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Italy
Mar 25, 2017 7:03:55 GMT
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Post by Mari on Mar 25, 2017 7:03:55 GMT
We are going to Verona, Italy on holiday. I've never been to Italy before, so I started a crash course Italian. Very fortunate too as our hotel host doesn't seem to speak English... We booked a stay at a farm b&b, so we're going to be right in the middle of an olive plantation in the mountains with a view of Verona. I'm looking forward to it, though I wonder if my crash course will teach me enough to communicate...
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Italy
Mar 25, 2017 10:51:46 GMT
Post by Kye on Mar 25, 2017 10:51:46 GMT
Ooooo! Sounds like fun!
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Italy
Mar 25, 2017 12:32:10 GMT
Post by JoeP on Mar 25, 2017 12:32:10 GMT
How long do you have before you go?
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Italy
Mar 25, 2017 19:24:21 GMT
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Post by Mari on Mar 25, 2017 19:24:21 GMT
Summer holidays so three months.
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Italy
Mar 25, 2017 20:11:10 GMT
JoeP likes this
Post by jayme on Mar 25, 2017 20:11:10 GMT
How exciting! I could never go to Italy because I'd come home 4 X my size. I hope you have fun and eat all of the Italian noms!
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Italy
Mar 26, 2017 7:25:56 GMT
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Post by Mari on Mar 26, 2017 7:25:56 GMT
I've already learned how to say I don't eat cheese... Priorities, eh?
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Italy
Mar 26, 2017 11:09:37 GMT
Post by JoeP on Mar 26, 2017 11:09:37 GMT
Oh goodie, lots of time to learn.
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Post by JoeP on Mar 26, 2017 11:13:52 GMT
I went to Italy for the summer when I was 16 - to help a 6-year-old Italian kid learn better English. (Foreign languages at 6? He really didn't want to learn.) So I learnt some Italian ... not very well at all. Basta! means Stop! ... or "If you don't mind I'd really rather not practice any more English today."
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Italy
Mar 26, 2017 18:06:08 GMT
via mobile
Post by Mari on Mar 26, 2017 18:06:08 GMT
I will learn stop! In the next set of phrases. I can say thank you though. And I drink milk.
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Italy
Mar 27, 2017 9:09:15 GMT
Post by raspberrybullets on Mar 27, 2017 9:09:15 GMT
You'll be fine. You just need to indicate you like food and the Italians love you. That's been my experience. And I can only say a few words like thank you and please and hello. I do learn a lot of the food lingo, but that seems very easy for Italian because so much Italian food is already in Italian even in English speaking countries. And a tourist town like Verona, everyone will speak a little English even if your hotel doesn't. A friend of mine is in Verona at the moment, I've been enjoying his pics.
We stayed at an agriturismo in Tuscany and it was great! We had a homemade dinner there one evening and everybody else was Italian, but the people on our table spoke good English and we have a fabulous time. One of my best travel memories!
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Italy
Mar 27, 2017 9:11:32 GMT
Post by raspberrybullets on Mar 27, 2017 9:11:32 GMT
Also, Italy! So wonderful! How long are you going for? You can do a trip to Venice from Verona. I thought it was one of the most wonderful cities on the planet! Ronald just reminded me that when we arrived at the agriturismo in Tuscany, the mum didn't speak any English but she told us dinero was at ocho. We figured out that.
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Italy
Mar 27, 2017 18:31:25 GMT
Post by Mari on Mar 27, 2017 18:31:25 GMT
Hahaha, I'm sure I'll be fine, but since I really don't eat cheese I figured I needed to learn how to say I don't eat cheese at least. Io non mangio formaggio. Mission accomplished. That said, I just really like learning languages.
We do intend to do a daytrip to Venice. We're going for 9 days, so enough time for that. I want to see an opera as well, though it's not a huge priority.
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Italy
Mar 30, 2017 3:24:51 GMT
via mobile
Post by Sarah W. on Mar 30, 2017 3:24:51 GMT
I had to say "senza formaggio" a lot when I lived in Rome.
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Italy
Mar 31, 2017 16:45:39 GMT
Post by Mari on Mar 31, 2017 16:45:39 GMT
Senza is without? Good to know!
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Italy
Mar 31, 2017 18:51:01 GMT
Post by Sarah W. on Mar 31, 2017 18:51:01 GMT
Yup. It's a very useful word. Especially since you don't have to decline it for whatever it's modifying. So you can get food you want without sounding like a complete idiot, which was usually what happened when I tried to speak Italian. I once told the cashier at a grocery store that *he* didn't have any small change. I think he eventually understood what I meant.
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Italy
Apr 1, 2017 13:30:19 GMT
JoeP likes this
Post by Mari on Apr 1, 2017 13:30:19 GMT
Lei non ha ... (small change) ... For some reason my wordlist in my course mostly involves animals and food. I could now order a whale, bee or monkey if I wanted to.
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Italy
Jul 27, 2017 8:55:12 GMT
Post by Mari on Jul 27, 2017 8:55:12 GMT
I'm not a huge fan of Italian food, but the landscape is gorgeous. We've decided we'll definitely go back some time and spend time at Lake Garda and the mountains. The people at our agriturismo spoke no English and my Italian was not good enough to speak to them, to I could understand them to certain extent. We had a good time, but I'm very glad to be back home.
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Italy
Jul 27, 2017 11:17:36 GMT
Post by tangent on Jul 27, 2017 11:17:36 GMT
I envy your ability to learn another language effectively, it's something I've never been able to do.
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Italy
Jul 27, 2017 12:24:51 GMT
Post by Mari on Jul 27, 2017 12:24:51 GMT
Well, if you ever want to go to Italy outside of the strictly tourist spots: learn Italian first... >_< That said, in the tourist areas, everyone speaks some English, the menus are all in English, as are all the leaflets and folders inside churches etc. so you'll know what you're looking at. And the people are very nice and helpful. Just not very good at English I do recommend it for a holiday though, it's a beautiful country. Even if you don't really like the food. The gelatos are lovely though.
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Italy
Jul 30, 2017 10:01:26 GMT
Post by raspberrybullets on Jul 30, 2017 10:01:26 GMT
I cannot understand how it is possible not to like Italian food, but each to their own I suppose. I'm glad you liked the countryside itself.
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Post by Shake on Jul 31, 2017 23:39:55 GMT
I cannot understand how it is possible not to like Italian food, ... I know. I love Italian food!
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Italy
Aug 1, 2017 10:13:26 GMT
Post by Mari on Aug 1, 2017 10:13:26 GMT
I don't eat cheese or fish and not a big fan of eating something dough-y EVERY day.
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Italy
Aug 5, 2017 8:27:27 GMT
Post by raspberrybullets on Aug 5, 2017 8:27:27 GMT
Mmmm dough. Although, in the northern part don't they also do all sorts of other things like semolina and rice and that other grain thing I can't remember now. Shake is a man of good taste.
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Italy
Aug 7, 2017 7:07:08 GMT
Post by Mari on Aug 7, 2017 7:07:08 GMT
Semolina was fine, but very salty.
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Italy
Aug 14, 2017 10:14:24 GMT
Post by raspberrybullets on Aug 14, 2017 10:14:24 GMT
Farrow - they do farrow. And barley I think.
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