Sunday

Italian immersion at home

Etichetta/label: Nel soggiorno… La porta— door, www.viaoptimae.com
"Ecco la mia porta."
Here's my door.

Two great ways to learn new vocabulary are repetition and seeing terms in context.  A child growing up with their native language is exposed to both, hearing and repeating the names of everyday objects over and over again and in context.  You may not be able to travel back in time and be raised Italian (sorry about that) but you can recreate a bit of the immersion experience for yourself now by labeling items in your home and using the labels as reminders to say the word aloud and create a sentence around it.


Etichetta/label: Nel soggiorno… La porta— door La maniglia— handle, www.viaoptimae.com
"Uso la maniglia per aprire la porta"
I use the handle to open the door.


Everytime you close the door, you can say aloud or repeat in your head "la porta," and/or create a sentence using the term:


È la porta
It is the door.

Once you learn new grammar points, you can make your sentences more complicated. If you're working on Demonstrative Pronouns for example, you might say:

Questa è la porta.
This is the door.

Even more advanced learners can use simple terms as a starting point for creating or remembering more advanced constructions:


"Quando si chiude una porta, si apre un portone"
When one door closes, a bigger door opens.


With this learning strategy in mind, I created a page of labels based on everyday items found Nel soggiorno/salotto (in the living/sitting room) and included some color terms as well.  If you haven't done so already, subscribe now and get the printable PDF delivered directly to your inbox:






Already a subscriber? 
Find the link to the label page in your most recent email!

The label page is formatted for use with Avery® White Removable Multipurpose Labels 6467™ and can be easily printed, applied, and moved as necessary.

I compared prices among major retailers and found the best price on Amazon— plus Prime members get free two-day shipping. If you’re not a Prime member, you can start a free 30-day trial and also get access to unlimited streaming of movies and tv shows.  For readers in Europe, I found a good price on Amazon Italy as well.

You may also opt to print on regular paper and cut them out yourself. Just be careful which adhesive you use, as some can damage certain finishes.

Place the label on each item. It may be difficult to adhere to certain objects, so label where the item goes instead. There are English translations printed below, but you can also type the Italian term in Google Images and see how Italians use the term and what kinds of things fall under the term.


Etichette (labels) il vaso (vase) la cornice (picture frame), il quadro (painting), get your own labels free, http://www.viaoptimae.com/2014/07/italian-immersion-at-home.html

You may not have each item on the list.  If you’re still interested in practicing that term, try putting the label on a printed picture of the item and place it somewhere that is easily visible.

Again, whenever you use the item or see the label, say the word and/or create a sentence.  If you’re unsure of the pronunciation, you can look up individual terms on Word Reference (which often has pronunciation notes) or find a recording of a native speaker's pronunciation on Forvo. 



Etichetta/label: Nella cucina… La brocca— pitcher, www.viaoptimae.com
Next up in the Etichette (labels) series: Nella cucina (in the kitchen)

Stay tuned {subscribe here} for more Label pages covering even more terms, as well as a pre-formatted page of customizable labels so you can easily create your own!


Post pictures of your labeled household items to Via Optimae's Facebook page or on Twitter mentioning @AlexViaOp and the hashtag #etichette — I'd love to see them!


Alex, creator of Via Optimae, www.viaoptimae.com






Wednesday

Una cosa mai fatta...


Una cosa mai fatta, https://www.viaoptimae.com/2014/06/una-cosa-mai-fatta.html

Un gioco per cambiare vita.  Dieci minuti al giorno, tutti i giorni, per un mese, per fare una cosa nuova mai fatta prima, from https://www.viaoptimae.com/2014/06/una-cosa-mai-fatta.html




In a TV series inspired by the novel of the same name, Per dieci minuti (For ten minutes),  five real-life people are challenging themselves and discovering new possibilities by undertaking a simple sfida (challenge or dare):

Everyday, for ten minutes a day, they must do something new, something they've never done before.


aver fatto qualcosa to have done something, as seen on Via Optimae https://www.viaoptimae.com/2014/06/una-cosa-mai-fatta.html


Ho fatto immersioni.
I've been scuba diving.




non aver mai fatto to never have done..., from Via Optimae https://www.viaoptimae.com/2014/06/una-cosa-mai-fatta.html


Non ho mai studiato cinese.
I've never studied Chinese.



Watching the second episode: Fiducia (faith or confidence), I was struck by the activities that each person chose for their first week.  In some cases, it was surprising that the person had never done it before, and in others, I wondered how they even
came up with the idea.

Check out some of the first week activities, and practice your Italian vocabulary by matching the activity name with its corresponding picture.  As you match, ask yourself the following questions...




Ho mai fatto questa cosa?
Have I ever done this?

and..

Mi interessa farla?
Am I interested in doing it?

Cose mai fatte, le attività 1-24, https://www.viaoptimae.com/2014/06/una-cosa-mai-fatta.html
{You may prefer to print the PDF worksheet, and write out your answers there!}

a. fare i muffin con la sorella
b. fare un cappuccino al bar
c. smontare un motore
d. suonare la batteria
e. farsi fare un massaggio
f. parlare francese per strada
g. giocare al burlesque
h. cantare a squarciagola in mezzo alla gente
i. prendere un caffè con un vicino
j. fare gli origami
k. fare jogging
l. seguire uno sconosciuto per strada
m. andare a cavallo
n. chiedere ai sconosciuti per strada "Quanti anni mi dai?"
o. ballare il tango
p. piantare un albero
q. chiedere di giocare a basket
r. ballare lo swing
s. stirare una camicia
t. vendere la frutta
u. fare paracadutismo
v. fare l'esame di guida
w. fare lo skate
x. fare la giocoleria




Check your answers by highlighting the space below,
(or see the answers on the PDF answer key)

1. m
2. e
3. o
4. h
5. d
6. n
7. f
8. k
9. g
10. w
11. i
12. l
13. x
14. c
15. u
16. q
17. r
18. p
19. t
20. b
21. a
22. s
23. v
24. j





then….


Fammi sapere (let me know)! 



C'è un'attività che ti piacerebbe fare che non hai mai fatto?
Is there an activity that you've never done that you would like to do?



Comment below or on Facebook!



Several people have participated in the challenge at home and shared their experiences online.  Here are some of their ideas:


giocare al ping pong al buio

play ping-pong in the dark


osservare le anatri

observe ducks


fare la polenta

make polenta

As for me...


Non ho mai ballato il tango, ma vorrei provarci!
I've never danced the tango, but I would like to try it!





Watch Fiducia (starting with Parte 1) here:





Or visit the show's web page to see more:
 Potrebbe pure interessarti….
Per Dieci Minuti | For ten minutes…
The above quote by Rudolf Steiner appears in the first few pages of Chiara Gamberale's most recent novel, Per dieci minuti (For ten ...






See also:

Frasi celebri su Via Optimae

Frasi celebri su Via Optimae
Acque del sud (To Have and Have Not) original: "You know how to whistle, don't you, Steve? You just put your lips together and… blow."