On Monday I’ll be publishing full details of our seasonal ‘Best Discount Of The Year On 2017 Italian Courses’ offer.

But today, how to improve your Italian for free!

Yes, that seems a bit contradictory, but an Italian course at our school in Bologna is likely to be just one component of your strategy to learn (and eventually master) the language.

What you do before you come, and then after you return home, can be just as important in the long term, and will certainly help you maximise the return you get from your course.

Self-study before the course begins will mean you’re not coming in cold.

Your brain will already be ‘switched on’ to Italian.

You’ll hit the ground running!

Later, when you’re back into your normal routine, continuing to do some Italian regularly will ensure that you’re building on the grammar and vocabulary you learnt.

It’s vital to keep practising the skills you acquired, rather than letting things fade…

OK, so below are three sites to take a look at.

There’s a brief description of each, along with a few sample links to get you started.

Full disclosure, they’re all run by a UK company of which I am director (so they must be good, right?)

dontspeakitalian.com

dontspeakitalian.com is specifically designed for beginners, but the contents would be useful for anyone looking for revision or practice material.

There are fifty pages of free materials including ten grammar explanations, ten grammar exercises, ten dialogues and ten listenings, each with a transcript.

Visit the site >>

onlineitalianclub.com

onlineitalianclub.com is more or less what it says, though NO registration is required.

This is a monster of a site with, for example, over 600 verb conjugations, 54 grammar lessons, and hundreds of exercises and audio recordings.

There’s enough free material here to keep you going for however long it takes to learn Italian!

Visit the site >>

learnitalian4free.com

learnitalian4free.com is just a tiddler by comparison with onlineitalianclub.com, but has some nice listenings.

Tackle one or two of these each day in the weeks before coming to Bologna and you’ll find you’ll be more atuned to the sounds and rhythms of Italian.

The ‘Un giorno nella vita’ series is nice, for example.

Visit the site >>

P.S.

Full details of the ‘Best Discount Of The Year On 2017 Italian Courses’ offer will be published on Monday!

Madrelingua Italian Language School | Bologna | Italian Courses | Prices | FAQ | Contact Us

On Tuesday I gave you advance notice of next week’s ‘Best offer of the year on 2017 Italian courses‘.

Check out the link for some general details about the coming promotion.

To actually take advantage of the limited-time discount, however, you’ll need to wait until Monday 19th December.

I also explained what to do if you’d rather not hear any more about it.

Here’s that part again briefly.

At the bottom of each email we send out, there’s an unsubscribe link. It might say something like ‘For heavens sake, won’t you stop sending me this stuff??’

The idea is you click on that, choose unsubscribe, and, as if by magic, all will be peaceful again!

So, if you’re not interested in a large discount on your 2017 Italian course, do head down to the end of this article, locate the ‘unsubscribe’ link, and click it. Problem RESOLVED.

Also on Tuesday, I mentioned that today I’d be linking to our best articles on learning Italian.

Old Madrelingua hands will have already read this stuff, I’m sure.

But for anyone new around here, our most useful articles are collected on the ‘Learning Italian‘ page of our site.

If you’ve got plenty of time on your hands, read through the sections that most interest you.

They’ll give you an idea what we’re about, and help you know whether studying Italian in Italy is really for you.

If, on the other hand, time is the one thing you never have enough of, I’ve got your back!

Here are the two articles that Google thinks you should see (based on the number of visitors they send to our site to read them):

• How long will it take me to learn Italian?
• Is Italian a hard language to learn?

Who knew there’d be so many people asking Google those two things?

But perhaps you have OTHER questions about learning Italian?

In which case, feel free to write to us at the school.

Questions about our Italian courses, or more generally about learning the language, always receive a personal reply: Contact Us.

OK, enough for today.

On Saturday, I’ll be linking to some excellent FREE resources, which you can use to prepare before coming to Bologna, and/or to maximise the value of your Italian course by continuing to study afterwards.

Madrelingua Italian Language School | Bologna | Italian Courses | Prices | FAQ | Contact Us

Next week sees the annual ‘Best Discount Of The Year’ promotion from Madrelingua Italian Language School.

