Learning a new foreign language, such as Italian, is exciting at first. You begin with boundless enthusiasm, full of good intentions.

Your Italian course, or self-study program, is stimulating and enjoyable. Each new learning experience reinforces your determination to make progress.

And then, suddenly, it all starts to seeem like an impossible task!

The endless new words, the perverse grammar, that impossible pronunication…

The progress you’ve made is dwarfed by what still lies ahead.

Already you seem to be forgetting what you’ve already studied faster than you can remember the new lessons.

It’s as if each step forward comes at the cost of two steps back!

It feels like you’ve ‘hit a wall’ in your learning.

A wall that brings your progress to a dead stop, and prevents you from moving forward.

If that happens to you, you’ll recognise how your enthusiasm plummets compared to what it was before.

Learning Italian becomes a chore not a pleasure.

It’s increasingly hard to motivate yourself to study.

You might even give up completely. Sadly, lots of people do.

Perhaps you weren’t meant to speak a foreign language?

Could it be you ‘don’t have the right sort of brain’?

Maybe you should just chalk it up to experience?

Go find an easier, less ambitious pastime?

If this ‘language-learning’ wall sounds familiar, know that you’re in good company!

Everyone (or at least, a lot of people) go through this. Even people who have already mastered other foreign languages. Even language teachers.

It’s absolutely normal.

Know also that there ARE things you can do which will help you get back on track.

But first of all, you need to reassure yourself that there’s probably nothing wrong with your brain.

You’re not incapable, or doomed to failure.

You have just as good a chance of learning Italian as anyone.

Next, consider your expectations.

When you begin a new language, naturally it’s going to be interesting and motivating (remember?)

Later though, the more you study, the more there will be to remember.

So when you focus on something new, the things you’ve already studied start to slide out of reach.

A ‘beginner’ mindset is great when you’re just starting out and know little or nothing of the language. But it’s not easy to maintain as your study becomes more routine.

To continue making progress with your Italian requires sustained effort in the medium-term. Months not weeks. Years even.

So you’ll absolutely need to adopt a slower, more regular pace.

Planning in progress tests and reviews will help you see just how much you’ve achieved, so countering those negative feelings of de-motivation.

Giving yourself time off can work too. Like a ‘break-day’ on a diet.

Above all, don’t expect too much, too soon.

Successful language learners are distance runners, not sprinters!

OK, so you’re now thinking medium-term and you’ve set a pace that you’re sure you’ll be able to maintain.

But what if things are STILL not working out?

Could be you’re ‘stuck’ on a particular area of grammar, or your dedicated study of new Italian words is no-longer bearing fruit.

You’re putting in the work, but you’re not seeing the growth in your Italian that you have come to expect.

Likely then, something is wrong.

For example, perhaps your choice of what to study is inappropriate for the stage you’ve reached?

What you did before got you this far.

But it might be the wrong thing to allow you to progress to the next stage.

Or perhaps you’re not doing anything actively wrong, just not doing some of the obviously right things?

Are you including regular review activities?

Are you consolidating what you’ve studied with reading and listening practice activities?

If you’re an inexperienced language learner, it’s possible your Italian study plan includes activities which add little value.

Eliminating those, and replacing them with more appropriate alternatives, may be enough to speed up your progress!

To break through the wall, shake things up a little and see what happens.

Vary your mix of study activities.

Then observe what works for you, and what doesn’t.

For example, perhaps a change of emphasis would help?

Why not put away the grammar book for a while and try working on a simplified audio book?

Or sign up for an Italian course, and so let the teacher take the strain when it comes to deciding what to next.

Syllabus design and lesson-planning are what language teachers get paid for, after all.

Conversely, if you’re already doing a course, but feel it isn’t working out, why not take on some more of the responsibility for your learning, rather than leaving every decision to the teacher?

You could, for instance, draw up a self-study plan to supplement what you’re doing on the course.

In short, if what you’ve tried isn’t working any more, don’t give up – try a different way!

‘Hitting the wall’ is a common experience for learners of Italian, but breaking through that wall is absolutely possible.

