Italian with Michele

02/10/2020

💡 Dove posso trovare... ? = Where can I find... ?

🔸It's the simplest way to ask for directions!

🔸Is it the hospital you're looking for? Or maybe a monument? Ask "Dove posso trovare..." to get directions like "Tutto dritto, poi a destra" (All straight, then to the right), or "Gira a sinistra alla piazza e poi destra al semaforo" (Turn to the left at the square and then right at the traffic light)

🔸Also, write "I'd like to learn italian, Michele!" in the comments to receive a message from me or write me to start learning Italian!

21/09/2020

💡 Posso avere... = Can I have...

🔸It's the simplest way to ask for whatever you'd like to have in an italian bar or restaurant

🔸There's a little list of food and drinks you'd maybe like to order, but it isn't complete... What would you like to drink or eat in Italy? Write me in the comments to have it translated!

🔸Also, write "I'd like to learn italian, Michele!" in the comments to receive a message from me or write me directly to start learning Italian language with me!

07/06/2020

Estate italiana - Italian summer!

Every level!

Finalmente! At last it's possible to travel and go outside to visit the best of italy!
There's a lot of useful Italian language you may want to learn to visit Italy this summer!

💡Scusi, ho bisogno di... (Sorry, I need...)

🚅 Due biglietti per Venezia (two tickets fo Venezia)

🚲 Una bicicletta a noleggio (a bike for rent)

🎻 Il titolo di questa canzone italiana (the title of this italian song)

🕶️ Un paio di occhiali da sole nuovi (a new pair of sunglasses)

🍝 Un piatto di spaghetti al ragù... (A dish of Spaghetti "alla bolognese" - yet, you'll never find that name on the menu: it's Spaghetti al ragù!)

🍷... e un bicchiere di vino rosso! (... And a glass of red wine!)
.. Or do you need something else?

Book your italian lessons with Michele!

Michele has a specific Master Degree to teach Italian language to non-native speakers and to spread italian culture around the world

You'll soon learn to speak italian and everything you might need about italian culture: recipe for typical italian cuisine, music and arts, history of every city and what to see in each region of the "Bel paese", the beautiful country

Write "I'd like to learn italian, Michele!" in the comments to receive a message from me or write me directly to start learning Italian language with me!

06/04/2020

Ricette Italiane - Pasta alla Carbonara!

B2 level

Let's celebrate! Today is Carbonara day! A special date to eat and share the famous pasta dish from Roma! .
But how do we make a perfect Carbonara? There are many little variations to the recipe, but here's the fundamental basics!

What to we need? Ingredienti!

Ricetta per quattro persone (=Recipe for four people)

400g of Spaghetti (Or Tortiglioni, which I chose today)

4 Uova (4 eggs)

200g of Guanciale (Guanciale meat is slightly different from common bacon, since it's tastier!)

Pepe nero (Black Pepper)

Pecorino grattuggiato (Pecorino is a fine sheep cheese from Rome or Sardinia, here you need it grated!)

What should we do then?

Facciamo bollire l'acqua per la pasta in in una pentola (Let's make water boil in a pot)

Nel frattempo, in una padellina facciamo cuocere il guanciale (Meanwhile, we cook the guanciale meat in a pan).

Dopo aver messo la pasta nella pentola, rompiamo le uova in un piatto e mischiamole con pepe e pecorino grattuggiato (After we put pasta in the pot, let's break the eggs in a dish and let's mix them with pepper and pecorino grated cheese)

Quando la pasta è pronta, togliamo la pentola dal fuoco e mettiamo le uova sulla pasta e, subito dopo, il guanciale caldo, mescolando tutto insieme (When the pasta is ready, let's put the pot away from the fire and let's put the eggs on the pasta and, immediately after, the hot Guanciale, mixing all together!)

Your carbonara is ready! Buon appetito! You can have it with more black pepper in top (It's called "Carbonara", like carbone, "coal", for a reason!) and a glass of red wine!

Did you like it? What recipe would you like to see on this page? Write it in the comments to receive it or write me a message to start learning Italian language with me!

01/04/2020

Ciao, come stai?

