Italian Resources

[bpasseri]

What are people's preferred media for Italian? I recently started an Italian course and am finding it pretty easy with a basis in French and Spanish, but it's difficult to think of it as its "own language" in my mind because of its similarity. I'm hoping that with more input I can stop recalling French or Spanish words when trying to remember a word in Italian and give it its own "separate space" in my brain, but I'm at a loss when trying to find good input for Italian. Most other languages I've studied have been pretty major world languages so it's easy to find a lot of input, but at least in the United States Italian is really something people only flirt with superficially, so there are millions of beginner courses but it's impossible to find anything intermediate or above because everyone seems to give up by that point (or are just content to learn the words for wine and pasta )

[Speakeasy]

Italian Study Group
I suggest that you copy/paste your post as a question to the members of the « Italian Study Group »
https://forum.language-learners.org/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=1897

Discussion Threads & Websites
While awaiting their responses, you might wish to familiarize yourself with the following discussion threads and websites, many of which contain lists of resources for studying Italian or for improving one’s understanding of the language.

How to Reach Fluency in Italian
https://forum.language-learners.org/viewtopic.php?f=17&p=44189&sid=fdc8d87a9f75ed199f0f6a3272b37879#p44189

Question on Assimil Italian
https://forum.language-learners.org/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=5419

Pefectionnement Italien or Similar
https://forum.language-learners.org/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=2072

Best Italian Websites (according to the creator of this website)
https://sites.uni.edu/becker/italiano2.html

Comparison of Italian and Spanish
http://www.lancaster.ac.uk/staff/letchfoa/comparison/comparison.htm

Princeton Dante Project
http://etcweb.princeton.edu/dante/pdp/

Indiana University CeLT Recorded Materials Archives (to access the files, try to register for a distant-learning course)
http://www.iu.edu/~celtie/italian_archive.html

Standford University, La Casa Italiana
http://stanford.edu/group/resed/row/italiana/culture/culture.htm

Yabla Italian Video Immersion
https://italian.yabla.com/?a=1059&gclid=CJHNuOeWzsICFeVj7Aod_SYARw

Viel Spaβ !

[Cavesa]

What are people's preferred media for Italian? I recently started an Italian course and am finding it pretty easy with a basis in French and Spanish, but it's difficult to think of it as its "own language" in my mind because of its similarity. I'm hoping that with more input I can stop recalling French or Spanish words when trying to remember a word in Italian and give it its own "separate space" in my brain, but I'm at a loss when trying to find good input for Italian. Most other languages I've studied have been pretty major world languages so it's easy to find a lot of input, but at least in the United States Italian is really something people only flirt with superficially, so there are millions of beginner courses but it's impossible to find anything intermediate or above because everyone seems to give up by that point (or are just content to learn the words for wine and pasta )

Hi,

I see your point as I was in a similar situation. Passive Italian is very easy after French and Spanish. But active skills not that much. It is still a new language and it is sometimes hard to be patient with it. I am now at the point, where I understand dubbed series in Italian perfectly (originals are more challenging) and easier books too (crime novels or fantasy for now), but my speaking is something like a butchered B1.

A few reviews, perhaps you'll find some of this useful:

There are streaming sites with tv series, or you may be lucky enough to have the dubs on your dvds. I started with the Marvel series like Jessica Jones, and it has been working fine. You should understand well really soon.

Books: Licia Troisi is a YA fantasy author that is not bad and the books are accessible, there are tons of crime novels, I can't remember the one I read first, but it was really easy after a few chapters. Like a miracle. Or a translation of good quality could serve.

The grammar and vocabulary is very similar, but not the same. Be aware of this. Some grammar features look like they follow the same logic as in French and Spanish, but they don't, or they are used less or more, or there are tiny differences that take ages to settle. There are false friends in the vocabulary, and there are enough differences to make the idea "I'll just switch the Spanish/French ending for an Italian one and that will be it" risky.

Grammarbooks I really like:
https://www.amazon.it/Una-grammatica-it ... +per+tutti
this is a very useful explanation + exercises book, there are two volumes, A1/2, and B1/2
https://www.amazon.it/Grammatica-italia ... +per+tutti
A very good grammar for natives, great explanations, and it includes stuff you are not that likely to find in the learner aimed ones.

I have also started a few classical courses. I progress faster, I don't need their basic listening exercises, but I need the normal exercises and expressions and communication stuff and so on. Two are Czech based, therefore useless to you. I found a recommendation of the Nuovo Espresso series here on the forums, and I bought the first book after I found out they had finally made advanced levels too. I think it is certainly possible to skip the first levels and just learn the grammar in the grammar books and vocab elsewhere, so you might start at level 2, 3, or 4, depends on your style.