Think medium-term, have realistic expectations, and above all, keep trying out different language-learning activities and approaches until you find a combination that works to drive you forward!

More Articles About Learning Italian | FAQ

So you’ve decided to learn Italian. (Why Learn Italian, anyway?)

Naturally, you want some idea of how long it’ll be before you can actually manage to communicate in the language.

You obviously don’t expect to immediately reach the same level of proficency that you have with your mother tongue.

But to be able to hold a normal conversation seems like a reasonable objective, doesn’t it?

So how long, you ask, will it take me to get to the point when I can join in conversations, make myself understood, and figure out what people are trying to tell me?

Good question.

In part the answer will depend on what you define as a ‘normal conversation’.

There’s a world of difference between a brief exchange about the weather while waiting for the bus, and a heated political discussion in a pub.

But mostly what you’ll be able to say and understand in Italian depends on how much time you allow yourself, and how much practice you get.

So, let’s suppose you’re taking a 20-hour per week Italian course at a language school here in Bologna, and that you’ll be starting right from the beginning with ‘Ciao!’ and ‘uno, due, tre’.

By the Friday of the first week, you’ll have covered some of the basics and might be beginning to find your way around Bologna, but basically you’ll still be pretty lost!

The second week (hours 21-40) will see you settling better into the routine of learning, and so gradually becoming more able to follow classes taught only in Italian.

You’ll have started Week 2 with a lot more Italian than you had on the Monday of Week 1, and will finish it with a more in-depth knowledge of Italian grammar and vocabulary than you had seven days earlier.

Progress then, but no miracles.

Your third week (hours 41-60) is where the difference really starts to show.

You’ll have made some friends by then, and hopefully will be communicating with them in basic Italian.

Ordering a coffee or a meal in Italian will have become routine, and you’ll be a lot more confident working out what the teacher is saying and knowing how to respond.

Grammar-wise, you’ll be studying the second half of the A1 (beginner) syllabus. Perhaps you’ll have already encountered a past tense, which inevitably opens a lot of conversational doors!

Week four (hours 61-80) will see you approaching the end of the A1/Beginner’s syllabus.

You’ll feel more confident with the basic grammar that is essential to speaking and understanding Italian, and you’ll have covered a lot of new words (which, after 80 hours of practice, you should now be able to remember!)

By this point, most students will recognise themselves in the A1 level description:

Can understand and use familiar everyday expressions and very basic phrases aimed at the satisfaction of needs of a concrete type. Can introduce him/herself and others and can ask and answer questions about personal details such as where he/she lives, people he/she knows and things he/she has. Can interact in a simple way provided the other person talks slowly and clearly and is prepared to help.

Disappointingly, even after four weeks of studying each morning, you’ll still be quite limited in what you can say and understand…

On the positive side, you’ll be way, way better than when you began!

But what if you decide to progress further?

The A2/Pre-Intermediate descriptor (another four weeks/80 hours) will give you an idea of what you can achieve with more time:

Can understand sentences and frequently used expressions related to areas of most immediate relevance (e.g. very basic personal and family information, shopping, local geography, employment). Can communicate in simple and routine tasks requiring a simple and direct exchange of information on familiar and routine matters. Can describe in simple terms aspects of his/her background, immediate environment and matters in areas of immediate need.

That still doesn’t seeem quite what most people would define as ‘holding a normal conversation’, though…

So, if you have the time and energy, a good target to aim for would be a B1/Intermediate level.

For most people, a B1/Intermediate level is reachable in a total of 12 weeks / 240 hours of study:

Can understand the main points of clear standard input on familiar matters regularly encountered in work, school, leisure, etc. Can deal with most situations likely to arise whilst travelling in an area where the language is spoken. Can produce simple connected text on topics which are familiar or of personal interest. Can describe experiences and events, dreams, hopes & ambitions and briefly give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans.

Now THAT sounds more like it, doesn’t it?

Imagine being able to ‘understand the main points’, ‘deal with most situations’, ‘describe hopes and ambitions’ and ‘give reasons and explanations’ – in Italian!

That would indeed be a normal conversation, and then some!

