…
Last year, an independent literary festival conceived in London by a group of Italians sold out all seats and gathered some 1,500 people. This year, the Festival of Italian Literature in London (FILL) is back at the Coronet in Notting Hill on 27-28 October with an even stronger and timely programme, bringing prominent Italian, British, and international authors together in a treasured Victorian theatre. Two…
Una delle espressioni più usate e facili da usare nella lingua italiana, è l’espressione “perché”. L’espressione “perché” a differenza dell’inglese o del francese, è usata in una domanda e anche in una risposta. Es. Perché studi l’italiano? Studio l’italiano perché mi piace andare in vacanza in Italia. Non ci sono differenze di scrittura quando usiamo perché nella domanda o quando…