ItalianPod101.com Blog

There’s no doubt about it: Italians like to greet. It’s a warm, smiling country, where communicating happiness and hospitality is crucial. To many non-Italians, especially from Northern countries, Italian greetings can appear to be over-the-top or even a bit unpleasant if you have a very strong sense of personal space. Often, you don’t just say hello in Italian, but you hug, kiss, and hold hands, even with people you’ve just met. Body language is, indeed, as important as spoken language, but can be harder to understand and interpret. That’s why we at ItalianPod101 are providing you with a complete guide to Italian greetings, including gestures and body language. If you’re asking yourself, “How do you say hello in Italian?”, you’ll find... Show more

Most everyone is familiar with this day, as it is celebrated nearly everywhere the world. Yet, when exactly is April Fools’ Day? And where did April Fools come from? April Fools’ Day is observed on April 1st every year. This day of jokes and pranks is believed to have stemmed from the 16th-century calendar change in France, when New Year’s Day was moved from April 1 to January 1. This action was taken due to the adoption of the Gregorian calendar. However, a few people were resistant to the calendar change, so they continued to observe New Year’s Day on April 1st, rather than the new date. They were referred to as the “April Fools”, and others started playing mocking tricks on them. This custom endured, and is practiced to this day... Show more

Some Italian learners progress more quickly than others. Is this because they’re smarter, more talented, or maybe just lucky? In some cases perhaps. Most of the time though, a lot of what determines your success in a language is a) the amount and consistency of time you put into it; and b) the way that you go about practicing it. In this post we’ll take a look at 5 practical techniques that you can use to learn Italian successfully. 1. Hit the Easy Targets Italian comes from the family of the Romantic languages. Romantic languages have deep Latin roots. English has also been influenced by Latin (though not quite as much). Latin isn’t the only language to influence European languages. Greek also had a huge part to play. Also... Show more

Learn all the Italian New Year wishes online, in your own time, on any device! Join ItalianPod101 for a special Italian New Year celebration! Can you relate to the year passing something like this: “January, February, March - December!”? Many people do! Quantum physics teaches us that time is relative, and few experiences illustrate this principle as perfectly as when we reach the end of a year. To most of us, it feels like the old one has passed in the blink of an eye, while the new year lies ahead like a very long journey! However, New Year is also a time to celebrate beginnings, and to say goodbye to what has passed. This is true in every culture, no matter when New Year is celebrated. So, how do you say Happy New Year in... Show more

Do you know any ways to wish someone a ‘Merry Christmas’ in Italian? ItalianPod101 brings you easy-to-learn translations and the correct pronunciation of Italian Christmas phrases! Christmas is the annual commemorative festival of Christ’s birth in the Western Christian Church. It takes place on December 25th and is usually celebrated with much food and fanfare! However, not all cultures celebrate Christmas. In some countries, Christmas is not even a public holiday! However, many countries have adapted Christmas and its religious meaning to tally with their own beliefs, or simply in acknowledgment of the festival’s importance to other cultures. If you want to impress native Italian speakers with culturally-appropriate Christmas... Show more

In most cultures, it is custom to express gratitude in some way or another. The dictionary defines gratitude as follows: it is “the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness”. Giving a sincere, thankful response to someone’s actions or words is often the ‘glue’ that keeps relationships together. This is true in most societies! Doing so in a foreign country also shows your respect and appreciation for the culture. Words have great power - use these ones sincerely and often! Table of Contents 12 Ways to say ‘Thank you’ in Italian Video Lesson: Learn to Say ‘Thank You’ in 3 Minutes Infographic & Audio Lesson: Survival Phrases - Thank You Video Lesson: ‘Thank You’ in 31... Show more

Learn 4 tools and techniques to stop translating in your head and start thinking in Going through lessons is enough to get by and learn the basics of , but to truly become fluent you need to be able to think in . This will allow you to have conversations with ease, read smoothly, and comprehensively understand natives. To do this, you need to go beyond just completing daily or weekly lessons. We naturally translate in our heads because it's viewed as the easiest way to learn the definitions needed when learning a language. This way of learning can actually hinder your skills and fluency later on. If your brain has to make neural connections between the word you're learning, what it means in your native tongue, and the physical object... Show more

Your Learning, Streamlined – The New Lesson Interface Your learning is about to get a whole lot easier. More than ever, learners are choosing mobile as the platform to study Italian. Mobile has always been a part of our DNA. We began our life on your iPod, and have remained by your side ever since. In our 11th year, we’re returning to our roots as a way to learn Italian on-the-go. How? With a brand-new lesson interface just for you. Hint: It will launch in beta later this month! If you want to secure access to this brand new upgrade, take advantage of the upcoming All Access Pass Sale! Click Here to Get 25% OFF All ItalianPod101 Subscriptions! (example taken from japanesepod101.com) It’s built from the ground-up to... Show more

Have you ever returned to ItalianPod101 lessons you’ve completed? Accessing a lesson once is enough to learn more Italian. But to master what you’ve learned, to understand Italian the second you hear it, to read with just a quick glance, and to speak smoothly, without thinking... you need to review. In this blog post, you’ll learn the 5 review tactics and learning tools that will truly sharpen your Italian (all of which I’ve been able to resources for on ItalianPod101.com). Create Your Free Lifetime Account and Start Learning the whole Italian Language from the Beginning! 1. Listen to lines over and over again! One of the best ways to learn Italian (or any language) is to listen to native speakers over and over again until... Show more

Hi Listener, Want to speak more Italian in 2017? You need exposure to native Italian conversation from day 1. You need a native Italian speaker to explain it all – the words, the grammar, and cultural nuances. And you get all of that in every single ItalianPod101 lesson. In fact, we’re starting up a brand new season just in time for the New Year! Starting January 2nd, 2017, we’ll be publishing brand new seasons of Audio and Video Lessons to get you mastering Italian the fast, fun and easy way! Want to know what you can expect? Here’s ItalianPod101’s Lesson Schedule: Monday: - Beginner - Must-Know Italian Sentence Structures Tuesday: - Video Series - Listening Comprehension Thursday: - Throwback... Show more