It’s achievable in around 12 weeks of study.

An extended summer holiday, for example.

Or a sabbatical period…

More Articles About Learning Italian | FAQ

Why study a foreign language?

It’s hard work, time-consuming and potentially expensive.

And if you’re going to bother at all, why choose Italian, rather than say Spanish, French, German, or something more ambitious like Chinese?

There are many excellent reasons to learn a foreign language, none the least that it’s an infinitely better use of your time than sitting in front of trash reality TV programs.

Learning a foreign language will boost your self-confidence, give you the chance to develop new skills, and open your mind.

Imagine you manage to reach a reasonable communicative level in Italian or another foreign language – think what a psychological boost that will give you, how much more confident you will feel about tackling other complex and difficult projects in the future.

In Turkey they have a saying, something like this:

If you speak one language, you are one person. But if you speak more than one language, you become more than one person.

Being multilingual brings freedom and opportunity.

Having the ability to express yourself in another language, and to understand what others say to you, really will open the door to new worlds and new ways of being you!

Convinced?

Excellent!

But why then choose to learn Italian?

Many students of Italian have obvious family reasons for learning the language – parents or grandparents born in Italy, or like me, an Italian partner.

But if that’s not the case for you, Italian could still be an excellent choice, if for no other reason than the fact that Italian is closely related to other ‘Latin-origin’ languages like Spanish, French and Portuguese.

So?

Well, I studied French at school, but felt I had made little progress with it.

Since learning Italian, however, I find myself able to make sense of a French newspaper or novel, such are the similarities between the two languages.

And I know no Spanish at all, but regularly hold conversations with young Spanish or South-American students who come to Bologna to learn Italian.

Imagine the scene: they’re speaking Spanish, I’m replying in Italian…

But due to the similarities between the two languages, we’re actually managing to communicate with no real problem!

Choose Italian as your foreign language and, as an extra, you’ll gain some ability to understand three or more OTHER languages.

But study Italian and you’ll also be learning the language of fashion and design, of art and opera, of Italy’s much-loved cuisine and fine wines, of Dante Alighieri and renaissance Florence.

What’s more, with some knowledge of the Italian language, visiting some of Europe’s oldest monuments or getting to know Italy’s magnificent and varied landscapes and coastline will be a richer and more satisfying experience.

But why take my word for it?

Google ‘most studied languages’ and you’ll find that according to the latest statistics, Italian is in fourth place after English, French and Spanish (all ‘colonial’ languages).

Master Italian, and you won’t be short of people to talk to!

More Articles About Learning Italian | FAQ

If you’re living in Italy or learning Italian, one word you simply must know is ‘proroga‘.

Why?

Well, when for example the Italian government sets a deadline for, say, tax returns, or introduces a new ‘simplified’ system for doing this or that, the result tends to be confusion and delay.

Lobby groups get to work pointing out that more time is needed. No WAY will Joe Public be able to file by then…

And so, as if this had never happened before and couldn’t possibly have been predicted, a ‘proroga’ is announced. No need to pay your taxes just yet. You now have until…

Anyway, the deadline for enrolling for a CILS Italian language exam was yesterday (24th October).

But then, yesterday, an e-mail arrived from the organisers announcing a ‘proroga’ (extension).

Obviously, this plays hell with our marketing.

But it does mean that if you’re interested in certifying your knowledge of Italian, but hadn’t gotten around to organising a trip to Bologna in December, you now have seven more days.

So, make a note on your To-Do list:

– the new latest enrollment date for the December CILS exams is now 31st October!

There’s something spooky about that, isn’t there?

(For more information on adding an Italian language qualification to your resume, go here. Sign up in person at our Italian language school in Bologna, or do it online in our ‘shop‘.)

P.S.

A second proroga is extremely rare, so act now!

Think how your resume would stand out from the crowd if you gained an internationally-recognised certificate showing the level you have reached in Italian.

Plus, signing up to take a CILS (Certificazione di Italiano come Lingua Straniera) exam at our Italian language school in Bologna this December will also give you an excellent reason to study.

