Blog
An Italian City
Italian is much easier than Arabic.
New York is home to many Italian-Americans, Italians, and Italian speakers, so this is a great place to study the language. All that Italian constantly swirling around me has not previously resulted in my learning any Italian, however. Nor has…
A Birthday Celebration
On my birthday, I experience Italian-induced euphoria.
Today was my birthday. It was the best birthday in ages, because I am doing something I love. I got up and did Pimsleur lesson 9 (Level I). Then I went out for a five-mile run and did lessons 10, 11, and part…
I’m Smarter in Italian Than in Arabic
Compared to Arabic and Russian, Italian is thrillingly easy to learn.
I started the day with Pimsleur lesson 15 (Level I), which went fine. This is so, so much easier than Arabic or Russian. Today Barnes & Noble delivered the VocabuLearn I ordered. I listened to it in the shower and while…
Multi-Language Confusion
I experience some linguistic disorientation.
Although the three Pimsleur language series I have worked on to date have different content, many of the words and phrases I am learning are the same. The effect, I think, is that one language pushes the previous one out…
I Love Italian
I love Italian so much it is hard to stop studying and go to bed.
All I want to do all day long is study Italian, but life intrudes. I did manage, however, to begin my morning with a big dose of Italian studies accompanied by a big dose of coffee at Café Margot. Over…
Some Grammatical Surprises
A few of the tougher things about Italian.
Because I am doing so much written work as part of my Italian studies, I can figure out the grammatical patterns of what I am listening to in Pimsleur much more easily than I could with Arabic or Russian. With…
A Record Rolling “R”
I achieve a new personal record for r-rolling.
I got a reasonable night’s sleep last night. What a relief. Being totally obsessive about this Italian stuff is exhausting. Today when I woke up, I started in on Part 3 of Italian Now! This section promises to teach me…
Sports Lessons
I take a long Pimsleur walk and watch soccer on Italian television.
I am feeling really run down. When I woke up, I did some of the Italian Now! book, then tried running, but turned around after a few steps. I was just too tired. That’s okay; I’d already done…
eAudiobooks—Gone!
Sad news: you can no longer get eAudiobooks through the New York Public Library.
In recent days, I have tried several times to download Pimsleur lessons, as I have done successfully multiple times before, in the form of eAudiobooks through the New York Public Library’s connection to NetLibrary. I couldn’t get the…
Spanish Skills Under Siege
My Italian is encroaching on my Spanish.
I woke up and began my day with one of my favorite activities: grammar exercises. (That sentence is not sarcastic in any way.) I did verb conjugations, this time not only indicative but also imperative. Good times. I am getting…