Answers
May 18, 2016 - 03:24 PM
My advice, for what it is worth, (I am presently at Session 18 of Level 5) is to work through a lesson and then go to the Commons to Flashcards and work through them for the current Session and one or two previous Sessions so that there continues to be continuity with past learning. If you are a grammar nut - as I am - you ought to like Fluenz. It demands precision in spelling and usage, and tolerates NO approximations.
May 21, 2016 - 08:01 AM
I’ve used several outside books. Here are two I especially found helpful.
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/side-by-side-italian-and-english-grammar...
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/easy-italian-reader-riccarda-saggese/110...
Fluenz is primarily designed to aid people who travel to other countries for a short stay, such as a vacation. You’ll learn how to order food in a restaurant, speak with a hotel clerk and ask directions. After two levels of Fluenz your language skills will be primarily limited to those topics. This is no doubt very helpful, but you won’t be conversing with the natives.
As for difficulties with the language, prepositions are by far the most confusing. I’ve come to believe it’s more about learning how native speakers use them, rather than how to translate them into English. It’s a bit difficult to explain but if you’re familiar with German and Russian perhaps you already have a grasp of usage.
This concept extends to phrases as well. For instance, in English we “take a picture” but in Italian you “make a photo.” So I’m finding word usage to be one of the more difficult aspects of the language.
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/side-by-side-italian-and-english-grammar...
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/easy-italian-reader-riccarda-saggese/110...
Fluenz is primarily designed to aid people who travel to other countries for a short stay, such as a vacation. You’ll learn how to order food in a restaurant, speak with a hotel clerk and ask directions. After two levels of Fluenz your language skills will be primarily limited to those topics. This is no doubt very helpful, but you won’t be conversing with the natives.
As for difficulties with the language, prepositions are by far the most confusing. I’ve come to believe it’s more about learning how native speakers use them, rather than how to translate them into English. It’s a bit difficult to explain but if you’re familiar with German and Russian perhaps you already have a grasp of usage.
This concept extends to phrases as well. For instance, in English we “take a picture” but in Italian you “make a photo.” So I’m finding word usage to be one of the more difficult aspects of the language.
May 22, 2016 - 11:07 AM
Also, I find that Fluenz is giving me grammar, usage, and spelling, but NOT helping me much with verbal skills - listening and speaking (with comprehension). My goal is to be able to have conversations with native speakers on the streets of Italia. To that end I am supplementing my studies with Pimsleur as it is primarily verbal, but without trying to get everything EXACTLY right. Much like non-natives in the US who have English as a second language, I am content with being understood and understanding while in Italia, not with being precisely correct at all times. Frankly, there are so many dialects and regional idioms in Italia, that even most Italians do not have complete command of the formal language.
Jan 12, 2018 - 02:14 PM
That is exactly what I'm doing too, Ed!