There’ll be full details on Monday.

But I won’t be giving too much away if I say that it’s basically the same promotion we do every year at this time.

It ain’t broke, so why fix it?

You’ll get the chance to lock in a discount on an Italian course at our school in Bologna, of any length and at any time in 2017!

You don’t need to decide when.

Or how long you plan to study for.

To guarantee saving €€€ on your course, you just need to pay the special (discounted) deposit before the offer ends.

Don’t panic – I won’t let you forget.

OK, so here’s the plan.

Next week I’ll be writing articles like this one each day from Monday to Sunday (Christmas Day – you didn’t have any plans, I hope.)

We’ll cover topics such as learning Italian and how to go about studying in Italy.

Interspersed, of course, with regular reminders to take advantage of the ‘offerta in corso’ (as Italians say.)

But wait!

What if you’re not interested in saving a bunch of cash on an unforgettable Italian course at our school?

You’ve given up learning Italian.

Or maybe you’ve just been elected president, and so know you won’t be able to get to Italy in 2017?

No problem.

You have two options:

1.) Put a check against ALL the emails you receive from me between now and Dec. 25th. Then choose the ‘mark as read’ button in your inbox. Bing! They’re gone.

2.) Or, for a more permanent solution, look for the ‘unsubscribe’ link which you’ll find at the bottom of every email. Click that, then select the ‘unsubscribe’ option.

Still reading?

Ottimo!

So, more on Thursday, when I’ll be sending you links to our best ‘learn Italian’ articles and resources.

A giovedì.

Madrelingua Italian Language School | Bologna | Italian Courses | Prices | FAQ | Contact Us

There’s more than one way to skin a cat, as Italians don’t say*.

I assume that’s true, though I’ve never tried it.

My kids wouldn’t let me.

But it’s certainly true that there are multiple ways to learn Italian.

Here are three:

1.) Take an Italian course

I was sitting on the couch in the reception of our school yesterday, chatting to a client, a retired American.

He was telling me how pleased he was with the teachers, who ‘always knew exactly what stage he was at’ with his Italian.

I told him that it wasn’t surprising. They have permanent contracts, so do exactly the same things, again and again, week after week, month after month.

It’s not that surprising, then, that they get pretty practiced at it.

And so tend to be able to spot problems before a student is even aware of them, and hopefully take appropriate steps.

But of course, that’s the point of taking a structured course, with a set syllabus and duration.

YOU don’t have to think about it too much.

The school, and by extension the teacher, takes the strain.

That doesn’t mean that there’s no work involved, of course.

But the responsibility is shared with professionals.

And they’ll likely know from experience what will work, and what won’t!

2.) Self-study

Personally, I don’t have the patience for an Italian course.

Time is the enemy, right?

When I have to learn something, I prefer to figure it out for myself.

In particular, I find reading and listening to the language that I want to learn very helpful indeed.

If I get enough ‘input’ in the language, my brain starts ticking and before long I begin to understand how things fit together.

Simplified stories with audio work well for me.

I also read online newspapers, and occasionally (rarely) do online exercises.

Currently I’m working on my French and Spanish, and sporadically on my Turkish, which I knew well several decades ago but now seem to have lost.

3.) Online lessons

Taking online lessons from an expert Italian teacher would be a good way to prepare for a course in Italy.

Or an excellent way to follow up such an intensive learning experience!

So making sure the benefits are consolidated, rather than being lost as time goes on.

Spend a fortnight in Italy studying at a decent language school.

Then, when you get home, maintain your fluency with regular online lessons.

Once a week would be perfect!

But online lessons would also work as a supplement to a self-study approach, such as mine.

I’m happy learning on my own and don’t have time for a full-time course.

But that said, a little conversation would be very nice!

It would make a change to my routine, and could boost my confidence at speaking and listening.

—

So in the end, it’s up to you how to go about learning Italian.

Though if you’re unsure, trying out different approaches would a good starting point.

I’d therefore mention two free offers which might interest you:

Free Online Lesson Offer!

