Lingua's Italian All The Time Log

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lingua
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Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... 15&t=12257
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Re: Lingua's Italian All The Time Log

Postby lingua » Fri Oct 12, 2018 8:49 pm

Reading:
Storie per imparare... by Duso/Dinale <-- 26%
BarLume: Il gioco delle tre carte by Marco Malvaldi <-- 81%

I had hoped to have already finished BarLume but intend to complete it by tomorrow. I want to know who did it.


Writing:
I'm continuing to write random sentences most days. I have an assignment from one of my italki teachers to write a request for information type letter and she will correct it.


Speaking:
I've had two italki sessions with two different teachers. The one that gave me the writing assignment is one I've used for over a year. The new one provided some feedback. She said my structure is good but that I need to work on my pronunciation. Nobody has ever told me this before. In fact I've always been told the opposite. I have used Forvo for pronunciation help in the past so I spent some time with it again this past week. I speak the word, listen to the pronunciation and repeat it. I nearly always say the words as I hear them.


Listening:

podcasts: none since last update

film: total of 484 minutes
YouTube: Eredità 2 episodes
MHz Choice: La piovra S2E1, BarLume: Aria di Mare, Montalbano: La danza del gabbiano, La Mafia uccide solo d'estate S1E1

MHz Choice has recently added three new Italian series, including La piovra, La Mafia uccide solo d'estate and Camorra Connection (Il Clan dei camorristi). I could use a change from all of the mafia related series but for some reason they only seem to get crime/mystery type shows. They will accept suggestions for new series to consider but I will have to research that to see what else is available. Suggestions are welcome. I like drama. Comedy is OK too as long as it's not slapstick or infantile.


Grammar/Vocabulary
edX mooc: nothing this week
memrise: review and added new words daily
clozemaster: did another 1000+ sentences or so

I've bought a bunch of books for studying specific areas. Writing is my weakest area so I will be spending a larger portion of my study time on it.
0 x
Super Challenge 2022-23:
DE: books: 0 / 2500 film: 1654 / 4500
IT: books: 3065 / 5000 film: 5031 / 9000
PT: books: 2921 / 5000 film: 5010 / 9000

Output Challenge 2023:
IT: write: 0 / 50000 record: 84 / 3000
PT: write: 0 / 50000 record: 0 / 3000

PT: Read 100 books: 28 / 100

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lingua
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Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... 15&t=12257
x 2024

Re: Lingua's Italian All The Time Log

Postby lingua » Sat Oct 13, 2018 10:50 pm

Finished book #9 earlier today. Il gioco delle tre carte by Marco Malvaldi. Typical murder mystery with a twist in that it's solved by Massimo the proprietor/barista of BarLume. Recommended if this is your genre.

ilgiocodelletrecarte.jpg
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Last edited by lingua on Sun Oct 14, 2018 6:35 pm, edited 1 time in total.
1 x
Super Challenge 2022-23:
DE: books: 0 / 2500 film: 1654 / 4500
IT: books: 3065 / 5000 film: 5031 / 9000
PT: books: 2921 / 5000 film: 5010 / 9000

Output Challenge 2023:
IT: write: 0 / 50000 record: 84 / 3000
PT: write: 0 / 50000 record: 0 / 3000

PT: Read 100 books: 28 / 100

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lingua
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Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... 15&t=12257
x 2024

Re: Lingua's Italian All The Time Log

Postby lingua » Wed Oct 24, 2018 4:07 am

I've finally received all my ordered materials for studying for the CILS B2 via Amazon, Applause Learning and Mondadori.

From Mondadori:
Il buongustare. Corso di enogastronomia d'Italia. Livello B1-B2
GP. Grammatica pratica della lingua italiana. Esercizi supplementari. Livello A1-C1
In italiano. Il corso. Livello B2-C1 w/CD

From Applause Learning:
Ascolto Medio (book/CD)
Ascolto Avanzato (book/CD)
La Prova Orale 1 A1-B1
La Prova Orale 2 B2-C2
Ci vuole orecchio - advanced (book/CD)
L'italiano per la cucina A2-B1

I highly recommend Applause Learning if you like courses. They are geared towards language teachers and often have the teachers edition with all the answers to go along with textbook style books. Many of the courses are native materials. They also have games and other aids which might be useful for people trying to teach their children a second language. The downside is they cover only the major languages taught in the US: French, German, Italian, Spanish plus Latin (which I think is less taught here). They also have foreign DVDs and some books though mostly reader type.

