In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
Welcome
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 11/17/2005 - 07:34In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
Hi Martin
Welcome to the forum and good luck with your Italian. I found watching Italian TV a big help when learning the language. You can get a lot of Italian chanels via satellite (free to view hot bird)
Linda
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
Hi Martin Welcome
I must be very naughty because I have a 6CDs collection and havent got through the first one yet. It depends on the person but I found having lessons is best for me, the homework was horrid though. I also did it with the person I bought with in Italy, so we could support each other. We made lots of friends in the lessons, and always had a quick glass/bottle of Valpolicella after the lesson.
Good luck
Ciao
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
Ciao Martin e benvenuto
Like Elaine I have found classes work best for me; there is the interaction between everyone there and it's fun - very important in learning anything really. But, they may not work for you.
In which case there is Michel Thomas. Many people praise his style, so maybe he's not doing anything too far wrong - it just wasn't for me. Aliena has pointed you to the BBC site, which is very good. In fact there's a whole wealth of stuff on the Net, but it's finding what is right for you. You can go browse through the foreign language sections of any good bookstore, where there's a whole stack of books, dictionaries, CD packages.
If you feel you need to start from scratch then I would recommend Buongiorno Italia, a BBC publication that has recently been brought up to date. This was the first Italian course on TV and is still shown on the Learning Zone - though whether the Beeb has got round to revamping the series is something I would not know. For the moment I would not touch Italianissimo; I don't think it's suitable. Although it's said to be targeted at beginners or peole such as yourself who may be returning to the language, it does seem to be pitched at a higher level. Again it's shown on the Learning Zone.
And don't forget grammar, which is so important. You are probably aware that Italian grammar does differ to English - sometimes in strange ways! - so it's important to have a good grammar book. I use Italiano Vivo, by Giorgio Milesi -who has a wacky sense of humour! No doubt others can point you at other books that are equally good.
The main thing is, though, ENJOY IT!!!
Ciao
Peter
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
Hi Martin
Welcome to the forum. You can see from the above posts that there are a lot of different books, tapes, CDs on learning Italian.
Can I suggest that you go to your local library. They'll have several to choose from and you can take your time deciding which one's right for you before spending loads of dosh.
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
Welcome to the forum and good luck with your plans. Spend as much time as you can in Italy with Italians over the next few years until your plans come to fruition.
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
hi people may i say thank you very much for your support ,help and advice. this is a great site with great people! once again thank you . you have all been very helpful. :o
welcome to the forum - I'm sure you will find loads of help in the language thread.
I have found Learn Italian in your Car excellent (9 cds and a a couple of little books), together with Italian Verb Drills. Both from Amazon.