For vocabulary, I find it very good to include sources (vocab building books, Memrise lists, Clozemaster) that are based in French and Spanish on top of those based in English. They are really good at making me aware of the differences.

Now I just need the time to finish all I have started!

[Xmmm]

What are people's preferred media for Italian? I recently started an Italian course and am finding it pretty easy with a basis in French and Spanish, but it's difficult to think of it as its "own language" in my mind because of its similarity. I'm hoping that with more input I can stop recalling French or Spanish words when trying to remember a word in Italian and give it its own "separate space" in my brain, but I'm at a loss when trying to find good input for Italian. Most other languages I've studied have been pretty major world languages so it's easy to find a lot of input, but at least in the United States Italian is really something people only flirt with superficially, so there are millions of beginner courses but it's impossible to find anything intermediate or above because everyone seems to give up by that point (or are just content to learn the words for wine and pasta )

In the US, you can get a subscription to netflix and watch a considerable amount of stuff dubbed in Italian with Italian subtitles. I have watched all five seasons of House of Cards that way and am sampling Frontier, River, Marcella, Black Mirror, Roman Empire:Reign of Blood, Marseille, etc.

Amazon video has a few good Italian shows, but thet all have English subtitles you can't get rid of.

[Jbean]

I prefer to read electronically and by some miracle, there is a tremendous amount of Italian content available for Kindle and not just creaky old classics like "I promessi sposi". I recently downloaded an Elena Ferrante novel. You don't need to claim you live in Italy to do it either. (God forbid you should want to read a current novel written in French in the original French, the gods of Amazon won't permit it unless you employ subterfuge. To. Give. Them. Money.) There are also large numbers of simplified short fiction graded by vocabulary level, A2, B1, etc. that is available both electronically and in paper.

[rdearman]

I prefer to read electronically and by some miracle, there is a tremendous amount of Italian content available for Kindle and not just creaky old classics like "I promessi sposi". I recently downloaded an Elena Ferrante novel. You don't need to claim you live in Italy to do it either. (God forbid you should want to read a current novel written in French in the original French, the gods of Amazon won't permit it unless you employ subterfuge. To. Give. Them. Money.) There are also large numbers of simplified short fiction graded by vocabulary level, A2, B1, etc. that is available both electronically and in paper.

Blame the French government not Amazon. It isn't an Amazon restriction.

[Cavesa]

I prefer to read electronically and by some miracle, there is a tremendous amount of Italian content available for Kindle and not just creaky old classics like "I promessi sposi". I recently downloaded an Elena Ferrante novel. You don't need to claim you live in Italy to do it either. (God forbid you should want to read a current novel written in French in the original French, the gods of Amazon won't permit it unless you employ subterfuge. To. Give. Them. Money.) There are also large numbers of simplified short fiction graded by vocabulary level, A2, B1, etc. that is available both electronically and in paper.

Blame the French government not Amazon. It isn't an Amazon restriction.

It's not just the French government and I personally doubt it could do anything by itself, even though it could be important in the change. Unfortunately, this system of restrictions is worldwide, with the US leading the way. The only organisation that could and should change it now, is the EU, as free market is one of the basics, and the cultural exchange is part of the idea too. One digital market in the EU would already be a huge step forward, and potential a great precedent for other regions.

But Amazon could play a significant role, as it is the biggest seller of all such stuff, if only they realized the market they are ignoring is there. They would have the best position to push the governments and also the industry in the right direction, if only they wanted.

But until then, we are gonna be forbidden to pay and called thiefs at the same time.

[DaveBee]

I prefer to read electronically and by some miracle, there is a tremendous amount of Italian content available for Kindle and not just creaky old classics like "I promessi sposi". I recently downloaded an Elena Ferrante novel. You don't need to claim you live in Italy to do it either. (God forbid you should want to read a current novel written in French in the original French, the gods of Amazon won't permit it unless you employ subterfuge. To. Give. Them. Money.) There are also large numbers of simplified short fiction graded by vocabulary level, A2, B1, etc. that is available both electronically and in paper.

Blame the French government not Amazon. It isn't an Amazon restriction.

It's not just the French government and I personally doubt it could do anything by itself, even though it could be important in the change. Unfortunately, this system of restrictions is worldwide, with the US leading the way. The only organisation that could and should change it now, is the EU, as free market is one of the basics, and the cultural exchange is part of the idea too. One digital market in the EU would already be a huge step forward, and potential a great precedent for other regions.

But Amazon could play a significant role, as it is the biggest seller of all such stuff, if only they realized the market they are ignoring is there. They would have the best position to push the governments and also the industry in the right direction, if only they wanted.