From Amazon:
L'utile e il dilettevole: Eserciziario Vol. 1 - A1-B1
L'utile e il dilettevole: Eserciziario vol. 2 - B2-C2
Traguardo CILS: Libro CILS DUE - B2
Strategie di scrittura: Libro

That last one for writing (scrittura) is $74 new and has only 85 pages. Way to much for me. I found a used one in like new condition for $16.

I've started off with these two books first and will add other ones in the coming weeks.

L'italiano per la cucina which is entirely too easy but enjoyable since it's on my favorite subject (food/cooking).

GP. Grammatica pratica della lingua italiana which I like. It starts off easy and is setup with 60 lessons of two pages on a different grammar point. I am doing all of the exercises and writing all sentences out so that I can get more writing practice. From what I can see it will get progressively more difficult as I move through the chapters.

I'll also continue to write from Storie per imparare. I will be splitting my time with my italki teachers on conversing and going over my writing so I can correct any glaring errors. I'll be sharing my thoughts on these materials as I move along.
2 x
Super Challenge 2022-23:
DE: books: 0 / 2500 film: 1654 / 4500
IT: books: 3065 / 5000 film: 5031 / 9000
PT: books: 2921 / 5000 film: 5010 / 9000

Output Challenge 2023:
IT: write: 0 / 50000 record: 84 / 3000
PT: write: 0 / 50000 record: 0 / 3000

PT: Read 100 books: 28 / 100

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lingua
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Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... 15&t=12257
x 2024

Re: Lingua's Italian All The Time Log

Postby lingua » Mon Oct 29, 2018 12:19 am

Reading:
Storie per imparare... by Duso/Dinale <-- 26%
Guida affettuosa al piacere del vino by Barbara Summa <-- 44%
L'italiano per la cucina <-- 31%
GP. Grammatica pratica della lingua italiana by Marco Mezzadri <-- 7%

Based on the SC rules I will include the pages at a 50% rate for the last two books listed since they are 100% native materials but I want to account for white space and photos. I will consider them as one full book each for the purpose of my 100 Italian book goal.

Writing:
No real change here. I continue to write 2-3 pages of exercises per day. I'm considering the addition of a journaling component to write more free style. It would just be a couple of paragraphs about my day. Not so much the daily mundane things one must do as that would get too redundant. But on topics that are not part of the routine or thoughts on current events or social events and things of that nature.

Speaking:
I had only one lesson since my last update because I'm having some issues with Skype that started recently so until I can resolve them I may not be speaking much.

Listening:
I seem to have lost my podcast habit which I need to regain. In fact, more podcasts and less film would probably be beneficial.

film: total of 576 minutes
DVD: Perfetti sconosciuti, Mozzarella Stories
MHz Choice: BarLume: La loggia del Cinghiale, Un due tre stella, La battaglia navale; Montalbano: La caccia al tesoro

I enjoyed the first six episodes of BarLume (which MHZ Choice called Season 1) but the four episodes of Season 2 were not as good. Too contrived and silly causing my mind to wander. I don't know what to watch next because I've not been in a Mafia mood of late and I'm reluctant to complete Montalbano since there aren't that many episodes left so I want to make them last. I have a large Italian DVD collection so I will likely have to start watching them.

Grammar/Vocabulary
memrise: review and added new words daily
clozemaster: did another 1000+ sentences or so

L'italiano per la cucina: I've completed 4 of the 12 chapters. The first two were too easy in that there wasn't one word or phrase I didn't know. The 3rd chapter had a couple of phrases that were new to me. And the 4th chapter had a handful of words I didn't know related to cuts of meat and a specialized utensil. I didn't even know what the utensil was called in English. :roll: For those who are curious it was la schiumarola (which seems to be more commonly schiumaiola according to what I saw on wordreference.com). It is a skimmer.

