Everybody has their own issues in learning a foreign language which includes not only the English speakers who are trying to learn other languages of the world; but the same principle applies to non-English speakers who are trying to learn English.

For any of you interested to learn the beautiful language of Italy, it would be a lot comfortable for you to go through your Italian lessons if you knew how Italian native speakers use a certain word or how a normal day goes among Italian natives. This doesn’t mean though that you really need to go to Italy to learn and observe how Italians live their lives, but a background of what Italians do would suffice.

Don’t worry about how you’re going to turn out when you speak in Italian to an Italian local who lives on a different area of Italy, what’s important is that you know how to use the Italian language in its standard form. Different regions or areas of Italy use different accents or grammatical forms so if you know you can handle the barriers within Italy alone, your Italian speaking skills can make it anywhere else in the world.

As a student of an Italian subject or course, you also have to realize that the Italians would rather prefer speaking their own language even when speaking to foreigners. English isn’t widely used especially in Italy so if you happen to travel there for an immersion or to test yourself of your Italian-speaking capabilities, better to have your dandy dictionary booklet with you at all times. You’ll find it more convenient to search for words when you ask a local about just anything. Sometimes though, sign language works.

If for some reason, your tongue can’t speak what you really want to say in Italian, by all means; try to master at least basic Italian greetings and politeness. Italians would surely appreciate you speaking in their own language no matter how obviously difficult it is for you.

How to learn a language without going back to school.

NEW ITINERARIES CULTURAL ASSOCIATION is an Association of over twenty qualified teachers living in Tuscany who offer Italian Language and Culture Homestays to foreign students wishing to gain a better academic and working knowledge of the language.

As a guest, you will live in the home as one of the family and have daily tuition from one of the hosts who is a qualified and experienced teacher.

Since 1971, university students, opera singers, professionals and senior citizens participate in our homestay programs, using our individually-planned, tutor-to-student method.

WHAT WE TEACH

Italian grammar, with practical, everyday conversation based on the student’s personal interests and goals. Tutor and guest student plan lessons on basic, intermediate or advanced Italian linked to the history of art, music, history, commerce, literature and cooking.

WHERE THE TEACHING HOST FAMILIES LIVE

Accommodation is in comfortable homes of excellent quality, in or near Florence and the Chianti Wine Area.

WHY SHOULD I STUDY ITALIAN?

Enjoy the advantage of natural assimilation of the Italian language. Italian is a melodious and charming language. Enchanting to listen to, and a delight to speak.

Tastes differ widely, of course, but Italian is considered by many to be one of the world’s most beautiful languages.

A few excellent reasons are that Italy is a world leader in manufacturing, import-export activities, in an extensive range of fashion articles, in interior and furniture design, automobiles and motor cycles, and other commercial activities.

Italian is indispensable for students of art, music, law, European history and archaeology.

The artistic and literary heritage of Italy is an exaltation of the Genius Loci.

Tuscany in partucular has its great poets – Dante, Boccaccio and Petrarch, its mighty master, Leonardo da Vinci, who created a new universe here on earth. It gave the world, among many others, the ageless, muscular art and brawny sculpture of Michelangelo to which we can add such great geniuses as Galileo, Macchiavelli, Giotto, Botticelli, Brunelleschi….

Italian explorers include Christopher Columbus, Giovanni Caboto (John Cabot), Giovanno da Verrazzano, and Amerigo Vespucci – the man who gave his name to America.

The world’s greatest art treasures are in Italy. Indeed, according to UNESCO over 60 percent are in located in Italy.

Our Homestays are available all year round. Minimum homestay one week.

ITALIAN LANGUAGE and CULTURE HOMESTAY TUITION

The qualified and experienced tutors give practical, essential tuition taking into account personal interests and aspirations.

TUITION PROGRAM

Daily one-to-one individually-planned tuition is given for 15 or 20 hours weekly, from Monday to Friday.The guest student’s present level of Italian, past study experience, and all personal and specific interests for studying Italian will be evaluated by the teacher.The Cultural Excursions and Walks program and the Cooking Activity program are given for 20 hours weekly.