But until then, we are gonna be forbidden to pay and called thiefs at the same time.

Publishing rights tend to cover geographic territories.

For a french language eBook, I can read reviews on Amazon.fr, and buy it on Amazon UK. I don't see this as a problem.

[Cavesa]

I prefer to read electronically and by some miracle, there is a tremendous amount of Italian content available for Kindle and not just creaky old classics like "I promessi sposi". I recently downloaded an Elena Ferrante novel. You don't need to claim you live in Italy to do it either. (God forbid you should want to read a current novel written in French in the original French, the gods of Amazon won't permit it unless you employ subterfuge. To. Give. Them. Money.) There are also large numbers of simplified short fiction graded by vocabulary level, A2, B1, etc. that is available both electronically and in paper.

Blame the French government not Amazon. It isn't an Amazon restriction.

It's not just the French government and I personally doubt it could do anything by itself, even though it could be important in the change. Unfortunately, this system of restrictions is worldwide, with the US leading the way. The only organisation that could and should change it now, is the EU, as free market is one of the basics, and the cultural exchange is part of the idea too. One digital market in the EU would already be a huge step forward, and potential a great precedent for other regions.

But Amazon could play a significant role, as it is the biggest seller of all such stuff, if only they realized the market they are ignoring is there. They would have the best position to push the governments and also the industry in the right direction, if only they wanted.

But until then, we are gonna be forbidden to pay and called thiefs at the same time.

Publishing rights tend to cover geographic territories.

For a french language eBook, I can read reviews on Amazon.fr, and buy it on Amazon UK. I don't see this as a problem.

Of course you can't see a problem as you live in one of the priviledged countries in this matter. I cannot buy it, therefore I definitely DO see it as a problem that I encounter regularly.

I am citizen to an EU country , therefore supposedly on the same market, but I cannot buy it. I can only buy the ebook damaged by translation, or I can buy a physical copy and pay for delivery fees (If I bought one book, than the delivery fee would almost double the price). The only way I can get a foreign ebook is downloading a pirated copy. I would love to pay a reasonable price, and the prices of books on Amazon are not bad (unlike prices of the Czech ebooks that are almost the same as prices of the paper copies, which is robbery). I am not allowed to.

[DaveBee]

I prefer to read electronically and by some miracle, there is a tremendous amount of Italian content available for Kindle and not just creaky old classics like "I promessi sposi". I recently downloaded an Elena Ferrante novel. You don't need to claim you live in Italy to do it either. (God forbid you should want to read a current novel written in French in the original French, the gods of Amazon won't permit it unless you employ subterfuge. To. Give. Them. Money.) There are also large numbers of simplified short fiction graded by vocabulary level, A2, B1, etc. that is available both electronically and in paper.

Blame the French government not Amazon. It isn't an Amazon restriction.

It's not just the French government and I personally doubt it could do anything by itself, even though it could be important in the change. Unfortunately, this system of restrictions is worldwide, with the US leading the way. The only organisation that could and should change it now, is the EU, as free market is one of the basics, and the cultural exchange is part of the idea too. One digital market in the EU would already be a huge step forward, and potential a great precedent for other regions.

But Amazon could play a significant role, as it is the biggest seller of all such stuff, if only they realized the market they are ignoring is there. They would have the best position to push the governments and also the industry in the right direction, if only they wanted.

But until then, we are gonna be forbidden to pay and called thiefs at the same time.

Publishing rights tend to cover geographic territories.

For a french language eBook, I can read reviews on Amazon.fr, and buy it on Amazon UK. I don't see this as a problem.

Of course you can't see a problem as you live in one of the priviledged countries in this matter. I cannot buy it, therefore I definitely DO see it as a problem that I encounter regularly.

I am citizen to an EU country , therefore supposedly on the same market, but I cannot buy it. I can only buy the ebook damaged by translation, or I can buy a physical copy and pay for delivery fees (If I bought one book, than the delivery fee would almost double the price). The only way I can get a foreign ebook is downloading a pirated copy. I would love to pay a reasonable price, and the prices of books on Amazon are not bad (unlike prices of the Czech ebooks that are almost the same as prices of the paper copies, which is robbery). I am not allowed to.

In my experience, the prices of eBooks tend to be the same/similar to print copies on Amazon UK too. Unless the book is out of copyright.

Book Publisher websites now sometimes sell copies or link to retailers. In the past you've linked to another french retailer that offers eBooks. Kobo.com I think are trying to compete with Amazon Kindle on a world level, is there a company targeting the Czech/slavic market? Do your public libraries/university offer an eBook service?