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Madrelingua Italian Language School

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You are here: Home / 2015 / Archives for October 2015

Archives for October 2015

CILS Italian language exam deadline postponed to Thursday!

October 27, 2015 by Daniel

Apologies to anyone uninterested in taking an Italian exam, but (as predicted) the University of Siena, which organizes the CILS ‘Italian language for foreigners’ exams, has extended the deadline for enrollments for the December 2015 exams.

The last day for enrollments is now Thursday 29th of October. To give us time to process your registration, we’d ask that you enroll by midday.

For more information on CILS exams in Bologna, follow these links:

CILS exams | Enroll online | What are CILS exams?

Or find out more about Italian courses in Bologna.

Filed Under: CILS Italian language exams, News from Madrelingua Italian Language School

Last chance to sign up for a CILS exam in December

October 21, 2015 by Daniel

A quick reminder for anyone wanting to get qualified in Italian: the deadline for enrolling for a CILS Italian language exam is this Friday!

That said, every year the University of Siena writes to us at the last minute to announce that they’re keeping registrations open for another week, so don’t be surprised if you get an erratum to this email…

For the moment, though, it’s ‘get it done by Friday or wait until June 2016!’

More info here:

CILS exams in Bologna | Enroll online | What are CILS exams?

Filed Under: CILS Italian language exams, News from Madrelingua Italian Language School

Why can’t I understand spoken Italian?

October 14, 2015 by Daniel

(Thanks to Lynn, who asked me about this recently.)

If you’ve been studying Italian for any length of time, you’ve probably wondered what you’re doing wrong when it comes to listening comprehension.

You’ve got some of the grammar under your belt.

And you know a pile of Italian words.

So why can’t you understand Italians when they’re speaking to each other?

And why are films and TV in Italian still so out of reach?

***

Let’s step back a bit.

How long have you been speaking your mother tongue?

In my case, that’s English.

I’m 48 years old so I’ve been practising listening to English of all types for nearly half a century.

I’m therefore pretty confident that I have a detailed understanding of spoken English. Even when the topic is unfamiliar.

Remember though, that’s the outcome of more than four decades of intensive practise.

So what about my Italian?

I started learning the language in a fairly casual way in 1997, moved to Italy with my Italian wife in 1998, and my eldest child was born here in 1999.

But I speak English at home and at work.

And, as I’ve been busy earning a living, I’ve never done much formal studying…

As you’d expect, after hearing the language around me for eighteen years, I’m quite used to it.

But I certainly don’t feel that I understand everything I hear, as I do with English.

In fact, when my kids speak Italian to each other at the dinner table, it can be an effort to work out what’s going on.

And it’s always easier for me to watch a film or TV show in English than it is in Italian.

So does not understanding everything stress me out?

Sometimes, but I’m quite used to it so mostly it doesn’t bother me.

***

For most people, it’s unrealistic to compare what you can understand in your native language with what you can understand in Italian.

But that need not matter.

Who says you have to aim for ‘perfect’?

It’s quite possible to achieve a reasonable level of understanding, enough for most situations, most of the time.

And it doesn’t have to take decades, or even years as it did for me.

If you’re a student or retired, four or five months of a standard Italian course should be enough to reach a reasonable communicative level.

While in six or seven months, you could start as a beginner and expect to finish the whole syllabus and prepare for a top-level exam to certify your impressive knowledge of Italian!

With that sort of investment of time and money, would you then understand everything you heard?

Of course not.

But you’d be much better at extracting meaning from complex speech.

And much more comfortable interacting with Italian native-speakers, watching films, and so on.

And with the whole of the rest of your life still to practise in!

***

Conclusions?

‘Understanding everything’ is probably unrealistic, and therefore an inappropriate goal.

But reaching a high level of competence is totally achievable.

For most people, it’s just a question of having the motivation and the time.

More Articles About Learning Italian | FAQ

 

Filed Under: Learning Italian, News from Madrelingua Italian Language School

Do you believe the customer reviews you read online??

October 8, 2015 by Daniel

Do you believe the customer reviews you read when shopping online, booking a hotel, or choosing an Italian language school??

Well perhaps you shouldn’t. Caveat emptor, and all that.

According to this article in The Guardian, in June this year the UK Competition and Marketing Authority opened an investigation into possible widespread abuse of online reviews.

Apparently, deceitful practices include:

  • paying for hundreds of fake positive reviews
  • hiding or just failing to publish negative reviews
  • leaving misleading reviews about competitors

There are some naughty people out there…

That said, it IS useful to know what other people think before you commit your time and money to an Italian course.

Taken with a pinch of salt, comments and reviews can at least give you a flavor of what the experience might be like.

For example, here are a few extracts from genuine client reviews on our site:

  • I first visited Madrelingua in 2009, and found the program, the teachers, and the rest of the Madrelingua team to be outstanding, and very friendly.
  • I’ve attended five language schools in three cities in Italy in the past 2 1/2 years and Madrelingua is the best of the best.
  • I recently did a short beginner’s course at Madrelingua and was very impressed with the structure of the course and the very high standard of teaching. Right from the beginning it was clear to me that I was in good hands.
  • Madrelingua is the third language school I’ve attended in Italy and it’s by far the best. I was nervous that it would be above my level but the teachers, Francesca and Giulia and Paulo, made it so much fun than you hardly noticed you were actually having a lesson…

Too good to be true?

Well obviously I’ve picked out some of the best ones. But take a look and decide for yourself!

More Articles About Learning Italian | FAQ

 

Filed Under: News from Madrelingua Italian Language School

Italian evening class dates and times

October 1, 2015 by Daniel

Just a quick update from anyone working or studying in Bologna and interested in Italian evening classes this term…

Classes start next week!

Check the level, days & time of your course here:

  • A1 lunedì-mercoledì, inizia lunedì 5 ottobre ore 18.00
  • A2 martedì-giovedì, inizia martedì 6 ottobre ore 18.00
  • B1 lunedì-mercoledì, inizia lunedì 5 ottobre ore 18.00
  • B2 martedì-giovedì, inizia martedì 6 ottobre ore 18.00
  • C1/C2 lunedì-mercoledì, inizia lunedì 5 ottobre ore 18.00

Don’t know what these levels mean? Here’s a helpful article: What’s my level in Italian?

Find out more about:

  • Italian evening classes in Bologna
  • Italian courses in the mornings
  • Intensive Italian courses
  • Personalized Italian courses
  • Online Italian lessons

Or contact us.

Filed Under: News from Madrelingua Italian Language School

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