New to Italian and need some advice :) (Language Programs, Books & Tapes) Language Learning Forum

New to Italian and need some advice :)
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Language Learning Forum : Language Programs, Books & Tapes

19 messages over 3 pages: 1 2 3 Next >>

gravityguy
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Message 9 of 19

25 June 2012 at 10:44pm | IP Logged

OK, so a couple of differing views on listening to radio as an absolute beginner. I
will see if I can find some slow speaking stuff as some words I can kind of guess.
Radio ondac libera is actually not to bad though as there is lots of Italian music on
there which is quite fun to listen to.

Easy podcasts seem to be a good idea also, thanks ElBrujo for that suggestion! :)

Mikonai, thanks for your reply, some really good points in there. I do tend to find
that if I study too much, brain gets fried and I end up not remembering anything.

I have just looked through the assimil course and there is indeed instructions for the
'waves'. I shall read those in conjunction with what other people do and then see what
works.

Enough for one night though, I've had a stinking hangover all day after the England-
Italy football match last night - England lost after extra time and then on penalties :
(

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emk
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Message 10 of 19

25 June 2012 at 11:05pm | IP Logged

gravityguy wrote:

With regards to doing other activities, are there any that an
absolute beginner could use? All of the stuff i've looked at so far seems impossible to
read / listen to? Also, what is SRS?

SRS software is basically modern flashcard software that knows a few tricks about human
memory. Basically, if you can remember something for 24 hours, SRS software can help
you remember it almost indefinitely. It's heavily used by language learners who like
technology. Try Anki first.

A small SRS warning: Use with care. Don't let it take over all your language study
time, and delete any cards which you find depressing, annoying or too hard. Start with
no more than 10 cards a day for the first few weeks; the reviews pile up.

SRS software is not obligatory if you're using a course like Assimil, which has built-
in repetition. Use it if it seems helpful.
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gravityguy
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Message 11 of 19

26 June 2012 at 3:45pm | IP Logged

emk, thanks for your input, I have had a look at anki does look pretty good. I downloaded
some shared cards but they look very person specific so I shal create some of my own when
I have started assimil.

As I have just mentioned on my learning log - http://how-to-learn-any-
language.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=32876&PN=1 - I have been trying to read some
italian news on euronews italy this afternoon but am more confused now than when I first
started.

I'm looking forward to finishing MT (although as I have foundation, advanced, builder and
vocabulary to get through, it might be a while) and then cracking on with assimil.
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hrhenry
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Message 12 of 19

26 June 2012 at 3:53pm | IP Logged

gravityguy wrote:

I have been trying to read some
italian news on euronews italy this afternoon but am more confused now than when I first
started.

For stuff like this where you might find some repetition of phrases and words every day,
you might want to take a look at Learning With
Texts. Setting it up is kind of involved, but not difficult.

R.
==
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gravityguy
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Message 13 of 19

26 June 2012 at 4:45pm | IP Logged

hrhenry wrote:

For stuff like this where you might find some repetition of phrases and
words every day, you might want to take a look
atLearning With Texts. Setting it up is kind of
involved, but not difficult.

It looks very involved, there isn't an executable file and you have to downlaod a 125mb
file in order to extract and install it. Before I go ahead and that, what exactly does i
allow you to do?
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hrhenry
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Message 14 of 19

26 June 2012 at 6:20pm | IP Logged

gravityguy wrote:

Before I go ahead and that, what exactly does i
allow you to do?

There's an online demo on the page I linked to, and all the help documentation and
tutorial is also there.

R.
==
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gravityguy
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Message 15 of 19

26 June 2012 at 7:02pm | IP Logged

Thanks, I shall have a look :)
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SnowManR1
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Message 16 of 19

26 June 2012 at 8:54pm | IP Logged

Sent you a Private Message.

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