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How to write a formal letter in Italian
Sunday, 20 May 2012Have you noticed how there is a different coloured stripe in the middle of your dictionary? Within those few pages lies grammatical advice which can help you in the most difficult and confusing of situations; writing your CV in a foreign language, writing emails, personal and formal letters, making phone calls and the solutions to the trickiest translation problems.Published in Language Skills -
How to fake your language skills to become a local
Monday, 16 January 2012Becoming fluent on your year abroad is easy as pie if you're constantly surrounded by local people at work, at university and in your social life, but in reality your 'year' abroad might be only seven months (or half of it spent in another country), you might also hang out with English-speaking friends while you're there, and of course you always need a bit of time to yourself! There's no way that you can be fully-immersed 24/7, but you still need to appear less foreign/touristy as fast as possible. Why? So that locals don't reply to you in English, so they trust you and open up to you more, and so that you feel you are progressing quickly which helps hugely with confidence. "Your [insert language] is amazing! How long have you been here for?!" We are all, secretly, praise junkies.
Published in Language Skills -
The Mole Diaries: Rome
Tuesday, 22 November 2011Kian McCarthy was at Bath University and spent his year abroad in Rome, Italy. Here is his definitive guide to your plan of action when you arrive in Rome for your year abroad; accommodation tips, surviving La Sapienza University and other inimitable advice straight from a student who's been through it all himself.
Published in Italian-speaking -
Italian language learning resources
Tuesday, 22 March 2011
The Ultimate Italian DictionaryThe BIG Italian - Collins Italian Dictionary
This comprehensive dictionary has every word you’ll ever need, as well as examples of usage and idioms to help you master the lingo.Published in Language Learning Resources -
Italian
Thursday, 14 January 2010Fascinating Facts
1. Italy is comprised of 20 different regions and its language is spoken by over 70 million people!
2. What we now call Italian actually originated in Siena.
3. Two of Europe’s smallest countries are within Italy itself: San Marino and The Vatican.
4. Italy has over 140 different types of pasta!
5. The oldest European university is the University of Bologna.
6. Italy has more hotel rooms than any other country in Europe!
7. The telephone was created in Italy.
8. Shakespeare based more than 13 plays in the boot-shaped country.
9. ‘Ars longa, vita brevis’ is a common saying in Italy, reflecting their love of leisure.
- Get the lowdown about the year abroad from students who've worked and studied in Italy.
- Italian language-learning resources from Collins
- Receive an Italian Word of the Day via email from the Zanichelli Dictionary and boost your vocab by at least one word a day!
- Go to our Italy section for more information about the country.
- Brilliant ways to practice your Italian language skills online.
Published in Content
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Extracurricular classes on your year abroad in Italy
Tuesday, 21 February 2012It would be a crime not to make the most of Italian cooking, eating, dancing, trampolining, speaking, drinking etc on your year abroad here. After all, the food is second to none, the wine doesn’t get tiresome and you’re noticing it doesn’t get much better than this: la vita è davvero bella. Oh yes, yes it is. You’re through a few months of it now and family and friends are expecting lots from you: an academic’s knowledge of Michelangelo, the ability to make perfect hand-made ravioli, distinguish your espresso from your americano, get the froth right on the cappuccino AND speak the local dialect.Published in Extracurricular Activities -
Digital dictionaries and apps from Collins
Thursday, 01 December 2011As a year abroad student, you need language reference tools that are reliable enough to get you through living, studying and working abroad, and portable enough for travel (without affecting your weight restrictions at the airport!). To make sure you have (and can afford!) what you need, we have wangled an exclusive promotional code with Collins and their software partner Ultralingua just for TYA members!
Published in Language Learning Resources -
The importance of a Modern Language degree
Wednesday, 21 September 2011I'm the first to admit that I don't really use my Italian language skills in my job. I'd love to - but I don't. However, that's not to say I don't use what I learnt during my Italian degree every day. My year abroad in Italy and understanding of the language introduced me not only to Italian food, art and culture but to a relaxed, happy approach to life (in the sense that if you enjoy what you do each day, you will get a huge amount out of it) and effectively a new way of thinking, all of which has changed me for the better and is thanks to my language degree.Published in Blog -
Languages and dialects in Italy
Sunday, 13 June 2010Surely you’ll be absolutely fine speaking Italian in Italy? Well, presumably, but Standard Italian is quite a modern thing – just think back to when Italy was unified: 1861! Until then, what we now call Italy was just lots of different states, and each one had their own language or dialect. For several reasons (its literary prestige, amongst others), the Tuscan/Florentine dialect was taken as the language of modern Italy, but its standardisation was slow. Italian wasn’t widespread and spoken by everyone in Italy until the 20th century, but nowadays it is spoken by around 60 million people. Because Italian was adopted so late, some dialects survived despite being spoken only in small and remote regions. Here’s a list of the most common regional languages and dialects you’ll find in Italy nowadays (as you can see, Italy’s neighbours have a lot of influence!)Published in Language Skills -
Italian-speaking
Wednesday, 12 May 2010These are reviews by students who have spent a year abroad in Italy. They have passed on advice from their experiences, packing ideas and accommodation tips to help you choose where to go and to settle in faster, so make sure you look through all of them!
Search using the list below or with our brilliant map.
Published in Italian-speaking
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Browse our Italian articles:
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The Mole Diaries: Siena (Volume 2)
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Pippa is studying French and Italian at Bath University, and spending her year abroad in Paris, Lyon and as an… -
The Mole Diaries: Turin
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Mari Eccles is studying French and Italian at the University of Warwick and spent her year abroad as an Erasmus… -
The Mole Diaries: Pisa
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Rachel is studying Italian and Spanish at Exeter University and spent her year abroad living in Pisa, Italy, and commuting… -
The Mole Diaries: Rome
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Kian McCarthy was at Bath University and spent his year abroad in Rome, Italy. Here is his definitive guide to… -
The Mole Diaries: Modena
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Sarah Swainbank is about to set off on her year abroad in Italy. Here, she gives us an account of… -
Fantastic Ferrara
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Miney spent her year abroad in Ferrara in Northern Italy. Read on as she fills the year abroad blanks... -
Sweet Siena
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Renate spent her year abroad in Siena, Italy. Read on as she fills the year abroad blanks... -
The Mole Diaries: Siena
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As part of her bachelor's degree in Italian at Reading University, Renate Cumming-Benson is spending her year abroad studying at the…
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