STUDY PLANS

We recommend that you prepare, specify and discuss personal study interests with

the teacher before lessons begin. These may include concentrating on grammar and

conversation, or on particular tuition which can be linked to literature, history, art,

music, or business Italian.

Tuition will be given during the morning or in the afternoon, at a time suitable to both.

The guest student should make a constant effort to speak Italian all day and every day.

FORGET YOUR OWN LANGUAGE FOR A WHILE

Italian language courses are in the comfort of your teacher’s home. In the classroom and after attending school, students inevitably meet other students from their own country and so speak in their own language to each other. In a host family this cannot happen.

The guest student is compelled to think and speak Italian in every day-by-day situation.

This round-the-clock exercise is the very heart of constant and permanent learning.

A language which is assimilated and intensely lived and used in this practical manner

makes “Living and Learning with Your Teacher” the most effective and natural way of securing a good knowledge of the Italian language and culture.

HOMESTAY TUITION AND TRADITIONAL LANGUAGE SCHOOL TEACHING

The most frequent objections raised against learning a foreign language in a traditional language school are:

- I always meet students from my own country and we inevitably speak our own language during our free time.

- Too many students. The classroom is overcrowded.

- I am able to speak the language only for a few minutes every hour (this is the

disadvantage of group learning).

- We all have different learning speeds and some of my classmates just lag behind.

- We all have miscellaneous study plans and personal interests for studying Italian and above all at my level students have a widely different basic knowledge and experience of the language.

THE SUCCESSFUL STUDENT

Before beginning an Italian Language and Culture Homestay, you are strongly advised to:

- Prepare to adjust yourself to your new Italian studies and to the length of time you will be away from home.

- Prepare to live with, and accept, those cultural differences which may exist between

your own country and Italy.

- Prepare to accept, and learn from, the local daily way of life, however different from

your own.

- Prepare to live in harmony with your family and make a constant and daily effort to

study and speak the language.

- Prepare a study plan, according to your personal interests, sufficient to cover the

entire homestay period. This plan will be discussed with your teacher before tuition

begins.

When dining in Italy, there is one thing you will notice right off la cucina locale, which means the local cuisine. This is not unlike here in our own country. If you live in Texas, you will find on the menu of most restaurants an entrée called “Chicken Fried Steak”. Once you cross the Texas state border, you will not find “Chicken Fried Steak” almost anywhere else in the country. In Italy every region has their own specialty and methods of preparing the dish, which will depend on the season, the local produce and any other ingredients. So it stands to reason most regions have their own accent, dialect and sometimes their own language.

The various languages and dialects have evolved over centuries and remained distinct from the standard Italian for several reasons, such as the inability to travel, no radio or TV until the twentieth century and the attempt to maintain their cultural heritage and independence.

The dialects have many distinct qualities, which distinguish them from others. Just as an example the Neapolitan dialect is the most widely known because of its use in popular songs. The speakers of this dialect clip the articles to single vowels. In Romanesco the letter “r” replaces the letter “l”, so instead of pronouncing the word volta meaning once, they would pronounce the word as vorta.

In all the regions of Italy schoolchildren learn the standard Italian and sometimes their regional dialect also. What is now known as the standard Italian has evolved from the Tuscan dialect. It started from to the common language of Italy.

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In Italy there are prestigious fashion and design academies which are attended by students coming from every corner of the world, who chose to build their future with fashion and creativity.

The Italian Language Schools for foreigners Leonardo da Vinci located in Florence and Milan, decided to create some new courses to help all those guys whose desire is to attend a fashion and design academy in Italy like NABA, Domus Academy, Istituto Marangoni, Polimoda, Scuola Politecnico di Design, Fashion School Carlo Secoli, UptoDate Fashion Academy, Istituto Europeo di Design, etc.

The “Preparatory Course for Fashion and Design Academies” can have a duration which varies between 4 and 28 weeks, and its main goal is to prepare students for the entrance test of the Academy they have chosen, by helping them to hone and improve their skills thanks to the attention and the support of a qualified and experienced teaching staff.

During the first 24 weeks of the course, students will learn and improve their knowledge of Italian language, whereas the last 4 weeks will be dedicated to the study of Italian for fashion and design.

