The best way to study a new language?

Question

Italian is kicking my butt. Any methods or ideas on how to get the vocab to stick?

Answer 1

You're probably in school so this may not work, but seriously if you really want to learn a language inside out, get a one-way ticket to the land where the language is spoken, and make it very hard to get back to where you originated from. You will learn the language from the ground up, like children do. "I'm hungry!" "How much does this cost?""Where's the bathroom?""How do you say...?" It's humbling to always be asking and learning. Sometimes you have to say a word or a phrase over and over before you get it. Try not to associate with English speakers, because it is easy to get lazy and just fall back on your native language. Living in a country you learn the accent and the slang--more authentic.
Como sta lei? Multo bene? I learned that through language tapes--and that is about all I learned. I learned Spanish by living in South America for two years. I am fluent in Spanish. So much depends on your motives for learning a language. If it's just to get a "C" and get a language requirement out of the way, it's going to be different than if you are planning to go to Italy this summer and you really want to see the sights and taste the real authentic food and meet people your age. Usually if they see you are attempting to speak their language and not expecting THEM to automatically speak English to you, you will find most people are remarkably helpful. I did learn some French in high school using conventional methods--so that does work--but it's that principle of the more you put into it, the more you'll get out of it. Flash cards, writing vocabulary out over and over, listening to tapes, watching films--you can even listen to radio from Italy on Internet. Go to an Italian restaurant and try your Italian on the waiters and waitresses. If you can find a student from Italy trying to learn English, you can help each other, and by listening to the way they put sentences together in English, it will give you insights into Italian grammar--because it is not the same, as you know, as English. Your choice: get a C or travel the sea. . &8^ } 3
Ciao,
-Spec

Answer 2

Unfortunately, you have to go over the vocab many times before it actually sticks. With Italian, as with any latin language, the verbs are the key to fluency. Make sure you have one of those 200 Verbs conjugation books that they sell at barnes and nobles and get comfortable using all the correct forms of the verbs, that will give you a big boost.

Answer 3

Find in your target language a translation of something you already know well in English. It might be songs or Bible passages or folk tales, or even the daily news on bilingual sites. Then pick your way through a lot of those. Hopefully you'll get to the point where you learn new words by osmosis.

Answer 4

Can you go to Italy & be immersed in the culture?

Do you have a buddy to go over the words with?

I took Italian myself before I spent three months in Italy. I love the people, the language & especially the food.

Chiao!

Answer 5

have interest ,I mean study each part with interest