Livello A1 - Today our streets are almost empty, as empty are the parks and historical sites of our countries... but they're still there, hidden to our eyes, and we'll get the chance to see them (and to visit the entire Italy!) hopefully soon enough!

Meanwhile we can learn some Italian, to prepare ourselves for the future visit, and even use it!
When, for necessity, we have to go to the supermarket in Italy, we may meet an Italian friend, on the other side of the street! So...

We use "Ciao", as in Hi or Hello, to greet them.
We use "Come stai?" to ask "How are you?"

We can also ask "Come va?", which literally means "How is it going?"

To both question we can answer "Bene, grazie!" (Fine, thanks!) or "Così così..." (So so...) or even "Male, non molto bene..." (Bad, not very well...) if it is, unfortunately, a difficult situation.

"E tu?" means "And you?", so we can add that at the end of our answer to ask them back.

- "Ciao, come stai?"
- "Bene, grazie! E tu?"

E tu? Come stai oggi (today)? Write me in the comments to let me help you with the translation of everyday italian or contact me through my mail or a private message for your first italian lesson!

20/03/2020

Canzoni italiane - "Se telefonando", di Mina

C1 level - The incredible voice of the famous italian singer Mina gives us a wonderful and very well known italian love song.
It's the story of a sudden passion, that, simply cannot last through the everyday life of the two lovers.
She has to break up with him, but how to? That's exactly the meaning and the aim of the refrain, which is a beaitiful and struggling example of second conditional clause in the italian language, which we call "Periodo ipotetico della possibilità" .

"Se telefonando io potessi dirti addio, ti chiamerei".
"If, calling you, I could tell you farewell, I would call you"

"Ma non so spiegarti che il nostro amore appena nato è già finito".
"But I can't explain you how our newborn love has already ended"

This is a very good (and a very heartbreaking one!) example of a second conditional in Italian: we use the conjunctive "potessi" (I could) in the if ("se") clause and then the present conditional "ti chiamerei" (I would call you)

You can freely listen to this song on youtube and other apps! Tell me if you like it!
Is there an italian song you like and that is still difficult for you to understand? I can translate it for you and explain the meaning!
Write it in the comment section to have it translated and contact me for your new italian language lessons!

Sigla della trasmissione "Aria condizionata", questa canzone annovera tra i suoi autori Maurizio Costanzo, autore del testo insieme a Ghigo De Chiara. Grande...

11/03/2020

Posti in cui andare - Il Monastero di Torba

B1 Level - One thing we can always do is to plan our next journey, to get to know better the place we'd like to see before we actually pay a visit to it.

"The time-honoured Torba complex" as it is stated by the official site "dates back to the 5th century A.D., when the Romans constructed the walls of a military outpost to counter the threat of barbarian invasion, near the village of Castelseprio. To this day, the watchtower stills stands as a testament to the original function of the castrum, carried forward by Goths, Byzantines and Longobards and subject to continuous change over time." And you can visit either it in good or gloomy, foggy weather, to get a grasp of that middle age feeling. I personally prefer the second option: if a guest come to visit me in Varese and it's a cloudy day, that's where a bring them for a nice tour

But what knowledge of the italian language would you need to visit an archeological site or a museum?

1) "Buon giorno, quanto costa il biglietto giornaliero?" "Good morning, how much is it for the daily ticket?"

2) "In che ordine mi consiglia di visitare il posto?" "What should I see first?"

3) "C'è anche una mostra temporanea?" "Is there also a temporary exihibit?"

What would you need when visiting an artistic or archeological site? What do you like to see in Italy?
Write it in the comment section to have it translated and contact me for your new italian language lessons!

11/03/2020

L'Italiano... Al Bar e al ristorante!

A1 Level - What's the best way to start learning Italian? With a nice Cappuccino or a fine dish of Spaghetti!

But how to ask for them in Italy?

When in Rome, just enter a bar and simply do as Romans: "Prendo un caffé" to say "I'll take a coffee"
And if you're invited in an elegant Ristorante, I'd suggest you to say: "Vorrei un risotto ai frutti di mare e un bicchiere di vino bianco" if you mean "I would like to have a seafood risotto and a glass of white wine"

Is that what you would order?
Ask me in the comments what you'd like to have at the bar or in a restaurant and contact me through DM for your first italian lesson!