In fact the course is open also to students who have a low-level Italian language knowledge, and students will have the opportunity to establish their starting level and the resulting course duration with a self-evaluation test to determine their Italian knowledge.

In the end of the course, students will obtain all the necessary instruments to face the entrance test of the academies with satisfying results.

The first session of the “Preparatory Courses for Fashion and Design Academies” will start on 9th February 2009, in our schools of Milan and Florence.

So guys, if your passion is design and fashion, and you would like also to learn Italian and enter in a fashion and design academy in our country, then the “Preparatory Course for Fashion and Design Academies” is just right for you!

For all the information about Dates and Prices, consult the School Leonardo da Vinci’s website.

The Accademia Italiana di Lingua (AIL) is an association of schools, institutions, foreign and national specialists working in teaching the Italian language to foreign students and in the field of certifications.

AIL’s main office is located in Florence; it is however possible to attend exam-preparatory courses and to sit the exams in all Italy’s Leonardo da Vinci schools and in authorized schools in Italy and abroad.

There are four exam sessions per year, in order to make it easier for anyone to access them.

The exam-preparatory courses are divided into different ability levels and include real exam simulations with test sheets. Each student is personally assisted by professional teachers. The specific preparatory courses always start one month before the examination date. The aim is not only to prepare its participants to sit the exam, but also to allow a full immersion in Italian language and culture.

The duration of the courses varies from 4 to 24 weeks, depending on your knowledge of the Italian language. The specific preparatory courses always start one month before the examination dates and consist daily of 4 lessons of grammar review and conversation plus 2 lessons of test taking strategies and examination drills. On request we can send you our entry test to check your knowledge of the language and to establish the time necessary to prepare yourself for the different exams.

The Italian language certifications offered include all the levels required by European Portfolio: A2 – B1 B2 – C1- C2 and are indicated to people with different purposes: anyone who travels and wishes to spend a holiday in Italy, who studies in Italy or abroad, anyone who is planning to work in Italy or, simply, anyone who is interested in Italian culture.

For further, more detailed information: Italian Language Courses for Foreigners

If you visit Italy and don’t speak Italian, it will appear as if everyone speaks Italian but you. That is not necessarily true. There are several languages spoken in Italy other than Italian along with several dialects of Italian.

Most regions have their own dialect, accent and even their own language. The languages spoken in Italy have evolved over the centuries. The different dialects are all noticeably different from the standard Italy.

Italian is known as an Indo-European language and currently there are over 55 million speakers of Italian in Italy. Some of the individuals are bilingual in Italian and some of the regional dialects. There are an additional 6.5 million people who speak Italian in other countries.

Besides Italy, Italian is spoken in several countries, which include Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Canada, Croatia, Egypt, France, Germany, Israel, Libya, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Paraguay, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Romania, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Slovenia, Switzerland, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Uruguay, USA, and Vatican State.

There are several regional dialects spoken in Italy. The major dialects of Italian include toscano, abruzzese, pugliese, umbro, laziale, marchigiano centrale, cicolano-reatino-aquilano, and molisano.

Because of the different regions of Italy, there are also different languages spoken in Italy other than the standard Italian. Those languages include emiliano-romagnolo, friulano, ligure, Lombardo, napoletano, plemontese, sardarese, sardu, siciliano and Veneto. Some of these languages are known by different names, which are not listed here.

Obviously, Italians don’t all speak the same exact language. This may make conversing with Italians a bit more difficult, but learning to understand the differences can be interesting and worthwhile.

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Italian Survival Phrases

Greetings

This is the first category in the essential phrases for travelers. Here are the greetings.

Salve! – Hello!
Pronto! – Hello! When you answer the phone
Ciao! – Hi! or bye, bye!
Buon giorno! -Good morning!
Buon pomeriggio – Good afternoon!
Buona sera! – Good evening!
Come sta? – How are you?
Come va? – How’re you doing?
Ci sentiamo bene – We’re feeling fine.
Grazie, va bene cosi – Thanks, just fine

Introductions

Another part of the essential phrases for travelers is the introduction. Here is a list of introductions in Italian along with the English counterpart.

