advanced-eng

I often get asked questions like: “Are these two words completely synonymous? Or are they different? Because they look the same to me…”! Actually, in Italian there are many different words that are similar, in meaning or appearance – these similarities might mislead students and make them think that they can use such words interchangeably… when actually they are different words!
Therefore, it is necessary to know them so to use them in the right contexts and avoid saying something we did not mean to say. For this reason, I decided to create a list of pairs (and a trio) of words that often confuse my students!

When you study a language, you often start by learning to talk about your routine or your hobbies – for many people, makeup falls into both categories: some people wear makeup to prepare for the day and improve their looks, while others do it to experiment with a form of art that isn’t completely conventional. Whatever the reason, if you want to talk about makeup in Italian, you should learn all the words and verbs required to explain every single step of the process – of course, in this article you will find all the fundamental vocabulary and verbs to talk about cosmetics!

Of all team sports, football -or soccer- is definitely the most popular one in Italy. So, it’s not unusual that going to the stadium or watching the match on TV are extremely popular social activities in the Bel Paese – if you get invited to either these activities, I suggest you go to learn more about Italian culture. Going to the stadium is, without a doubt, one of those activities you must do at least once in your lifetime…even if you don’t like football! Obviously, it’s important to understand what people are talking about, and to be able to give your opinion in a comprehensible way. So, in this article we will go to the stadium, and we will show how to use the most common Italian words and expressions to TALK ABOUT FOOTBALL.

One of the most difficult topics in Italian grammar is the «consecutio temporum», also called «concordance of tenses». It is very complex because there are so many rules, so in this video I am going to give you a TEST on this topic. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, or if you still feel uncomfortable and want to brush up on the theory before taking the test, watch the lesson explaining the consecutio temporum first and then come back here!

In this article we will talk about the most famous book in italian literature (second only to the Divine Comedy): Il Decameron, by Giovanni Boccaccio! The magnum opus of this author is feared among italians and foreigners, not only because of its significant length, but also for its outdated language… for this reason, we will briefly explain the work, focusing on the most important stories. Read the article to descover, or redescover, one of the most important pieces of literature in italian literature!

Once you reach a rather advanced level in a foreign language (something like a C1-C2 level, according to the European parameters), it gets harder to learn new words. A very efficient method would be to read books and watch videos – interviews or documentaries. You have already reached this level, I have no doubts, but do you remember the meanings of all the words you have stumbled upon? I mean the difficult ones, obviously! Well, let’s found it out together with this advanced level test (C1-C2) on Italian vocabulary!