GP. Grammatica pratica della lingua italiana: I've completed the first 4 of 60 chapters. Note that these chapters are only 2-4 pages. They've been fairly easy thus far but I see it becoming more challenging at the halfway mark. This book is of exercises and I believe there's a companion book of grammar. I may look for it because it's possible the explanations for more advanced grammar points might be better. I have a handful of advanced grammar books already but I still find them lacking.

Unfortunately, I've forgotten some irregular verb conjugations in the present tense. Because even in talking I don't often have a need to use them. I have quite a few verb drill type books so I've been doing some drills to refresh my memory. It comes right back to me but it's evidence that it's only my reading level that is close to B2 level. My writing/recall is a lot lower. You'd think if I can converse I should be able to write just as easily but that isn't the case.
2 x
Super Challenge 2022-23:
DE: books: 0 / 2500 film: 1654 / 4500
IT: books: 3065 / 5000 film: 5031 / 9000
PT: books: 2921 / 5000 film: 5010 / 9000

Output Challenge 2023:
IT: write: 0 / 50000 record: 84 / 3000
PT: write: 0 / 50000 record: 0 / 3000

PT: Read 100 books: 28 / 100

garyb
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Language Log: viewtopic.php?f=15&t=1855
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Re: Lingua's Italian All The Time Log

Postby garyb » Mon Oct 29, 2018 10:34 am

I'll be curious to see your thoughts as you continue with "Grammatica pratica". Intermediate-to-advanced Italian grammar books seem to be uncharted territory: there are some out there, but quality varies and it's hard to find any reviews or even a paper copy to flick through as they're not typically in bookshops. I have one, "Grammatica avanzata della lingua italiana", but I don't particularly recommend it: too much theory instead of practice, and padded out with silly exercises like crosswords. I was never able to find something similar to CLE's books for French which are well-regarded, get good reviews, and can be sampled on the website. "Pratica" sounds like the right kind of thing, so I'm keen to see how it is in... practice ;)
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lingua
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Re: Lingua's Italian All The Time Log

Postby lingua » Fri Nov 02, 2018 8:33 pm

I placed another order at mondadori because I wanted the GP. Grammatica pratica della lingua italiana. Livello A1-C1 book that goes with the exercise one I recently purchased. And because of the flat rate shipping I felt compelled to make the order cost effective by buying a couple of other advanced grammar/reference books and an assortment of Italian movies.

Just as I prefer to read native Italian authors rather than translated books I also prefer to watch film with Italian directors and actors. I found a useful review site called https://iloveitalianmovies.com/ maintained by an American who loves Italian movies. Based on some of her reviews, I was able to find some newer non-mafia movies to buy.
2 x
Super Challenge 2022-23:
DE: books: 0 / 2500 film: 1654 / 4500
IT: books: 3065 / 5000 film: 5031 / 9000
PT: books: 2921 / 5000 film: 5010 / 9000

Output Challenge 2023:
IT: write: 0 / 50000 record: 84 / 3000
PT: write: 0 / 50000 record: 0 / 3000

PT: Read 100 books: 28 / 100

User avatar
lingua
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Posts: 951
Joined: Sun Mar 13, 2016 11:23 pm
Languages: English (N)
Maintaining: italiano (B2/C1ish)
Studying: português, Latina
Dabbling: siciliano, Deutsch, français, piemontèis
Abandoned: ไทย, español
Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... 15&t=12257
x 2024

Re: Lingua's Italian All The Time Log

Postby lingua » Sat Nov 03, 2018 5:49 pm

Book #10 was Guida affettuosa al piacere del vino by Barbara Summa. I didn't realize it was self-published when I bought it. The writing style was what I'd consider conversational and easy to understand though disjointed and uneven at times. As one of the first line of the intro says "memorie di un'ex astemia" so for quite some time she was a teetotaler who eventually became a sommelier. Book covers how wine is made, some of the chemical properties/reactions, proper tasting methods, labeling and laws regarding it, pairing food with wine and a section on some of the well known Italian wines.

