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Ripeti con me
Ripeti con me. I enthusiastically look forward to spending time with all the Italian language learning resources on fluentsimple.com. There are many choices available to bolster my interest and skills. In my opinion the package deal "Imparare con me" is well worth the cost. Stephano (creator and owner of the app) has a great voice and approach to language instruction. I think of him as a friend who is trying ever way possible to help me learn Italian.
Becoming conversant in Italian
I am an intermediate Italian learner. I can read passably well, and even can read newspaper articles with the assistance of my handy computer-based dictionary. I know, in theory, a lot of the grammar basics. What I lack is enough ownership of the language to feel comfortable conversing (although my friendly Italki teachers are very sweet and encouraging). I also lack the ability to listen to and fully comprehend normal paced Italian speaking, such as in movies and TV shows. Stefano Lodola’s Ripeti Con Me, Leggi Con Me, and the combination of those into Impara Con Me are perfect for this stage of my Italian learning. They probably would have been great when I was more of a beginner also, but I didn’t know about them then. So I dove into the Intermediate Level, #121 of Ripeti Con Me last month. With Ripeti Con Me what you get with each segment is a set of 30 sentences that focus on a word, phrase, or grammatical concept. The first time time (A) you hear the English (in Stefano’s cute Italian accent) followed by the Italian, and followed by the Italian again and you’re supposed to “shadow” that second time, speaking with or just after Stefano. The second time (B) you have a blank to try to remember the Italian and then can “shadow” again. The third time (C) is shorter - just shadowing. Sometimes I turn on the Italian text for this third time and shadow and read at the same time. You can also toggle on the English translation text. After I’ve gone through the lesson one day, the following day I’ll usually read the English, say the Italian to the best of my memory, and then read and listen to recording (C). By the time you’ve done all that, you’ve “owned” the word, phrase or grammatical concept that was the focus of the lesson. In addition, the sentences are also gradually introducing some new vocabulary and sentence forms that will also serve you well. Just as an example, in the short time I’ve used Ripeti Con Me it’s already helped me “own” the regular imperative form. And how to use “pure” (meaning go ahead, feel free, or just do something). So last week when my Italki teacher said she wanted to bring to my attention some errors that I habitually make, instead of my usual “OK” or “Va bene grazie”, I said “Dimmi pure”. I didn’t even translate in my head from English… it just rolled off my tongue and got a smile from her. Is there anything special about the 30 sentences at a time? First, I find the amount of time I spend on these 30 sentences is about right. This is an active form of learning (which makes it much more effective than passive learning) so I can only do so much at a time. Each lesson takes about half an hour in total. It’s a reasonable time commitment per day (which I usually supplement with lesson review, reading the newspaper or stories, grammar explanations, videos, vocabulary drills, etc.) Secondly, so far I’ve enjoyed the 30 sentences that Stefano chooses. They often have an element of humor or evoke scenarios or stories. So far I’ve never found a lesson boring even when I already feel that I understand the concept that is the focus of the lesson. I think this speaks to Stefano’s experience as a teacher and the care and thought that he’s put into the program. Third, the new vocabulary chosen for the sentences chosen is appropriate for the level. Fourth, the pacing is slow and Stefano speaks crystal clear perfect Italian. This is confidence building - Wow, I can listen to and understand Italian almost as well as I can read! The “Leggi Con Me” part of the program is nice because it offers short readings that you can listen to before, after, or during your reading of the passage. Again in perfect, slow, and clear Italian.
Recommended
The active engagement in learning and using Italian has greatly enhanced my progress in understanding and speaking Italian, which is really rewarding.