[alligator]

I'm 34 and considering learning Italian. I've check out Rosetta Stone, but I'm not sure if it will be the best use of my money. I already speak some French, but my skills are basic.

What do people here recommend for learning a foreign language besides visiting the country? Obviously, with work, I can't travel much or live in the foreign country. I've also tried podcasts but haven't had much luck.

[besson3c]

That's a spicy meatball!

If you just say that all the time, you should be fine, right?

[elyzabennet]

You could always take a class at your local community college or adult education center.

[Buckaroo]

I'd like to learn Italian also. I know a few words and I know how to count to 40 in Italian.

[chris v]

Be careful with the night-class community-college thing. I signed up for a UT extension course one time (Spanish) that ended up being mostly a 6-hour advertisement for more private lessons. I was quite disenchanted, and learned little.

It depends on your self-discipline, but unless you've got someone to speak it to regularly, I think just up-and-learning a language by book or tape is not easy. Unless you're Oisin, of course.

[besson3c]

That's a spicy meatball!

Sorry, I just wanted to say that again for no particular reason... I'll shut up now, I promise!

[Buckaroo]

molto cattivo

[Judge_Fire]

Best to go with familiar subjects.

[khufuu]

Have you considered going to an ESL (English as a Second Language) school and putting up a "Want Ad"? They may have native Italian speakers there learning English that would like the extra cash. It may benefit you both. You could get instruction in Italian and you could help them with their ESL homework at the same time.

[Chuckit]

The best way to learn a language is to pick something that you can use. If you're trying to learn Italian without often talking to Italians or watching Italian TV or something, your learning will probably be slower and it will take a lot more work to retain what you learn. Assuming a class is good, I think classes are better than tapes just for the interactivity. I've been in classes that basically amounted to listening to tapes, though.

[Oisín]

It depends on your self-discipline, but unless you've got someone to speak it to regularly, I think just up-and-learning a language by book or tape is not easy. Unless you're Oisin, of course.

All right, I’m vain and all that, but that made me smile. Blush, but smile.



To the OP:

The most important thing has already been said a few times in here, really: interaction, interaction, and more interaction. Learning a language without using it actively to talk to people (and not just fellow English-speakers trying to learn the same language!) is near impossible, if you want to obtain some kind of fluency and feeling of naturalness when speaking it.

khufuu’s advice is a good one: once you’ve completed some elementary courses that allow you to hold a simple conversation, advertise for Italian exchange students. You help them correct their English, they help you learn Italian. Works great, most of the time. But you need a certain basis in order to do that, since exchange students aren’t generally much good as actual teachers, teaching you about the grammar and so on; you’ll need a proper teacher for that.

As for classes, choose the most intensive and work-heavy class you can accomodate into your schedule. Those ‘lazy’ classes that you get so often at night-classes are basically no good. The learning curve is so flat that you never actually advance much, you just forget the stuff you learned in the beginning and replace it with stuff you learn later on. You need a class where they pump information into your head and throw ten times more information at you than you can handle. That’s the only way to quickly learn a language.

And if you’re not experienced with learning languages (which it sounds like you’re not), the first thing I’d recommend you to do is to learn English. Find a good, solid work on English grammar (and grammar in general), one that explains, or at least exemplifies, the concepts and notions to be aware of when dissecting language (which is what grammar is basically all about, of course). Once you’re able to look at your own language through a ‘filter’ of grammar (and once you realise how very similar English and Italian grammars really are, down beneath the surface of differences), learning a new grammar and applying it to a new language will be a thousand times easier.

[peeb]

The best way by far is to go live somewhere where they speak it and hang out with non-english speakers...

[Sijmen]

I recommend Welcome to Michel Thomas

[RAILhead]

I'm in the same boat. We're planning a 2 week vacation to Italy at the end of 2009, so we'd all like to get moderately acquainted with the language beforehand. There's no way we can go to classes at our local college, so we've been seriously thinking about Rosetta Stone 3.

[Person Man]

Originally Posted by RAILhead 

I'm in the same boat. We're planning a 2 week vacation to Italy at the end of 2009, so we'd all like to get moderately acquainted with the language beforehand. There's no way we can go to classes at our local college, so we've been seriously thinking about Rosetta Stone 3.

Start with 1 and 2 first, unless you already know some of the language. Seriously, because they build on each other. My brother used Rosetta Stone to learn Spanish and he's pretty good at it. Maybe even better than me, and I minored in Spanish in college.

Though if you don't get to learn Italian before you go, don't worry. If you can hold up your fingers to count and point and say things like "Coca-Cola" and "Fanta," you can get what you want.

In 1992 when I was 16 I went on my high school's German exchange program, except instead of coming back with the group, I stayed behind in Stuttgart with my (Greek) cousin. He and his wife and their daughter and I drove to Greece, via Italy. (Germany to Switzerland to Italy to ferry boat to Greece). Three day car trip with a three year old girl. So, we're out in the middle of nowhere on one of Italy's toll highways, and the girl starts complaining that she's thirsty, and that she wants a Schwip Schwap (Orange flavored cola for those outside Germany). We don't have Schwip Schwap. We have water. She doesn't want water. Big fuss raised. My cousin agrees to stop at the next gas station and buy her a "Schwip Schwap" (never mind that they don't have it in Italy).

Fifty or so miles later, we finally find an "Agip" gas station. Since none of us spoke Italian, the task fell on me (as the only English speaker, since my cousin only spoke Greek and German) to go in and get the soft drinks we need. My cousin gave me what we thought would be "enough" money (50,000 liras) and I went in. I looked at the man behind the counter.

