The Rosetta Stone Challenge

The Rosetta Stone
Challenge
Italian
A part of the Speak Up! in Italian language series
by Young's Language Consulting
Level: 01
Copyright 1984, 1986, 1993, 2012 by Young's Language Consulting
This book is copyrighted material. All rights reserved. Except as permitted under
the Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or
distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval
system without the written permission of Young's Language Consulting.
The purpose of this book is not to teach you the Italian language, but to introduce you to it.
By learning Italian through the use of cognates with English, you will have a big headstart before you go on to formal language learning through classes or other means.
By the time you finish this book, you will have a clearer understanding on Italian and be ready
to tackle any lesson materials.
INTRODUCTION TO THE ITALIAN LANGUAGE
Page 3
INTRODUCTION TO NOUNS
Identifying nouns
A noun is defined as a person, place, or thing. They can also be an abstract things or idea. For
example, uomo (man), acqua (water), and amore (love) are nouns.
acqua - water
idea - idea
armadio - wardrobe
olio - oil
concetto - concept
sedia - chair
delfino - dolphin
tigre - tiger
donna - woman
uomo - man
Nouns and gender
Unlike in English, in the Italian language every noun has a gender. This is easily indicated (for the
most part) by the definite articles il for masculine nouns and la for feminine nouns both of which
means the.
la acqua - water
la idea - idea
el armadio - wardrobe
el olio - oil
el concetto - concept
la sedia - chair
el delfino - dolphin
la tigre - tiger
la donna - woman
el uomo - man
You may also see the indefinite articles un for masculine nouns and una for feminine nouns meaning
a and an.
un armadio - wardrobe
una sedia - chair
un concetto - concept
una tigre - tiger
una donna - woman
un uomo - man
una idea - idea
INTRODUCTION TO THE ITALIAN LANGUAGE
Page 4
There are some basic rules that will enable you to find out the gender of nouns from the last letter of
the word:
1. Nearly all words ending in -o or a consonant are masculine.
il treno - the train
un topo - a mouse
il supermercato - the supermarket
un gatto - a cat
l'aeroporto - the airport
un italiano - an Italian (man)
il toro - the bull
1. Most words ending in -a are feminine.
la casa - the house
una donna - a woman
la macchina - the car
una gatta - a cat
l'italiana - the Italian (woman)
2. Feminine nouns also end in
-à: una difficoltà (a difficulty), la realtà (the reality)
-sione: la versione (the version), un'occasione (an opportunity)
-zione: una lezione (a lesson), una conversazione (a conversation)
These are the most basic rules that you need to know for now to find the gender of an Italian word. Of course,
there are going to be some exceptions to the rules which will be looked at in detail in the Speak Up! in Italian
language course
INTRODUCTION TO THE ITALIAN LANGUAGE
Page 5
Words You Already Know
The task of learning Italian is simplified by words having have similar spellings
and identical or similar meanings in both Italian and English. You can see these
in the following words:
area
champagne
gin
audio
cinema
golf
auto
computer
hotel
banana
duty-free
internet
baseball
DVD
iTunes
basketball
e-mail
jazz
biscotti
espresso
jeans
boutique
euro
ketchup
brandy
extra
lasagne
buffet
fax
latte
business
fettuccine
limosine
cappuccino
film (movie)
linguine
casino
gelato
INTRODUCTION TO THE ITALIAN LANGUAGE
Page 6
More Words You Already Know
Sometimes you'll see words that don't quite look like English, but they are
pronounced very similarly and can also mean the same thing.
aeroporto
bottiglia
credito
agosto
caffé
crema
americano
caffè
deodorante
aprile
calendario
dicembre
aspirina
carta
difficile
autobus
cassiere
digitale
automatico
castello
escursione
autunno
cattedrale
eventi
bagaglio
centro
farmacia
banca
cheque
febbraio
barbiere
chilo
fontana
batteria
cioccolato
foto
bevanda
classica
fresco
bicicletta
commerciale
giardino
birra
concerto
guida
blu
conferenza
vino
INTRODUCTION TO THE ITALIAN LANGUAGE
Page 7
Check Yourself
Take a look at these Italian words. Can you guess what they are in English?
Write them in the spaces provided.
1. asma: ____________
12.paprica: ____________
2. blu: ____________
13.patata: ____________
3. caffé: ____________
14.pigiama: ____________
4. cheque: ____________
15.rosbif: ____________
5. chilo: ____________
16.scaloppine: ____________
6. foto: ____________
17.tiramisù: ____________
7. giacca: ____________
18.toilette: ____________
8. giallo: ____________
19.tonno: ____________
9. iogurt: ____________
20.valle: ____________
10.ombrello: ____________
11.papaia: ____________
INTRODUCTION TO THE ITALIAN LANGUAGE