OnlineItalianClub.com is running a free trial online lesson offer.

Book a 30-minute Skype lesson with an online teacher – normal price €20, this week absolutely free!

N.B. These are NOT Madrelingua teachers, though it should be a good experience anyway.

And, as it’s free, what’s to lose?

Also, the offer is only open to new onlineitalianclub.com students – if you’re already taking online lessons with them, this offer doesn’t apply to you.

Interested?

Book by Sunday, when the offer is ending.

(You don’t have to take your lesson before Sunday, just book it.)

For details:

Offer details | Book now

Free Italian ‘Easy Reader’ (.pdf ebook + audio download)

And over at EasyReaders.Org there’s another free ebook + audio download available.

Around 600 people downloaded the last one, apparently.

You listen to the original story, while following the text.

Check any unknown words in the glossary.

Then test your understanding with the comprehension exercises that follow each chapter.

(I usually skip that part…)

The normal price is £7.99, but there’s currently one FREE download for each of Italian, Spanish, French and German.

No credit card or payment details are required!

Find out more

P.S.

For more information about Italian courses in Bologna, follow these links:

Italian courses | Prices | Bologna | FAQ | How to book

*The nearest translation we could find for ‘many ways to skin a cat’ is ‘tutte le strade portano a Roma’, which to me doesn’t seem like the same thing at all! However, ‘una gatta da pelare’ (a cat to skin) = something difficult to do, perhaps similar to ‘a hot potato’ in English.

This is a quick ‘heads up’ to Madrelingua students. 

(Apologies to those of you that also frequent OnlineItalianClub.com as you will have already heard this!)

This week there’s a free e-book parallel text offer in the Learn Italian section over at easyreaders.org.

The free title (usual price £7.99) is called Colpo di forbici.

The level is ‘A1- Elementary’ but this material would make useful practice wherever you’ve reached with your Italian.

The e-book is structured as a parallel text, which means Italian chapters alternating with English translations, so that you can compare the two versions.

To get it, go here, click ‘Add to cart’ and complete the order form – shortly after, you’ll get an email containing the download link.

Just to be clear – no payment is required.

Nor do you need to enter your credit card details, or anything like that.

The free ebook offer ends on Sunday, so here’s that link again.

Or, for more information, see the OnlineItalianClub.com articles from Monday and Wednesday this week:

• Italian/English Parallel Texts and a FREE GIFT!
• Did you get your free gift (worth £7.99)? It’s not too late.

Buono studio!

P.S.

Not into self-study?

Come to Bologna instead, and let our expert teachers take the strain!

Madrelingua Italian Language School | Italian Courses in Bologna | Prices

Madrelingua Italian language school opened its doors ten years ago, in 2006.

Learn Italian in Bologna

So I was curious to find out just how many people have joined us for Italian courses since then.

Our stats show the number of online enrollments each month (and so exclude people who actually visit the school to sign up for their course.)

A quick copy and paste from the spreadsheet and I had the answer – 1776, coincidentally the year that American states declared their independence…

Think around 170-180 people a year, from all around the world, who are sitting at home in the USA, Australia or wherever and decide to come to Bologna to learn Italian with us!

We’re a small, family school and so will typically have four or five classes running throughout the year. We close only for a fortnight at Christmas/New Year.

Class sizes are a maximum of ten, often smaller, plus we also offer Italian evening classes for anyone already here, and online Italian lessons for those who can’t get away from commitments at home.

Courses can be as brief as a week, or as long as a year, but are always enjoyable and effective due to our staff of permanent teachers (some of whom have been here since the beginning!)

For more information about learning Italian in Bologna, check out these links:

Italian courses | Prices | About Bologna | How to book | FAQ

P.S.

You may have heard about yesterday’s earthquake in central Italy. But don’t let that put you off!

Our city is famous for its brick towers, constructed hundreds of years ago by medieval workman (with wooden scaffolding…)

The most famous example, the Asinelli Tower, is 97 metres tall and was completed in 1119!

