Ascoltiamo

When learning any language, it's a good idea to listen to it as much as possible.

Greek Theater, Taormina, Sicily:
https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2017/05/06/04/21/theatre-2288889_960_720.jpg

Will that alone make you fluent? Nope. But it can't hurt!

Auditory exposure to a language can help you:

• Pick up the sounds of the language
• Begin to decipher words and patterns of speech

And Italiano is such a bella language, it's undeniably fun to listen to.

If you are fortunati enough to live in a place that broadcasts Italian radio or television programs, good for you! Why not tune in right before bed, while making dinner, while driving in the car?

If you have a smart phone, check out the free app "Radio Italy Live." Broadcast from NYC, it includes a nice range of modern Italian music as well as news and ads in spoken Italian.

For other Italian streaming stations, check out this page: http://tunein.com/radio/Italian-Music-g348/
Or this one (a huge list of options) http://www.listenlive.eu/italy.html

For sites, the BBC offers a sit for online learning, including listening activities and links to radio, etc.:

• http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/italian/

Lots of other listening options here at About.com:

•  http://italian.about.com/od/audio/tp/listen-to-spoken-italian.htm

Or at One World:

• http://www.oneworlditaliano.com/english/italian/reading-and-listening-exercises-in-italian.htm

Or check out Italian TV broadcasts here http://www.rai.it/

And here, you can find a selection of free poscasts to listen to while on the treadmill:

• http://www.learnitalianpod.com/

And, of course, you can find LOTS of things to listen to on YouTube- such as this instuctional type of material, but also movie bits, ads, and just people behaving, well, as people do on YouTube.

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6wHp58iaf8

Ready for even more? Check out this site to listen to literature read by actors. WAY down at the bottom of the page, click on "ARCHIVIO AUDIO GRATUITO" for free selections.

• http://www.ilnarratore.com/index.php

Mangiamo!

Food, food, food: an important part of Italian tradition and culture, from a family meal at midday to an evening out with friends at a local pizzeria; you must have some food-related vocabulary.

First, you need to know where to buy things.

• Click here for a quizlet page to help you learn these.

Street cafe in Rome:
https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2017/01/10/02/44/rome-1968149_960_720.jpg

And then, of course, you'll want to be able to order when you go out to eat.

• Click here for a quizlet page to help with this (with pictures!)
• Another quizlet page for food vocabulary (also with pictures)
• More food vocabulary

• And check out this video "Mangiando" an Italian program that explores typical "street food"

And of course, you just might want to cook some of those yummy things when you get home!

How great would it be to real recipes right in Italian?

• Click here for a quizlet page of good recipe vocabulary.

I love cooking shows!! If you do, too, check out these:

• Italian home cooking on Youtube
• Traditional Italian recipes (OK, it's dubbed into English, but GREAT traditional recipes!)
• Cooking Magazine La Cucina Italiana has a YouTube Channel, too! (In Italian)

Buon appetito!