toni_g_b

I'm watching CNN and they were talking about freebies on the web. One site is livemocha.com. Never heard about it. Can't comment on its quality but it can match you up with native speakers to increase your skills in several languages. Might be fun.

scrb

Seems to be an increased interest in learning languages.

For a lot of the time I was growing up the emphasis was on Spanish or strategic languages like Russian and Chinese.

Now it seems more interest in European languages with things like Rosetta Stone and other software or web sites.

I've been downloading the Learning Italian podcasts but haven't gotten into it yet.

As long as you can still go to Italy and get by with English, it's hard to get motivated.

StCirq

<<As long as you can still go to Italy and get by with English, it's hard to get motivated.>>

Not if you understand the difference between getting by and knowing what's really going on around you. Whenever I go somewhere where I don't speak the language, I am acutely aware of a certain diminishment in the experience. It's like being deaf to me.

cruiseluv

I agree with Sc Cirq. For the longest time I kept wondering why I always gravitate to travel to Spain and Italy, over and over, even to cities I have already been to. Recently I realized that a big part of the reason is that I speak Spanish and Italian. When I travel by myself in those countries I never feel alone.

charnees

There's a podcast called "My Daily Phrase Italian" on the web that has about 100 5-minute sessions teaching phrases commonly needed by tourists. It's not going to get you able to carry on conversations, but it's fun and easy and helps you feel a little less helpless.

annhig

you might also be interested in about.com's italian site - i like the word of the day!

there's lots of information and help for eveyone from beginners to readers of Dante. [too advanced for me!].

scrb

OTOH, if you wait to gain some fluency in a language before visiting a country, then international travel could be limited.

charnees

These suggested lessons are not designed to make you fluent in Italian, but they will give a you start, and some confidence. And Italians are very nice, and like to help you when you struggle in their language. Unlike many in France, who sneered at me when I attempted to use my "only" four years of French from school.

Tiggy22

I have taken private Italian lessons in Rome through Context and my teacher recommended the free BBC Italian tutorial, which I found to be really helpful:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/italian/lj/

I have used this in addition to my Rosetta Stone software.

annhig

Unlike many in France, who sneered at me when I attempted to use my "only" four years of French from school.>>

Charnees - you have been very unfortunate. we found even on our recent visit to Paris where the locals are renouned for their snootiness, that french people, far more so than people elsewhere, are very patient with our attempts to speak french, and far less likely to switch to English at the drop of a hat, like other races.

LSky

Our local library offers Mango language classes. I tried livemocha but didn't really like it. I've been using Michel Thomas German Audio. His system is set up to be all audio. I I think I'm doing well but no one speaks to me in German so I can't judge.

How can a whole city of people be snooty? I learned French from a cd and not very well, mind you, for my trip to Paris. People were super nice to me. Strangers walked me to the mail box when I couldn’t pronounce the word for it, but remembered how to spell it. They were so sweet as they listened patiently to me ask. Most people are about as nice as we let them be. The Parisians are just Parisian.