intermediate-eng

Whether you know it by the name macchina, automobile or simply auto, I am sure that you all know this means of transport on four wheels. But unless you are particularly interested in cars, I doubt you know every single part that make up cars, especially in Italian! Even if you already know the main components of cars, are you sure you know them all? Either way, in this lesson I will teach you all those words and verbs that have to do with cars: we will see all the parts of a car, but also all those verbs that can come in handy when talking about how it works, and how to drive it!

If you haven’t been living in Italy for a long time, and you are not used to living among Italians, you might have noticed that some stereotypes are not that far from reality. For instance, we are often portrayed as latecomers, and it’s kind of true. But what would you do if you had to go out with some Italian friends and you need to tell them to get a move on? What would you say to hurry them? Obviously, there are plenty of useful expressions that convey this intention, but they could be not too known to those who study Italian but have never lived in Italy – they tend to be quite informal. Keep reading if you are interested to know what we say to hurry the latecomers!

How many times have you said, “I should start that course… but not today, it’s been a hard week and I need at least two days off!“, or “Between work, family, and social life I really can’t study…” ? Well, these are excuses because we all have busy lives and many things to do, but it doesn’t mean that we can’t dedicate a few minutes a day to the study of a foreign language! Of course, during such a learning process you always reach a moment where you lose your motivation… and start to procrastinate… but don’t worry, I’m here to help you! In this article, I will give you 6 helpful tips to keep studying Italian -or any other foreign language- even when you really don’t feel like doing it!

Picture the scene: you at a restaurant in Italy. After having eaten antipasto (appetizers), first and second course, you decide you’re too full to order a dessert. A waiter approaches your table. You think they’re bringing you the bill, but instead they ask: “Would you like some limoncello?” Of course, you accept…who would say no to a lemon-flavoured digestivo? Now that you’re drinking it, you realize there are many things you do not know about it: how was the idea born? What is the original recipe? Well, if you don’t know either of these things, don’t worry: I’m here to answer all your questions about this delicious beverage. In this article, we are going to see its origins, the original recipe but also some fun facts about limoncello!

As I think you all already know, a short time ago I started studying a foreign language: Spanish! Obviously, I know that most of you are Italian students, but I think that no matter what language you study, everyone has the same doubts, and can all take the same advice to learn as best as they can – these tips are not only the ones that I give to my own students, but also the ones that I use myself! For this reason, I decided to show you my weekly study routine, everything I do every single day of the week to learn and keep my motivation high.

Turin is the capital city of Piedmont, and its history can be traced back through 2000 years – it even was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. It has many names, such as “la città dei quattro fiumi” (“the city of four rivers“, because it’s localized in a plain surrounded by Stura, Sangone and Po rivers with also the Dora Riparia flowing close to its historical center) and as “la città magica” (“the city of magic“, for being part of a triangle that involves the cities of Lyon and Prague). Among other events, it was the host city for The Universal Exposition (1911), the Winter Olympic Games (2006) and the 66th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest (2022). In terms of economic strength, it is ranked third in Italy, after Milan and Rome. So, as you can tell, Turin is an Italian city steeped in history and in art – it’s a city that you cannot not know, especially if you study the local language and culture! If you would like to visit it, or you simply want to know something more about it, stay with us to find out what the top 10 places to visit in this city are!