Mi chiamo Michele – My name is Michael
Placere di conosceria – Pleased to meet you
Questa e mia moglie – This is my wife
Questo e mio marito – This is my husband
Come si chiama? – What is your name?
Di dov’e? – Where are you from?
Dove lavora? – Where do you work?
Che cosa studia? – What are you studying?
Lei abita qui? – Do you live here?
Siamo qui da una settimana – We’ve been here for a week

How to Ask Questions in Italian

Who is Carlo? Where is the bathroom? What time is it? Why do you run? How do you make pesto? This is a quick how to instruction on how to ask the right questions in Italian.

1. Questions asked beginning with a questioning word, the subject is usually placed at the end of the sentence. Example: Quando guarda la TV Michele? – When does Michael watch TV?

2. Chi? Means Who? Or Whom?

3. To ask Which (one) or Which (ones) use Quale? Or Quali? Plural

4. Che: means What? Or What kind of?

5. If you are asking about How much? Or How many? Use Quantro/a/i/e?

6. Come? Indicates How?

7. To ask Why? Us Perchae?

8. Quandro? (Che cosa e, cos’e) says in English What is…? In a request for a definition or an explanation.

9. Dove? means Where?

Here are a few tips when forming a question in Italian:

1. Che and cosa are abbreviated forms of che cosa. The forms are interchangeable.

2. As with all adjective, the questioning adjectives agrees in gender and number with the nouns they modify, except for che, which stays the same.

3. Prepositions such as a, di, con, and per always precede the questioning che. In Italian, a question will never end with a preposition.

Next: Read More about learning the Italian language through the links below:

Read More on Learning the Italian Language at: http://www.allthingspondered.com/2140

The third most verbal idiom in America is Italian, due to a great arrival of Italian immigrants next World War II. The Italian tongued is considered one of the oldest, most romantic languages in the world, and nowadays, more than 60 million people around the world lecture the writing of archaic Rome and regulate descendant of Latin. Though composed of many different dialects, the terms was standardized for the most part in 1860, when Italy became unified as a Kingdom. The Italian styled is really related to the ethos. Italian families have been in America a long time but their wisdom of speech and urbanity is diminishing.

The Italian prose is one of ancient and historic roots. Today, it is the approved tongue of numerous nations, counting Italy, Slovenia, and Vatican City. The Italian poetry is only part of Italy’s mores. Vacation opportunities and cultural activities abound in this marvelous country. The Italian speech improve for poetry and politics. Culturally tongue, Italians much wish intense observation to voluntary nature disclosure.

The Italian prose is an Indo-European talking, belong with the Latin, or Romance group of languages. It is resultant from Latin, an obsolete writing which originated in Latium (Lazio in novel Italian), the state around Rome and from where the word Latin derives. It is straight resultant from Latin, from which other languages such as French and Spanish are resultant. It is actually verbal by about 60 million people in Italy and Southern Switzerland, and by the little Italian village around the world (Argentina and the US being the chief). The Italian words is normally painless, while – at epoch – it is strenuous to understand the ramblings of a native spokesman in his thick Italian!

The Italian poetry is just one of the many international languages that poverty to be cultured with dedication and unmixed attention. The Italian tongued is Neolatin, so it is known to be antiquated and inefficient. It is equally tranquil to understand and learn since some words can be recognized clearly the moment they are mentioned. Some Italian words are now even worn by millions of people across the earth.

The Italian language is best adapted to operatic performance as well, due to the predominance of vowels. Many of the most legendary early operatic performers were Italian-untaught and taught. So not only will learning Italian help you in a concern setting, it will allow you totally to appreciate and experience some of the most amazing opera performances ever bent.

During the month of September the schools of Florence, Milan and Siena are offering a special Italian language course that we call “La Dolce Vita”: one week of Italian classes in the morning, followed by special cultural activities in the afternoon. Students are always accompanied by a knowledgeable guide in the field.

Each city offers an orientation tour at the beginning of the week and a specific program that is tailored to its most characteristic events and monuments.

For example, in Florence students will tour the workshops of local artisans and visit the art historically important church of Santa Maria Novella.

