Shaking hands

Foto from Flickr


Today's Italian lesson:

Introducing- Presentazioni

Ciao, mi chiamo ...: Hi, my name's ... (informal, just to say your name, to make it formal, just change Ciao with Buongiorno)

Piacere di conoscerti/la: Nice to meet you/How do you do

Come ti chiami (inf)/ Come si chiama?: What's your name?( for a suitable answer see the first sentence)

E' stato un piacere parlare con te/lei: It's been a pleasure talking to you (inf/form).

It is quite usual among friends too shaking hands while you introduce somebody. Quite rarely you exchange kiss while introducing for the first time. It could happen among very young people (teen agers and so...), just a couple of kisses on cheeks.

to fly away?

foto from Flickr

I was reading The independent online, and on a lateral ad I saw these words!
I'd like to... In this very moment I'd like to fly away from here, from my "to dos" list, from my job duties, from my whole life... If you are asking yourselves (and even if you are not), yes, I've got a sort of idea of where to fly... and probably I don't even need a plane to go there...

But I'm here, and I feel I should find a way to stay here. It would be easier to escape, or it wouldn't... don't know...

there are so many things I don't know so far...

wondering.... surfing....

One of the best way to be serious in my "start again" could be making the same steps of the first time. Since my blogroll is not so updated, this must be a really effective starting point.
So the blog I signal today is very relate to my new topic, Italian Lessons, the url is

http://becomingitalianwordbyword.typepad.com

You can find language hints to discover Italian, but also, some little story on how we use the language. The comparison, of course, is with English language.
Italian habits and lifestyle are described in a very interesting and "colourful" way.
It defenitely deserve a chance, click and see it!

Flowers and memories

Foto from Flickr

Every time I see this flower I can't help but think of my Grandmother. She used to have one of those plants and she was so proud of it. She showed it to every body, made pictures... I don't know why she loved it so much, if you look at the flowers, they are peculiar, but you could say they are not so pretty. And she could explain to you every single piece, and the meaning of it, so to understand why it is called 'passion flower', and all the symbols of crucifixion...

I really think that she somehow 'loved' this plant and the great effect it gave to her garden, but I've never asked myself whether she loved this plant more than her granddaughters, we were for sure her favourite flowers.

Lesson Number One

Knowing the risks of my laziness, I decided to start a new topic. It is not a casual one, but the reason of it will be revealed a bit later...
This new topic is: Italian lessons. I will write some basic Italian for beginners, but anybody can ask questions and I will be pleased to answer.
So, let's start, Lesson number One:

Greetings- Saluti

Ciao: Hello/Hi; very informal, but also common among friends and so on... You can use it either when you arrive or when you leave.

Salve: hello; a bit less informal, but anyway not a formal way of greeting.

Buongiorno/ Buon giorno: Good morning; You can use it until noon, as in English. You can say Buongiorno when you start a conversation, when you arrive and (in formal context) you can say so even when you're leaving. My Granma used to say that it was more polite than "arrivederci". Actually, nobody would say that "arrivederci" is unpolite!

Buon pomeriggio: Good afternoon; I think that a common grammar would tell you that you can use it when you arrive or starting a conversation after noon, but it is quite unusual to use it like this. If you really want to say so, and not give the impression of being a foreigner, use it before leaving, is a good and polite way to wish a nice day!

Buona sera/Buonasera: You can start using it after noon. As Buongiorno, is mainly use when you arrive, and if you want to be very polite you can say so when you're leaving (see Buongiorno).

Buona notte/Buonanotte: Good night; mainly used before going to bed, or very late at night.

Try Again!

Yes, That's it!

Now it is a year (and some day) since I last wrote something on these pages... I feel a bit ashamed, but since I need it, I really want to try again!

Try again to write something ( I hope) interesting.
Try again to be diligent enough.
Try again the trick of blogosphere to help my language learning.

I hope I'll do it better this time!

2009...

... is over!
Its wishes, hopes (fulfilled or not), feelings are past, and so ready for the new year to come.
Ready with our memories of what this year was (everything, nice or not because what we don't like could help us anyway!), with good intentions for the new year, with everything we've learnt so far!

HAPPY 2010!

About love

image taken from here
original text taken from here:

Eine Kleinigkeit
(für Catherine)

Ich weiß nicht was Liebe ist
aber vielleicht ist es etwas wie das:

Wenn sie
nach Hause kommt aus dem Ausland
und stolz zu mir sagt: »Ich habe
eine Wasserratte gesehen«
und ich erinnere mich an diese Worte
wenn ich aufwache in der Nacht
und am nächsten Tag bei der Arbeit
und ich sehne mich danach
sie dieselben Worte
noch einmal sagen zu hören
und auch danach
dass sie nochmals genau so aussehen soll
wie sie aussah
als sie sie sagte -

Ich denke, das ist vielleicht Liebe
oder doch etwas hinreichend Ähnliches





A littleness

I don't know what love is
but perhaps
it is something like this:

when she
comes back from abroad
and proudly says to me: "I've
seen a water rat"
and I remember these words
when I wake up at night
and the day after at work
and I miss that
these very words
once more I hear her saying

and again and again
exactly seeming
as they seemed
when she said them

I think that perhaps it is love,
or at least something very similar to it.

translation is mine, any advice is welcome.

Dictionaries and co.

Foto from Flickr
If you study languages, or are interested in language learning one of your best friend is called dictionary. I often use online dictionaries, because it's quicker than turning pages. You just type in a word and wait.
Doing my german homework I've found a couple new sources that deserve mention in this blog. The first is the online version of SANSONI provided by the italian newspapaer "Corriere della Sera", which is a really good dictionary and of great help. But one of the greatest problem when you study German is the possibility of creating new words that could generate confusion in the reader, and here the second source could be of great help. Bab.la is something more than a dictionary, because provides you the meaning of the words, but also an example of use. But the thing that deserves mention is this: whenever you cannot find there the word you need you can look for it in another source (so far, quite obvious)and then put it there. It will be checked, but in the meantime it is available with the red writing "non verif." (not checked).
That's great for a basic reason, language is something alive, then changes and enlarges itself, so obviously a living dictionary is a great advantage.
Of course there is the negative aspect that we always find talking about online sources: reliability. But as always the solution is to take it as a starting point and not as a universal truth. To have an initial meaning (the most unprecise it could be) it is better than wondering without knowing.

A new Banner

There is a new banner in my blog, it comes from a page that has something to do with language learning.
When you start learning a language one of the most important thing is vocabulary. To learn new words is the first step to express yourself in the target language, and I found a way to improve your vocabulary and help to fight hunger.
Freerice is an opportunity for language learner, for those of you who want to learn English French German Italian or Spanish.
When you open the page, you'll find a quiz, there are words you are asked to translate in English, and for every word guessed 10 grains rice will be donate through the World Food Program.

I found it some time ago thanks to Karenuccia, but after my last template change it went lost, now I redescovered it for my German training, I'm always trying to find new ways to improve my vocabulary, and I think that is a great way!

For any other information have a look to the page!