And it’s still standing, nearly 900 years later…

So during your visit, be sure to climb to the top, enjoy the amazing view, and take photos for envious friends and family back home!

I’ve two things to tell you today.

Firstly, we have Italian evening classes starting next week at our school in Bologna.

Mondays & Wednesdays from 10th October will see levels A1 (elementary) and B2 (upper-intermediate).

And on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11th October we’ll welcome students at A2/B1 (intermediate) level.

All three classes are from 18.00 to 21.00. The minimum period is one three-week module.

Find out more about Italian evening classes or view all Italian course options.

Secondly, and specifically for those of you who aren’t in Bologna and don’t plan to be, don’t miss out on the Autumn Sale over at OnlineItalianClub.com.

It’s worth taking a look, as you can save 20% on ebooks for learning Italian as well as on online Italian lessons with one of the club’s teachers.

Find more details in these three articles:

• Two More Italian Exercises & AUTUMN SALE Starts Today!
• Online Italian Lessons – Frequently Asked Questions!
• EXACTLY how to use the coupon code (with pictures!)

Just two quick pieces of news this week.

1. Our Italian evening classes are due to start on the 3rd of October, so if you’re in or near Bologna, check out this link for dates and prices: https://madrelinguaitalian.com/italian-evening-classes/

2. If you’re NOT in Bologna and don’t plan to be, you might still be interested in e-books for learning Italian.

Our new site, https://easyreaders.org, specializes in just that and so is well worth a look for anyone studying Italian, French, Spanish and various other languages.

All the e-books have free sample chapters for you to download (with free audio!)

And for a limited period it’s possibile to save 33% on the shop prices by signing up to the mailing list.

+++

Contact us | Italian courses

“How much is the course?”

A natural question, though like most Italian schools, we publish our prices on the website for everyone to see.

The answer?

It depends on the type and length of the course you choose.

First of all, group classes are much better value than individual courses, as you’ll be sharing the cost of the teacher with others.

A one-hour individual lesson costs €37. A one-week group course costs €238. The group course is 20 hours, so that’s €11.19 an hour instead of more than three times that. There are discounts too, but more on them later..

That said, individual lessons are ideal if you need to control when and what you study, or if your company is paying!

However, if you don’t have specific needs, choose the group course. It’s more fun, too, as you’ll make new friends.

Group course / individual course decision resolved, next you need to consider the effect of signing up for more hours or weeks and so reducing the price you’ll pay.

Twenty hours of individual lessons, for example, can be had for €660.

That’s €33 an hour, rather than the €37 you’d pay if you bought just the one.

The discounts are limited with individual lessons, as the teacher cost per hour is fixed for the school.

With group courses, though, the school’s interest is to maintain viable classes for as much of the year as possible. Hence, the longer you study, the cheaper it gets!

For example, the one-week standard group course costs €238, whereas the four-week price is just €798. That’s €199.50 a week – a 16% discount!

Opt for an even longer stay and the price really falls…

Twenty-four weeks (approximately six months) would set you back €3773, which seems a lot but is just €157 a week.

That’s a 34% saving each week, compared to the standard one week course! And in those 24 weeks you could go from zero to an advanced level in Italian.

But I mentioned discounts…

Sign up for our mailing list (there’s a form on the prices page) and we’ll send you a 15% discount voucher, which is good for any GROUP course, of any length.

With -15% coupon code, you’d pay just €202.30 for a week, instead of €238.

And the four-week option would be a modest €678.30, instead of the €798 quoted on our prices page.

And so on. Go here to do your own calculations.

(Don’t forget to save 15% by signing up for the mailing list!)

See also: How long will it take me to learn Italian?

Could you learn Italian in just one day?

Of course not!

But you could learn a few basic phrases and some vocabulary that might come in handy during your visit to historic Bologna.

Which is the point of our new ‘In A Day‘ courses.

They’re ideal for visitors to Bologna as they last just one day and include both Italian lessons and your choice from a list of activities.

What activities??

Check out the possibilities on our ‘In A Day‘ page.

Or, for a more in-depth experience, view all Italian course options.

Got a question? Read our FAQ or contact us.