dimmich Triglot Newbie Greece Joined 6018 days ago 2 posts - 2 votes Speaks: Greek*, English, German
| Message 1 of 8 26 April 2009 at 7:23pm | IP Logged |
Hello all,
I have just started learning Italian and I am doing the Pimsleur audio courses. In addition to, I am using a grammatic book to cover the Pimleur's lack of grammar and I am quite satisfied with my progress. In a couple of weeks I'll be finished with Pimsleur 3 and I am wondering how to continue. I have access to the following methods:
Linguaphone all talk
Michel Thomas Italian Course - Foundation, Advanced and Builder
Tell me more 1-3
Antonio Tabucchi: Racconti Italiani: I treni che vanno a Madras
Universitalia Corso di Italiano
Rosetta Stone
Any comments about these products? Has anyone worked with them? Right now I wouldn't like to invest in another product, so I'll have to choose from one of the methods that I have access to, or from one of the free internet courses. Any advice?
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9xKx9-9xKx9 Newbie United Kingdom Joined 5953 days ago 13 posts - 13 votes Speaks: Spanish
| Message 2 of 8 27 April 2009 at 12:18pm | IP Logged |
Hi,
I'd go through the Michel Thomas Advanced course after.
Then maybe you could start using native Italian kids stories online, working upto
newspapers/magazines?
All the best
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TheBiscuit Tetraglot Senior Member Mexico Joined 5923 days ago 532 posts - 619 votes Speaks: English*, French, Spanish, Italian Studies: German, Croatian
| Message 3 of 8 28 April 2009 at 5:57am | IP Logged |
I liked the MT course. There's also a vocab course. After those and a lot of listening I could understand most of what I heard. Knowing Spanish and French probably sped up the process but I really enjoyed those courses.
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Chris G77 Newbie United States Joined 6004 days ago 28 posts - 37 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Italian
| Message 4 of 8 13 May 2009 at 4:44pm | IP Logged |
pimsleur should be an introduction to starting to speak one to one with actual Italian speakers. Also, immediately start reading...look for kids stuff or if you like a specific sport read about that sport (this is good because often you already understand the context of teh stories).
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Chris G77 Newbie United States Joined 6004 days ago 28 posts - 37 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Italian
| Message 5 of 8 13 May 2009 at 4:45pm | IP Logged |
also look for tutors on like edu fire or something...many people give online lessons via Skype, if you cant find anyone in your area.
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mike789 Newbie United States Joined 6327 days ago 39 posts - 51 votes Speaks: English* Studies: French
| Message 6 of 8 13 May 2009 at 9:32pm | IP Logged |
I've completed all 3 Pimsleur courses for Italian. I liked the courses and think I learned a good deal, but I couldn't even read a simple reader. Pimsleur simply doesn't give enough vocabulary. Also it focuses mostly on the present tense.
So I'm off on a 2-pronged approach. I'm using Michel Thomas because I think he explains grammar well. And I've started using Assimil.
How is your studying going?
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jae Triglot Senior Member United States Joined 5664 days ago 206 posts - 239 votes Speaks: English*, German, Latin Studies: Spanish, Portuguese, Mandarin, French
| Message 7 of 8 24 May 2009 at 4:51pm | IP Logged |
Livemocha.com is also good because you can get feedback from native speakers about written and spoken work that you submit. The spoken work is especially useful because it helps you develop a better accent (which is really important, right?). Just check it out. You can start with many levels, 101, 102, 201, or 202. I'm sure you can find one that's right for you. Buona fortuna!
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dimmich Triglot Newbie Greece Joined 6018 days ago 2 posts - 2 votes Speaks: Greek*, English, German
| Message 8 of 8 02 June 2009 at 6:32pm | IP Logged |
Thanks a lot for the advice! And I thought that Italian was a 'poor' language concerning the available books/ methods.
BTW, the grammar books I am using are called "l'Italiano in mano" and "30 Stunden Italienisch". The last weeks I was a bit lazy but now I can continue with Michael Thomas and the other material you proposed.
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