Page 8
Definite and Indefinite Articles
There are two types of article in Italian, just like in English. They are the articolo determinativo (definite article), and the articolo indeterminativo (indefinite article).
In giardino c’è un cane. - There is a dog in the garden.
In giardino c’è il cane. - The dog is in the garden.
In Italian the form of the article not only has to agree with the gender and number of the
noun it is attached to, but also according to the initial letter of the word following it.
The basic forms of the articles in Italian are:
Masculine
Singular
Plural
Definite article:
il / lo
i / gli
Indefinite article:
un / uno
Feminine
Singular
Plural
Definite article:
la / l’
le
Indefinite article:
una / un’
If the word following the articles la and una begin with a vowel, then they’re abbreviated to l’ and un’ as we’ll
see on the next pages.
INTRODUCTION TO THE ITALIAN LANGUAGE
Page 9
Definite Articles
Before using the definite article, you will need to ask yourself which definite article should you
use?
1. ls the noun of masculine gender?
a. If the word is of masculine gender, then use il:
il ragazzo - the boy
il cellulare - the mobile phone
b. If the word starts with z, gn, pn, ps, x, y or a s+consonant, then use lo:
lo zio - the uncle
lo psichiatra - the psychiatrist
lo studente - the student
lo iogurt - the yogurt
lo pneumatico - the tyre
c. If the word begins with a vowel, then it is shortened to l'
l'ospedale - the hospital
l'albergo - the hotel
2. ls the noun of feminine gender?
a. If the word is of feminine gender, then use la:
la ragazza - the girl
la macchina - the automobile
b. If the word begins with a vowel, then it is shortened to l'
l'amica - the friend (female)
l'arancia - the orange
INTRODUCTION TO THE ITALIAN LANGUAGE
Page 10
Indefinite Articles
Italian indefinite articles have four different forms - un, uno, una and un'. And just like the
definite articles on page 9, there are a couple of questions to consider:
1. ls the noun of masculine gender?
a. If the word is of masculine gender and begins with a consonant or a vowel, then use
un:
un uomo - a man
un cellulare - a mobile phone
b. If the word starts with z, gn, pn, ps, x, y or a s+consonant, then use uno:
uno zio - an uncle
uno psichiatra - a psychiatrist
uno studente - a student
uno pneumatico - a tyre
2. ls the noun of feminine gender?
a. If the word is of feminine gender, then use una:
una ragazza - the girl
una mela - an apple
b. If the word begins with a vowel, then it is shortened to un'
un'amica - a friend (female)
un'ora - an hour
INTRODUCTION TO THE ITALIAN LANGUAGE
Page 11
Check Yourself
Take a look at the following sentences. In the spaces provided, put in the correct articles:
Definite Articles:
Indefinite Articles:
Ecco ___ professore
Ecco ___ professore
Ecco ___ professoressa
Ecco ___ professoressa
Ecco ___ studente
Ecco ___ studente
Ecco ___ americano
Ecco ___ americano
Ecco ___ americana
Ecco ___ americana
Ecco ___ ospedale
Ecco ___ ospedale
Ecco ___ supermercato
Ecco ___ supermercato
Ecco ___ zoo
Ecco ___ zoo
INTRODUCTION TO THE ITALIAN LANGUAGE
Page 12
Recognizing Plural Nouns in Italian
There are two ways to make plural nouns in Italian. In most cases you change the ending,
but in a few cases the same form as the singular is used. There are also some nouns with
irregular plural forms. We'll first look at nouns that change their endings when in the plural
forms:
1. Nearly all masculine nouns change the -o, -a or -e ending to -i.
-o
un anno - one year
due anni - two years
un ragazzo - a boy
due ragazzi - two boys
-a
un ciclista - a cyclist
due ciclisti - two cyclists
un problema - a problem
molti problemi - lots of problems
-e
un mese - a month
due mesi - two months
un francese - a Frenchman
due francesi - two Frenchmen
2. Feminine nouns change the -a ending to -e.
una settimana - a week
due settimane - two weeks
una ragazza - a girl
due ragazze - two girls
Feminine nouns ending in -e change it to -i.
un'inglese - an Englishwoman
due inglesi - two Englishwomen
la vite - the vine
le viti - the vines
If a nouns ends in -à or a consonant, the ending does not change:
il film
i film
il manager
i manager
il computer
i computer
la jeep
le jeep
la città
le città
grandi città
INTRODUCTION TO THE ITALIAN LANGUAGE
Page 13
Plural Articles in Italian
We have seen the Italian definite article (il, lo, la) and indefinite article (un, uno, una) have
different forms depending on the gender (masculine/feminine) of the following word. Now
let’s take a look at how the plural forms of nouns change the article to agree with them:
Definite articles
i is the plural form of il
gli is the plural form of both l’ and lo:
the bar - i bar
the articles - gli articoli
the restaurant - i ristoranti