In Milan they will visit the famous Museo della Scala and attend a classical music concert or opera. In Siena they will visit one of Italy’s most beautiful town halls and enjoy wine tasting of world famous Tuscan wines.

Both in Siena and Florence students will enjoy a half-day excursion to the celebrated Chianti area. In the three cities students will also experience a traditional Italian dinner prepared by local chefs using regional products.

The aim of our Italian schools is to help students not only learn our beautiful language, but also to receive a full immersion in Italian art, history, culture and lifestyle.

Discover the Italian culture!

Morning Program:
The morning course of Standard Italian Language is designed to improve language and conversational skills, and heighten the awareness and appreciation of the Italian culture.

Afternoon Program:

• Florence
  – Orientation tour of the city;
  – Guided Tour of “Museo del Duomo” and the “Santa Maria Novella” Church
  – Traditional Italian dinner in a typical “Trattoria”
  – Tour of Artisan Workshops (Ceramics, Etching, Florentine paper, Shoemaker, etc.)
  – Half-day excursion to the vineyards of the “Chianti” area, visit to a winery including “merenda” (typical Tuscan afternoon snack).
• Milan
  – Orientation tour of the city;
  – Traditional Italian dinner with program instructor;
  – Guided tour to the “Museo della Scala” and Brera district;
  – Professional lectures in History of Italian Opera and guided listening of famous arias;
  – Participation at a classical music concert or opera;
  – Visit to the “Foundation Giuseppe Verdi – House for Musicians”.
• Rome
  – Guided tour of Ancient Rome;
  – Traditional Roman dinner and watch the Chef, the Chef will show you the preparation of a typical Roman Dinner that you’ll enjoy;
  – Guided tour of the Vatican Museums;
  – Field Trip to a farm to enjoy the experience of making one’s own cheese;
  – Tasting of Lazio wines with professional sommeliers.




• Siena
  – Orientation tour of the city;
  – Traditional Italian dinner with program instructor;
  – Guided tour of “Palazzo Pubblico” and the grand gothic Cathedral;
  – Wine tasting guided by expert sommeliers: Tuscan reds paired with regional Italian cheeses;
  – Half day trip to the most attractive areas of Tuscany.

Scuola Leonardo Da Vinci

Via de’ Brunelleschi, 4

50123 Florence (Italy)

Tel. 0039055290305

Fax 0039055290396

press@scuolaleonardo.net

www.scuolaleonardo.com

http://blog.scuolaleonardo.com

At the Leonardo da Vinci Italian language schools in Italy we pride ourselves on responding to our students’ needs. For many years now we have offered a wide range of courses carefully tailored in content, length and cost to the ever-changing requirements of today’s students.

We constantly update our programmes according to feedback from our students, listening to their comments and reasons for selecting our courses. So before choosing your own course, why not listen to what our students have to say:

Klaus, Germany – One week: I chose this course to build on my existing basic knowledge of Italian and to give me the impetus to continue studying on my own until I have time to take another course at the language school.

Sandra, Switzerland – 4 weeks: My course gave me the opportunity to meet people from all over the world, make new friends and talk to lots of Italians in their own language.

Annemiek, Netherlands – 12 weeks: How wonderful to be able to talk to Italian people and understand them! That’s why I chose the 12 week course.

Claire, USA – 14 weeks: My goal is to immerse myself completely in Italian life and to learn as much as possible about the language and culture. I love everything about Italy and am delighted to be able to study for an extended period.

Kunimitsu, Japan – 24 weeks: I would like to speak and understand Italian well enough to be able to live in Italy. To achieve this I felt I needed to study for about six months.

So, for all the foreign students who wish to study Italian in Italy, learn such a wonderful language and know Italian culture and traditions, Scuola Leonardo da Vinci’s offer for Italian language courses is very wide and variegated.

In fact, students will have the chance to choose among many short and long term courses, suitable for all types of education needs.

In addition, students will have the opportunity to choose the school location in which they will attend their Italian language course, because the Italian language school for foreigners Leonardo da Vinci has locations in the most beautiful and charming cities in Italy: Florence, Milan, Rome and Siena.

Further information about the Italian language courses for foreign students are available on the website www.scuolaleonardo.com.