I particularly enjoyed the chapter on pairing wines because this is an area I find intriguing in how differently wine tastes based on your last bite of food. If you are into wine and are interested in the areas it covers it might be worth reading because it won't be as dry as some more polished books.

guidaaffettuosaalpiaceredelvino.jpg


As of today I have read 10 full books which is 32 books for SC. If I want to meet my double SC goal and the 100 book goal I need to spend more time reading.
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0 x
Super Challenge 2022-23:
DE: books: 0 / 2500 film: 1654 / 4500
IT: books: 3065 / 5000 film: 5031 / 9000
PT: books: 2921 / 5000 film: 5010 / 9000

Output Challenge 2023:
IT: write: 0 / 50000 record: 84 / 3000
PT: write: 0 / 50000 record: 0 / 3000

PT: Read 100 books: 28 / 100

User avatar
lingua
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Posts: 951
Joined: Sun Mar 13, 2016 11:23 pm
Languages: English (N)
Maintaining: italiano (B2/C1ish)
Studying: português, Latina
Dabbling: siciliano, Deutsch, français, piemontèis
Abandoned: ไทย, español
Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... 15&t=12257
x 2024

Re: Lingua's Italian All The Time Log

Postby lingua » Mon Nov 05, 2018 3:34 am

Reading:
Storie per imparare... by Duso/Dinale <-- 26%
L'italiano per la cucina <-- 51%
GP. Grammatica pratica della lingua italiana by Marco Mezzadri <-- 8%
L'utile e il dilettevole Vol 1 <-- 5%
BarLume: Il re dei giochi by Marco Malvaldi

I just barely started the new Barlume book but my goal is to complete it by the end of next weekend since I already know the plot.


Writing:
Continue to write 2-4 pages of exercises per day. In many cases this isn't necessary for the exercises as they are fill in the blank type but I need the practice. I will eventually have to write more free-form.


Speaking:
No speaking this week.


Listening:
podcasts/alma.tv: total of 51 minutes

film: total of 77 minutes
MHz Choice: BarLume: Il re dei giochi

I watched the BarLume movie prior to starting the book even though I had already watched it some months ago.


Grammar/Vocabulary
memrise: review and added new words daily
clozemaster: did another 700 sentences or so

L'italiano per la cucina: Completed 2 more chapters. They become progressively harder each chapter but still easy for me to understand which I would expect. It was still the case that I didn't know all of the specialized words used.

GP. Grammatica pratica della lingua italiana: I only completed chapter 5.

L'utile e il dilettevole Vol 1: I started this second grammar book to get more exercises. I've only done a portion of the first chapter which is on nouns and a lot of the exercises are using irregular nouns. I remember most of them but not all.

I also decided to do the 6WC with the goal of 3 hours per day on average. So far I'm failing that.
Last edited by lingua on Fri Dec 07, 2018 4:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.
1 x
Super Challenge 2022-23:
DE: books: 0 / 2500 film: 1654 / 4500
IT: books: 3065 / 5000 film: 5031 / 9000
PT: books: 2921 / 5000 film: 5010 / 9000

Output Challenge 2023:
IT: write: 0 / 50000 record: 84 / 3000
PT: write: 0 / 50000 record: 0 / 3000

PT: Read 100 books: 28 / 100

User avatar
lingua
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Languages: English (N)
Maintaining: italiano (B2/C1ish)
Studying: português, Latina
Dabbling: siciliano, Deutsch, français, piemontèis
Abandoned: ไทย, español
Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... 15&t=12257
x 2024

Re: Lingua's Italian All The Time Log

Postby lingua » Sun Nov 18, 2018 7:51 pm

Finished book #11 today. Il re dei giochi by Marco Malvaldi. This is the third in the BarLume series. When Massimo the proprietor of the bar and main character speaks or there is general narration this is an easy read. The problem is with the old retired guys who speak in Tuscan dialect. They had more conversations in this book and I found some parts of their dialog hard to follow. But I like the series and will continue on with it.

ilredeigiochi.jpg
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2 x
Super Challenge 2022-23:
DE: books: 0 / 2500 film: 1654 / 4500
IT: books: 3065 / 5000 film: 5031 / 9000
PT: books: 2921 / 5000 film: 5010 / 9000