Take a course at our school immediately before or after your exam and we’ll even discount your course by the cost of the level A1 or A2 exam. In effect, you’ll pay for the course but take your exam for free!

The deadline for CILS enrollments is just 10 days from now: 24th October.

Find out more about taking a CILS exam in Bologna this December.

Choose from our various Italian language courses.

Or contact us with your question!

Twice a year, in December and again in June, there’s the opportunity to measure your progress in Italian by taking one of the CILS suite of exams organized by the Università per Stranieri di Siena.

Preparing for an Italian language exam is an excellent way to motivate yourself to study.

Plus, you’ll be working towards a qualification in Italian which will look great on your resume!

For more information about CILS exams, click here.

Enrollments are already open.

Save time by enrolling online or come and see us at our Italian school in Bologna.

The deadline for enrolling for the December 2014 exam is October 24th…

Fantastic special offer!

Kill two birds with one stone.

Sign up for a CILS exam in December, and add an Italian course at our school for the same period.

That way you’ll know you’ll be as prepared as possible come exam day.

But better still, we’ll discount the cost of your course by the price of an A1 or A2 level exam (or equivalent value, if you’d like to take one of the more costly higher level exams.)

In effect, you’ll get your CILS exam free!

Find full details of this offer on our CILS page:

Get an A1 or A2 exam FREE with your Italian course!

Or contact us.

Congratulations to the Madrelingua students and external candidates who have just received the results of their CILS Italian language exams!

CILS Italian language exams

On the 5th June 2014 our school hosted candidates from Australia, Spain, UK, Japan, China, USA, Russia, Brazil, France, Ireland, Germany, Italy and Sweden.

Levels examined were from A2 (pre-intermediate) to C2 (proficiency).

‘Congratulazioni’ from all the teachers and staff at Madrelingua to:

A2
SHIMADA DEBRA

B1
BENEITO FRANCES ROSA
CROWDEN LUCIA
KAWATA NATSUKI
PENG PENG
RAFFKIND JULIE ANN
TRAVKINA INNA [Read more…]

The 2014 Summer Offer on Italian courses at our school in Bologna ends at midnight tonight – 31st May.

Don’t miss it!

• offer applies to any group Italian course beginning in June, July, August or September 2014
• course prices as listed on our website, less any discount you may be entitled to
• plus GET A BONUS INDIVIDUAL LESSON – normal price €37 – to use during or after your course

Booking your Italian course couldn’t be easier:

1. Choose your Italian course
2. Discover how we can arrange accommodation for you too
3. Take a look at Italian course prices
4. Complete the (very short, very simple) booking form
5. Confirm your course with a deposit 

Contact Stefi with your questions (she reads her e-mails even at weekends).

See you in Bologna this summer!

P.S.

To find out what people say about our school, click here.

Hint: it’s probably not the cost.

But we’ll get to that later.

What’s your dream?

We all have things that, ideally, in a perfect world, we’d like to achive.

I’d like to sail my (30-year old) yacht across the Adriatic Sea and cruise the islands of Croatia.

Alone.

But there are all sorts of reasons why I’ll probably never do it.

There’s Italian bureaucracy (don’t ask).

Then there’s the engine, which has seen better days.

And of course it would mean leaving Stefi to run the school AND look after the kids.

She hates cooking, so they’d probably starve…

Clearly, this is not the right moment.

Maybe when I’m retired…

See how easy it was for me to talk myself out of living my dream?

I’ve got pretty damn good at it over the years.

You have a try: [Read more…]

Sometimes things are not what they seem.

Choose a quality Italian school and you’ll know that you’ll get a reasonable quality of teaching in a professional environment.

Check you’re enrolling on the right course for you by comparing the other options the school offers.

Take a look at the websites of a few other decent Italian schools, just to make sure that the one you’ve been recommended is not unreasonably priced.

And obviously, look out for any seasonal offers or discounts.

Decision made, you go do the course.

You pay for a certain number of hours or weeks, your Italian improves a certain (predictable) amount. Right?

Well, no.

You see, people are different.

And some are just better prepared to learn than others… [Read more…]