the men - gli uomini
the sense - i sensi
the hotels - gli hotel
the uncles - gli zii
INTRODUCTION TO THE ITALIAN LANGUAGE
Page 14
Check Yourself
Insert the definite article before the nouns.
Examples: acqua - l’acqua; stanza - la stanza; uomini - gli uomini
_____ figlia
_____ sport
_____ zia
_____ uovo
_____ problema
_____ xenofobia
_____ mano
_____ tivù
_____ auto
_____ amici
_____ fratello
_____ pianiste
_____ libri
_____ dita
_____ entrata
_____ crisi
_____ studio
_____ inglese
_____ zii
_____ notti
Now insert the indefinite article before these nouns.
_____sorella
_____ psichiatra [m]
_____ ciliegia
_____ sigaretta
_____amico
_____ insegnante [f]
_____zio
_____ gnu
_____zia
_____ artista [m]
_____aereo
_____ sbaglio
_____amica
_____figlio
_____ cantante [f]
_____ yogurt
_____ migliaio
_____analisi
_____ specchio
_____arancia
Building on
Now that we've seen how the Italian and English languages work together due to
the similarities between them, let's jump right into reading actual Italian sentences.
Yes, it looks like a lot, but I am not requiring you to memorize every single one of
them. In fact, you really won't have to. Casual observation and comparing them
with their English equivalents will help you see just how much Italian you already
know!
INTRODUCTION TO THE ITALIAN LANGUAGE
Page 16
A che ora è il treno? - When (at what hour) is the train?
A che ora è il primo treno? - When (at what hour) is the first train?
A che ora è il treno per Roma? - When is the train to Rome?
A che ora è l’autobus? - When is the bus?
A che ora è le primo autobus? - When is the first bus?
A che ora è l’autobus per Roma? - When is the bus to Rome?
Avete i jeans? - Have you got jeans ?
Avete un menù? - Have you got a menu?
Avete un menù in inglese? - Have you got a menu in English?
Avete un ombrellone? - Have you got an umbrella?
Avete una batteria? - Have you got a battery?
Avete una lista delle bevande? - Have you got a list of beverages (drinks)?
C’è il wireless? - Is there wireless (internet)?
C’è l’accesso ai disabili? - Is there access for the disabled?
C’è un computer? - Is there a computer?
C’è un problema. - There’s a problem.
C’è un ristorante? - Is there a restaurant?
C’è un ristorante qui vicino? - Is there a restaurant in the vicinity?
C’è una guida? - Is there a guide (book)?
C’è una guida in inglese? - Is there a guide (book) in English?
C’è un’audio guida in inglese? - Is there an audio guide in English?
C’e uno sconto? - Is there a discount?
Come preferisce pagare? - How do you prefer to pay?
Come si fa il login? - How do I log on?
Come si fa il logout? - How do I log off?
Come si usa questa macchina? - How do I use this machine?
Dov’è il bar? - Where is the bar?
Dov’è il campeggio? - Where is the campsite?
Dov’è il centro? - Where is the center (of town)?
Dov’è il check-in? - Where is the check-in?
Dov’è il lago? - Where is the lake?
Dov’è il mercato? - Where is the market?
INTRODUCTION TO THE ITALIAN LANGUAGE
Page 17
Dov’è il supermercato? - Where is the supermarket?
Dov’è il vigneto? - Where is the vineyard?
Dov’è l’aeroporto? - Where is the airport?
Dov’è la banca? - Where is the bank?
Dov’è la cassa? - Where is the cashier?
Dov’è la cattedrale? - Where is the cathedral?
Dov’è la fontana? - Where is the fountain?
Dov’è la piazza? - Where is plaza?
Dov’è la toilette? - Where is the toilet?
Dov’è lo stadio? - Where is the stadium?
Dov’è un barbiere? - Where is a barber?
Dov’è un film? - Where is a movie (film)?
Dov’è un Internet caffé? - Where is an internet café?
Dov’è un’opera? - Where is an opera?
Dov’è una farmacia? - Where is a pharmacy (chemists)?
È difficile. - It’s difficult.
È fenomenale. - It is phenomenal.
È fresco. - It’s fresh.
È il treno per Roma? - Is this the train to Rome?
È l’autobus per Roma? - Is this the bus to Rome?
È interessante. - It’s interesting.
È magnifico. - It’s magnificant.
È romantico. - It’s romantic.
È strano. - It’s strange.
È terribile. - It’s terrible.
È troppo salato. - It’s too salty.
È urgente. - It’s urgent.
Ho la febbre. - I have a fever.
Ho la nausea. - I have nausea.
Ho solo tre euro. - I have only three euros.
Ho un appuntamento. - I have an appointment.
Mi hanno rubato i bagagli. - I have been robbed of my bags.
Mi hanno rubato i travelers cheques. - I have been robbed of my traveler’s checks.
INTRODUCTION TO THE ITALIAN LANGUAGE
Page 18
Mi hanno rubato il computer. - I have been robbed of my computer.
Mi hanno rubato il passaporto. - I have been robbed of my passport.
Mi hanno rubato l’auto. - I have been robbed of my auto (car).
Mi hanno rubato la bicicletta. - I have been robbed of my bicycle.
Mi hanno rubato la macchina fotografica. - I have been robbed of my camera.
Mi piace il jazz. - I like jazz.