Output Challenge 2023:
IT: write: 0 / 50000 record: 84 / 3000
PT: write: 0 / 50000 record: 0 / 3000

PT: Read 100 books: 28 / 100

User avatar
lingua
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Posts: 951
Joined: Sun Mar 13, 2016 11:23 pm
Languages: English (N)
Maintaining: italiano (B2/C1ish)
Studying: português, Latina
Dabbling: siciliano, Deutsch, français, piemontèis
Abandoned: ไทย, español
Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... 15&t=12257
x 2024

Re: Lingua's Italian All The Time Log

Postby lingua » Fri Dec 07, 2018 4:56 pm

Reading:
L'italiano per la cucina <-- 67%
GP. Grammatica pratica della lingua italiana by Marco Mezzadri <-- 1%
GP. Grammatica pratica della lingua italiana (esercizi supplementari) by Mezzadri and Pederzani <-- 8%
BarLume: La carta più alta by Marco Malvaldi <-- 76%

I'm about three quarters of the way through the fourth book in the BarLume series. This one didn't have an equivalent film. I also received the other GP book so now I'm in the process of catching up to the same section as where I am in the supplemental exercises and I will work them together. This has exercises too but also includes minor review of the grammar rules/concepts. So far I like these two books together. They feel complete and they are broken down by 1-2 grammar points per chapter.

Writing:
No real change since I continue to write some of my exercise sentences but haven't started with free form writing and probably won't until the new year since my free time will be curtailed for the rest of the month. I am writing other sentences from English based exercise books that in some cases are translations. The point for me is to create the habit.

Listening:
podcasts: total of 358 minutes
I listened to the 20 episodes of la storia in cucina, alle otto della sera. Each episode is on a different food subject. I kept feeling like it sounded familiar and finally by episode three I realized the narrator Massimo Montanari was the author of one of the food related books I read this past summer.

too much film: total of 1915 minutes
MHz Choice: Montalbano: L'età del dubbio
YouTube: Cuochi e Fiamme Ep 25-26 maggio 2017
DVD: La coppia dei campioni, Un’altra vita Ep 1-6, Lezioni di Cioccolato, La stanza del figlio, Non prendere impegni stasera, Il figlio più piccolo, Sucsate se esisto!
Netflix: Fiore, Caffè sospeso, La pazza gioia, Tutto per una ragazza

I'm trying to cut down on film (and increase podcasts) but due to being sick for a period of time I ended up watching even more than normal last month. I haven't used Netflix in a long time but decided to check the selection since MHz Choice hasn't had anything new in a while except several mafia series which I can no longer stomach. It may be that if I take a break from them for a few months I can return to them in the spring by which time I will probably have watched all of what Netflix offers.

Grammar/Vocabulary
memrise: review and added new words daily more or less
clozemaster: did another 3000 sentences or so

On memrise, I'm spending most of my time on learning specific conjugation form of verbs and new verbs in an attempt to increase my vocabulary so when I read I can look up fewer words. It seems to be helping as I am often finding those verbs in the BarLume series. It can be frustrating to know 1000 or more verbs but still find new ones all the time. The top 500 verbs will generally be sufficient in conversing but not in reading so much.

L'italiano per la cucina: Did another two chapters so I've completed 8 of 12. I like this book a lot. I will review it in more detail when I'm finished.

A few chapters in the GP books.

I've continued with the 6WC but am averaging only a little over 2 hours a day. That seems to be about as good as I can do. I still do not understand how people can do 3-4 hours a day. I work long hours so I need my sleep. At this rate I doubt I'll be ready for the exam in June though I will still work towards that date. I will start up with italki in the new year as well. I can't tell if I've fixed my Skype problem but I can try a different device to see if that helps.
1 x
Super Challenge 2022-23:
DE: books: 0 / 2500 film: 1654 / 4500
IT: books: 3065 / 5000 film: 5031 / 9000
PT: books: 2921 / 5000 film: 5010 / 9000

Output Challenge 2023:
IT: write: 0 / 50000 record: 84 / 3000
PT: write: 0 / 50000 record: 0 / 3000

PT: Read 100 books: 28 / 100


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