Man: (something in Italian. Sounded like a question).

Me: Do you speak English?

Man: (shakes his head no)

Me: Okay, um, Sprechen Sie Deutsch?

Man: (shakes his head no)

Me: Um, mipos milate Ellinika? (WTF was I thinking? If he didn't speak English or German, the chances he'd speak Greek were very little).

Man: (shakes his head no, getting impatient with me, though from the looks of things I was his first customer in hours).

Me: Hmm. Okay, I want ONE (holds up fingers) Fanta, and TWO (holds up fingers) Coca-Cola.

Man: (smiles, recognizing) Fanta e Coca-Cola?

Me: (nods head, and I point to the plastic cups on the counter). FOUR (holds up fingers) cups, please.

Man: (hands me the three cans of soda and the four cups, then makes the international sign for "money").

I handed him the 50,000 liras and got back some small amount in change. To this day I wonder if I was ripped off, but I didn't care. I'd have paid $100 to not hear the girl whining any more. Got back out to the car (cousin asks "what took you so long?") and we mixed the Coca-Cola and the Orange Fanta together and the little girl had her Schwip Schwap.

And all was well for the next ten miles... until she had to go to the bathroom.

[el chupacabra]

What has been most successful for me is just reading the dictionary translations. Straight up memorization of the words. I tried taking classes and doing tapes and books and that never really worked...just a complete waste of time. Teachers think you should learn like a child just trying to figure out what they're saying... this is dumb, your brain doesn't work anywhere near as efficient as a child, and if it did, it would still take you 8 years to learn a language. You should just memorize the words. Then when someone says them you know what they're saying.
After I have read the dictionary for a language I find websites written in that language; I translate them and compare the two so I can learn correct grammar,phrases and structure of the language. Also rent videos in that language to get an ear for it. Asian languages are more complicated and you probably need to take a class with those because of the whole symbol thing.... Really Japanese isn't that hard.
My hardest language that I have spent the most time on is spanish, only because spanish speakers are spitting mumblers that don't use their tongue making every word sound the same.

[Atomic Rooster]

Mama Mia!

That's all I know.

Isn't English a foreign language?

[alligator]

Originally Posted by RAILhead 

I'm in the same boat. We're planning a 2 week vacation to Italy at the end of 2009, so we'd all like to get moderately acquainted with the language beforehand. There's no way we can go to classes at our local college, so we've been seriously thinking about Rosetta Stone 3.

This is my situation. I can afford a trip anywhere in the world this year (well, almost), but I have three young kids to take. That leaves everything within about 8 hours from here (Minnesota). That will get me to Western Europe, Iceland, and all of the US. With kids, classes are too time consuming. I'm considering software - but not if it doesn't work.

[RAILhead]

Just to let those interested in this know, I ordered the entire Rosetta Stone v3 Italian Levels 1, 2, and 3 and I'm really liking it so far. I've only had the time to get to the 3rd Core Lesson in Level 1 (which means I've only begun to scratch the surface), but I'm finding the method of teaching to be really intuitive and conducive to learning. I'm not that great at recall just yet, but I'm able to go back and re-read everything I've done up to this point.

You can also download a huge PDF that has everything you'll learn for the languages. You can see what Italian Level 1 teaches here: http://www.rosettastone.com/us_asset..._Italian_1.pdf

The general download page is here (click the Version 3 Course Contents tab, and then you language): Rosetta Stone: Downloads

The built-in voice recognition is great, too, as it helps to make sure you're pronouncing the words correctly -- and the 123 combo comes with a headset mic (not sure about the individual or 1&2 pack).

[Person Man]

Originally Posted by RAILhead 

The built-in voice recognition is great, too, as it helps to make sure you're pronouncing the words correctly -- and the 123 combo comes with a headset mic (not sure about the individual or 1&2 pack).

I got my brother the Spanish 1&2 pack, and they had a special where I could choose between something else and the microphone for free. So I got him the microphone.

Now he can speak with the Mexicans at work.

[Jawbone54]

Just add "ah" to the end of a lot of your words. Italian in a jiff.

[Buckaroo]

Originally Posted by Oisín 

You need a class where they pump information into your head and throw ten times more information at you than you can handle. That’s the only way to quickly learn a language.

Ten times more information than we can handle? Are you sure we won't forget our childhood or the first 20 years of our life in the process? Sort of Johnny Menomic.

[Buckaroo]

Originally Posted by Jawbone54 

Just add "ah" to the end of a lot of your words. Italian in a jiff.

I thought that was for Canadian.

[Oisín]

^ ‘Ah’, not ‘eh’.

Ten times more information than we can handle? Are you sure we won't forget our childhood or the first 20 years of our life in the process? Sort of Johnny Menomic.

Fairly sure.

Then again, I have often wondered why my life started when I was twelve...

[olePigeon]

Originally Posted by Oisín 

Then again, I have often wondered why my life started when I was twelve...

Suzy in the barn?

[Oisín]

Originally Posted by olePigeon 

Stewie in the barn?

(And fixed™ )

[voodoo]

Italian spoken by men is - with full respect to any people here who fancy the same sex - the most homosexual sounding language I have ever heard.

Italian spoken by women is just cringeworthy.

V

[RAILhead]

I'd love to have you say that to some of my uncles.

[voodoo]

Originally Posted by RAILhead 

I'd love to have you say that to some of my uncles.

I said "with full respect to any people here who fancy the same sex", so they shouldn't take this personally.

V