Mi piace il rap. - I like rap.
Posso avere la ricevuta? - Is it possible to have a receipt?
Posso parcheggiare qui? - Is it possible to park here?
Posso ricevere un fax? - Is it possible to receive a fax ?
Può riparare il freezer? - Can you repair the freezer?
Può riparare il frigo? - Can you repair the refrigerator?
Può riparare l’aria condizionata? - Can you repair the air conditioner?
Può riparare la TV? - Can you repair the TV?
Può ripetere? - Can you repeat (that)?
Qual è il prefisso? - What is the area code?
Qual è il sua numero? - What is your number?
Qual è la sua e-mail? - What is your e-mail (address)?
Qual è la tarriffa a chilometro? - What is the cost per kilometer?
Qual è la tarriffa per un’ora? - What is the cost per hour?
Quale terminal? - Which terminal?
Quando arriviamo? - When do we arrive?
Quando finisce? - When does it finish (end)?
Quando partiamo? - When do we depart?
Quant’è? - How much (is it)?
Quant’è la tarriffa a chilometro? - What is the cost per kilometer?
Quant’è la tarriffa del taxi fino all’aeroporto? - How much is the cost of a taxi to the airport?
INTRODUCTION TO THE ITALIAN LANGUAGE
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Quant’è la tarriffa per un’ora? - What is the cost per hour?
Quanto costa? - How much does it cost?
Quanto costa all’ora? - How much does it cost per hour?
Quanto costa per chilometro? - How much does it cost per kilometer?
Quanto costa per tutta la notte? - How much does it cost for all night?
Quanto costa per un’ora? - How much does it cost per hour?
Quanto dista? - How far (is it)?
Quanto dista a Roma? - How far to Rome?
Quanto dura il viaggio? - How long is the voyage?
Sono allergico/a a il glutine. - I’m allergic to gluten.
Sono allergico/a agli antibiotici. - I’m allergic to antibiotics.
Sono allergico/a alla penicillina. - I’m allergic to penicillin.
Sono americano/a. - I am American.
Sono anemico/a. - I’m anemic.
Sono asmatico/a. - I’m asthmatic.
Sono costipato. - I’m constipated.
Sono diabetico/a. - I’m diabetic.
Sono disabile. - I’m disabled.
Sono divorziato/a. - I’m divorced.
Sono in vacanza. - I’m on vacation.
Sono inglese. - I am English.
Sono qui in vacanza. - I am here on vacation.
Sono qui per studio. - I am here for studies.
Sono qui per un seminario. - I am here for a seminar.
Sono qui per una conferenza. - I am here for a conference.
Sono separato/a. - I’m separated.
Sono single. - I’m single.
Sono vegetariano/a. - I’m vegetarian.
Vorrei del cioccolato. - I would like a chocolate (bar).
Vorrei dell’aspirina. - I would like aspirin.
Vorrei dell’ibuprofene. - I would like ibuprofen.
Vorrei della gomma da masticare . - I would like some chewing gum.
Vorrei un adattatore. - I would like an adapter.
INTRODUCTION TO THE ITALIAN LANGUAGE
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Vorrei un appuntamento. - I would like an appointment.
Vorrei un bottiglia di vino. - I would like a bottle of wine.
Vorrei un caffè. - I would like a coffee.
Vorrei un litro di vino. - I would like a liter of wine.
Vorrei un rimborso. - I would like a reimbursement (refund).
Vorrei un tè. - I would like a tea.
Vorrei una birra. - I would like a beer.
Vorrei una birra in bottiglia. - I would like a beer in a bottle.
Vorrei una caraffa di vino. - I would like a carafe of wine.
Vorrei una limonata. - I would like a lemon soda.
Improving
Your Skills
Tips and advice to help you
start learning Italian quickly
INTRODUCTION TO THE ITALIAN LANGUAGE
Page 22
Listening Strategies
What is the key to learning Italian? Speaking or listening? If you cannot hear the sounds, you cannot make them. We need to hear words and expressions before we comprehend them and begin
using them ourselves.
Listening is not just a passive skill. When we listen to a conversation, or something on TV or the
radio, we are trying to transform those foreign sounds into something we can understand. Listening
requires active thinking - taking the pieces of conversation that we understand, and use guessing
and context to put them together into something meaningful. When you want to learn to say something, you first listen to how others say it. Of course, you may need to ask for clarification or repetition until you can do it yourself. So when we listen to how something is said, we try to remember
how it was said so we can use it later if the chance arises.
To help you out, here's a few things you can do to keep your listening skills sharp (you can do this
outside the classroom, too). Listen to something that has Italian speakers in conversation, newscast, music, etc. and listen to it on a regular basis. If you can get a transcript of the recording, follow along with it. Learn how to listen selectively, i.e. one item at a time. Listen for:

