Answers
Aug 25, 2013 - 08:26 AM
The reflexives really gave me a run for my money, and I spent a lot of time reviewing the podcast where you have to spit them out quickly. Eventually, they came, though they still make me think.
BUT....the indirect/direct object pronouns!! These continue to haunt me. I guess because in English we don't change the word we use, so it makes little sense to me to have to do it in Italian. It seems so arbitrary. Plus, as some author wrote, pronouns in Italian hop around in sentences like fleas on a cat's ear. Obviously the Fluenz team knows they are a challenge, and there is another tutorial in level 5 on this very topic. That helped, but even to this day I struggle in remembering which ones to use. I understand it when its explained to me, but cannot get them to click in normal usage.
Maybe I should create a Quizlet for them.....sometimes just the process of making the quiz does the trick.
So you are not alone on this. Buona fortuna!
Aug 25, 2013 - 03:38 PM
For example, "Io Vedo Antonio". If you use a pronoun it would have to be a direct one "LO vedo" and not "GLI vedo" because it makes no sense to say "to him I see".
Another, "Lui da il libro a Maria" can become "LE da il libro"
"Tu compri un regalo per tuo padre" can become "gli compri un regalo"
It is challenging when the sentences are more complex but at least some never change like Mi, Ti, Ci, Vi. The youtube lecture I posted introduced me to that "if you can rearrange sentence" method and it hasn't proven me wrong yet..infact it helped me grasp it even better!
The quelli/questo words never gave me much trouble because I always knew those from speaking at home but I can see how tricky they can be because when I started tutoring a friend in Italian, those gave her a run.
Oh yes, reflexive verbs..those gave me such a headache...amazing to think how I understand it now. Growing up, I only knew how to say certain reflexives in certain ways but I never knew how to conjugate and so on; they are probably the most tricky verbs out there.
Buona Fortuna!!! I'm on session 24 on Italian 5...so excited to finish and re-inforce with Living Language haha
Aug 26, 2013 - 07:20 AM
You do have a bit of an advantage having grown up around the language. I knew only a couple basic phrases when I started. But that's ok, it has been a wonderful experience.
Aug 26, 2013 - 12:03 PM
Also, another challenge is remembering that certain verbs have to have a "per" or a "a" after it.
The worst thing about growing up around the language and speaking a good amount of it was that even when I would ask the native speakers in my family "why this" or "why not that", sometimes they're just like us with English in "it's the way it is" haha
Hopefully when I start my advanced French course, I don't start mixing haha
Aug 26, 2013 - 10:50 PM
And yes, per... just a persnickety little word!!
Aug 26, 2013 - 10:57 PM
Buona fortuna!!
Aug 27, 2013 - 08:27 PM
Sep 23, 2013 - 06:07 PM
Sep 23, 2013 - 10:18 PM
That's great reflexives are sticking...I remember when they begin to stick for me and it truly was a great feeling!!!
Some example of verbs that can be both reflexive or non-reflexive:
Alzare= to raise up/lift or "Alzarsi" = to get up.
Lavare=to wash/ or "Lavarsi" = to wash oneself.
Sentire=to feel/ or "Sentirsti" = to feel
Sep 24, 2013 - 04:47 PM
Sep 24, 2013 - 06:47 PM
Sep 25, 2013 - 07:35 AM
Sep 25, 2013 - 10:00 AM
First, understand how R is said in English. You must raise the back of your tongue, which somewhat closes off your throat, then you sort of ‘grunt’. In Italian, (and Spanish) you must do the exact opposite. Completely relax your tongue. Let it lay on the bottom of your mouth like a wet rag. Gently raise the tip of your tongue and simply exhale across it. It should “flutter.’ Think of saying how cold you are with the sound “Brrrr”. (but flutter your tongue, not your lips) If you’ve ever played a musical wind instrument, this is called “flutter tonguing”. It’s exactly the same as the Italian R.
Hope this helps.
Sep 25, 2013 - 02:38 PM
Sep 25, 2013 - 04:44 PM
Sep 25, 2013 - 07:50 PM
Sep 25, 2013 - 07:51 PM
Sep 25, 2013 - 10:16 PM
I wish you all best of luck with the "R" rolling and getting the correct pronunciation of "gli" ! Don't worry, as you continue your italian journey you will wish you still had the rolling of Rs as a problem..wait till you see those indirect pronouns!!!
Sep 27, 2013 - 06:48 AM
Sep 27, 2013 - 07:31 AM
Sep 27, 2013 - 08:41 AM
"Mi sono alzato presto per studiare." ;)
Sep 27, 2013 - 04:44 PM
Kristin, pronouns are probably the most annoying concept for advanced learners like us. The only way to grasp them after knowing what they mean is understanding the context of sentence..which can be hard when there are vocabulary words thrown in or verbs that you aren't familiar with yet.
Fluenz, if you make an Italian 6.. or maybe even youtube videos for learners with the 3-5 tutor, address "Ci"... as Kristin and myself know, it means way more than "Us" haha I remember saying "Andiamoci!" and my friend (who is taking elementary Italian in school) goes "let's go us?" . I then said how Ci also means "there".. she just shook her head and I quote "what's with pronouns in this language?!" haha
Dec 01, 2013 - 05:34 PM
Dec 04, 2013 - 11:20 AM
I saw a post that complained about the new instructor in Level 3, and I laughed. At that point I was quite happy to move on to a faster pace. Also recently read articles online that indicate that there are many people, including many native Italians, who just don't have the physical structure in the mouth and tongue to really roll their Rs. People who can't curl their tongue into a tube are particularly handicapped.
Jan 11, 2014 - 01:45 PM
Jan 11, 2014 - 01:47 PM
Jan 11, 2014 - 02:11 PM