Tone of voice

Similar sounds in English and Italian

Sounds not found in English

Individual words or phrases

Grammatical forms
Before you open your dictionary or vocabulary lists, try to guess the meaning first. Listen for any
clues. If you find yourself in a face-to-face conversation with a native Italian speaker, listen for key
words, gestures, intonation and facial expressions. If need be, check if you understood by repeating
back to the speaker what you think the speaker said and ask for confirmation. Watching movies in
Italian without English subtitles is also a good way to look at the speaker's mannerisms to see what
the person is talking about.
Other ways you can sharpen your listening skills are:
1. When listening to radio or watching TV, imitate and repeat what is being said to the best of your ability.
2. Record TV programs or songs to see how much more can be understood after listening several times.
3. Get together with the other Italian language students to listen to the recordings and help each other understand
any new words or phrases that come up.
4. Listen to a news broadcast in the target language and see how much you understand.
Always listen to conversations in public whenever the opportunity presents itself. Listen for words
and phrases you already know; try to get the gist of the conversation; observe the gestures, facial
expressions, and other non-verbal ways people communicate.
INTRODUCTION TO THE ITALIAN LANGUAGE
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Speaking Strategies
In order to express ourselves, we need to speak - get a message out there to give our needs, concerns or opinions. If we do this, we're only halfway done in our part of communication. The other
part is someone understanding our thoughts from the sounds we make and the body language we
use.
To speak Italian effectively, you have to make the sounds of the language flow the best you can in a
way that can be understood. Despite what is traditionally taught (and believed), you do not have to
have 100% perfect pronunciation to communicate with others. The goal is to put the words, phrases,
and sentences together in a way that can be understood by the native speaker.
In addition, to speak the language effectively we must speak it in a culturally acceptable way. This
means learning rules of behavior for each situation. These include knowing when and how to begin
the conversation, interrupt, ask for clarification, change the topic, and end the conversation.
Learn how to control conversations
When a language student is taught to speak to someone in another language, he or she is taught to
give most of the control of the conversation to the other person. It's usually - say something, listen
to answer, say something, listen to response and so on, etc. A useful strategy for speaking practice
is learning to control the conversation.
The most basic conversation controlling strategy is to ask questions that have “yes” or “no” answers
so there's more practice in speaking, and you can gauge if the other person has understood. Other
tips for conversation control are:

Keep the listener guessing so they do not know what may be said next. For example,
when going shopping, first get what you are looking for, and then ask one or two questions about something else you have no intention of buying.

When asking for a particular item, hold or look at something (a bag of apples) and ask
about the freshness of the bananas or the price of a container of milk. If more than one
of the same item is needed, practice the routine in several different places. This will allow
you to practice speaking as well understanding different responses.

Prepare a conversation starter in advance so you will be in control of at least the first topic you talk about, then strike up conversations on public transportation. If you are afraid
of getting into a long conversation, then wait until you are close to your destination before
starting a conversation.

You can also pair up with another Italian language student and agree on a common topic
INTRODUCTION TO THE ITALIAN LANGUAGE
Page 24
Speaking Strategies (cont.)
to speak about. Sit in different places in a public place, strike up a conversation with
someone, and then compare notes afterward.
Of course, using different phrases to check if you expressed yourself works wonderfully, such
as, “Did I say that right?,” “What would it mean if I said, .___'?” or “Would you say ____to a
man / a woman / a child / someone older?”
INTRODUCTION TO THE ITALIAN LANGUAGE
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Reading Strategies
Although most people have a main goal of conversing in their target language, learning to read
the language can still be helpful for those who learn best by seeing things in writing, using dictionaries or reading lesson materials and texts.
When a student is presented with reading text, they often find themselves a bit scared or overwhelmed. Sometimes they'll become frustrated because they cannot understand every single
word. The good news is that you don't need to understand every word or every grammatical
construction to get the main idea of what is being read - we don't do that in English, so why get
upset in another language? In order for you to improve in your reading skills, learn to develop
the ability to read for overall meaning and specific information. Here are a few ideas to help out:

Before reading, make some guesses about the topic or main idea by looking at the
title of the text and any accompanying pictures. Is there anything you might already
know about the topic?

Read through the text once to get a general idea of what the text is about. You can
skip over unfamiliar words or grammatical constructions in the initial reading.

Take a few moments to rest and then read it again without stopping to see how much
more you understand.

As you go through it, underline only the words or grammatical constructions that
keeps you from understanding the main part of the text.

If you're really stuck, then check the dictionary.
Of course, there are other ways you can improve in your reading skills:

Practice reading sentences you've written in your journal.

Read things written in Italian and see if you can figure out the meanings.

Read excerpts from newspapers, magazines and children's stories. Make good use of
headlines, pictures and diagrams found between the pages.
INTRODUCTION TO THE ITALIAN LANGUAGE
Page 26
Writing Strategies
Writing is an activity that places fourth in my list of language activities. When learning a new
language, you will be writing in your lessons, and also any notes for later learning needs. Writing also does double duty. Not only does it give you practice in writing and correct spelling, but
it also helps the memory and the brain can store that word's information quicker than just listening and repeating. Thus developing other communication skills.
Tips for Writing Practice
The good news is that most of the world's languages have just one sound for one letter, making
writing the simplest thing that can be done, and Italian is in that category. Once you learn the
sound/letter correspondence of the alphabet, you can write just about anything in Italian.
Some ideas to help sharpen your writing skills include:

Check out selected texts from newspapers, magazines and children's books, in Italian. As you write them, focus on things such as spelling and word order, ways to
mark tenses in verbs and other grammatical points.

Always write the answers to any exercises fully (e.g. in a fill in the blank exercise)
instead of writing just the answer. This will help you see how the sentence is constructed and any grammar involved.

Ask someone in the group to dictate parts of a newspaper article or sentences and
then write down what you hear. Compare what you wrote with the text to see how
well you've done.

Listen to a reading passage, or some other recording and practice writing it.
Take some texts from previously learned lessons and let you change them with what they already know (change the verb tenses to reflect other people, change singular to plurals, etc.)
Some texts can be summarized or paraphrased as if describing what is happening in a newscast.
Other Italian language products and
services by Young’s Language Consulting
The Rosetta Stone Challenge
The original language course that teaches you a language by letting the language teach
you. If you’re a speaker of English, you already have a start on learning 12 other European languages.
Speak Up! In Italian - Travel Edition
Did you know that in order to travel and communicate in any country where Italian is
spoken or understood, you only need to know about 100 words? This course will show
you how.
Consultation Services
Sometimes you may need some help with a lesson, or understanding the culture of the
places you visit. We are here to help you answer your questions so you can communicate
and travel with confidence.