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Learn how to learn

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However, even the best language course won’t work if you don’t know how to use it or if you don’t use it regularly.

So, before starting out, invest a few minutes to understand my method.

In this presentation, I’ll explain how to get the best results out of my lessons and how to use them easily.

Follow carefully this introduction before starting to study on your own.

This introduction takes only 10 minutes and will save you years of study.

With your free trial membership, you’ll access all the resources after you completed the last unit.

Now, click on the tabs to move on to the next units.

In the next unit, I’ll explain my study method.

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How we all learn languages

After learning 12 languages, I came to the conclusion that we all learn languages by listening and mimicking.  A bit like we did when we were babies. That’s why I created study material to learn Italian by speaking.

My courses

My original learning resources are called Impara Con Me and include two kinds of lessons. Ripeti Con Me is an audio course to learn grammar without studying rules, but rather by listening and repeating many sample sentences. Leggi Con Me is a collection of bilingual readings with slow audio to expand your vocabulary with simplified and yet real-world material. The combination of the two will make you familiar with grammar patterns and let you put them into practice right away.

Plans for fluency

There are 3 plans available with monthly and yearly options:

1. Audio course Ripeti Con Me
2. Bilingual readings with slow audio Leggi Con Me
3. Full plan Impara Con Me that includes 1. and 2.

During the free trial, you have access to everything, which corresponds to the plan Impara Con Me. I recommend this plan because it covers all the skills you need in the long term and it’s also cheaper than the two plans if bought separately. In the next unit, I’ll show you how to use the audio course Ripeti Con Me.

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Concept

This is an audio course specifically designed for the Italian language with a focus on conversation, based on the principle of comprehensible input and spaced repetition. This means that I’ll show you how to say things in Italian and you’ll repeat after me to acquire vocabulary and grammar naturally. Each lesson covers one grammar pattern without explicitly teaching it, but rather showing many examples. During the course, you will listen and repeat useful sentences in English and Italian. This course will get you to think directly in Italian in just a few days. Simply put, I’ll show you how to say things and you’ll mimic. You’ll do that over and over during each lesson and over many lessons.

What’s in a lesson

A lesson is made up of:

• 3 audio files
• Italian transcript
• English translation

You can adjust the playback speed. The text is hidden by default to focus on listening. The grammar pattern is revealed by the text in bold.

How to take a lesson

Simply put, you need to repeat everything that you hear in Italian. The sequence is different between files A, B, and C, as shown below. https://www.fluentsimple.com/wp-content/uploads/lesson-structure.jpg The audio course Ripeti Con Me is simple to use – you only have to repeat everything you hear in Italian. Every lesson includes 30 sentences in English and Italian and is made up of 3 files: A, B, and C. In file A, you listen to a sentence in English, then you hear it in Italian, then you repeat it while you hear it again. If you already understand something of what you hear and you’re brave enough, try to repeat also the first time that you hear a sentence in Italian. In file B, you listen to a sentence in English, then you have time to say that in Italian. Don’t’ worry if you can’t recollect exactly. Try to say something anyway. Then, repeat the sentence in Italian while you hear it. In file C, there’s no English version. You need to speak along in Italian.

Pro tips

Now, I’ll give you a few tips to boost your progress by using it correctly.

• Go through files A, B, and C on the same day, in that order, all in a row, without pausing the audio. Together, they take about 15-25 minutes.
• Take one lesson a day, every day.
• You’re not expected to remember or even understand everything you hear.
• It’s totally normal to miss words and mumble phrases. You’ll catch them later.
• There’s no need to stick to one lesson only because you don’t understand something.
• If you can keep up somehow with about 70% of the content, move on to the next lesson; or else, repeat the lesson the day after.
• You should take a night of sleep between lessons.
• It’s vital that you repeat everything you hear. Don’t just listen passively.
• Don’t look at the booklet before or while taking a new lesson, but rather rely on audio only. You can always read it after the lesson is over.

In the next unit, I’ll explain how to use the readings Leggi Con Me.

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Reading the smart way

Reading is useful to expand your vocabulary and to put into practice what you’ve learned in class. However, usually, people read silently. This makes it difficult to recollect and recount what you just read. That’s why, in Leggi Con Me, first, you listen to a story and then read it aloud. This also improves your pronunciation. The readings don’t follow a path but are sorted by level. There are short stories, news, and conversations. I add new material every day, so there’s always something to learn!

What’s in a reading

The collection of readings is made up of 3 categories:

• Short stories Original short stories that make learning fun
• News Real news taken from Italian media to see the world in Italian
• Conversations Useful conversations from real-life situations for your next trip to Italy

Every lesson of Leggi Con Me includes:

• Audio with adjustable narration speed We all learn by listening and mimicking. That’s why audio is paramount. First, rely on audio only without reading. Too fast for you? No problem, adjust the playback speed!
• Italian transcript After the first round of listening, read aloud the Italian text without looking at the translation.
• English translation Still puzzled by some words? Check out the English version!

Bookmark a story and review it after a few days. You’ll be surprised by how much more you can understand! In the next unit, I’ll introduce the other resources available on the website.

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Study your grammar?

The lessons do not include grammar notes in order to focus on speaking. Personally, I never study grammar explicitly, but I rather acquire it by making mistakes in conversation. However, if you just can’t resist the charm of grammar rules, you do find an explanation in the “grammar” section. But read it after Ripeti Con Me, not before!

Other resources

There are also tests to check your level. Based on the results of the test, you’ll know which lessons of Ripeti Con Me you should take in order to improve. In the blog, you find tips to learn faster and interesting facts about the Italian language. In the “tools” section, you can create a study plan and download lists of useful phrases and words. Occasionally, you find me live on Youtube in webinars or for a leisurely chat in Italian. Subscribe to my channel! Take all these resources as supplements, not substitutes for the speaking practice that only Ripeti Con Me can provide. In the next video, I’ll show you the updates that you’ll receive in your mailbox.

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As you have seen, there’s a lot of useful material, but choice is not a problem – the dashboard only shows material that suits your level. The same goes for the newsletter that you’ll receive with the new stories of Leggi Con Me. In another newsletter, you’ll receive the latest posts from the blog. Besides that, I’ll send you a daily reminder to keep the streak of Ripeti Con Me alive. Over the next few days, I’ll also give you tips to use the website and the lessons.

Manage your preferences

All the newsletters and the onboarding emails that I’ll send to you are by no means promotional material. They’re actually part of the service you’d pay for. You’ll only receive 100% useful material, like the latest readings, study tips, and reminders to stay on track. If that’s still too much for you, you can always unsubscribe from certain updates while keep receiving others. If you’d like to reduce the number of emails that you receive, you only need to click the link at the bottom of any email to change your preferences. In the next unit, I’ll show you how to interact with me and your fellow learners.

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Do you have questions about a lesson? Comments on a story that you liked? Do you just want to show off your Italian? Write a message under any post and I’ll answer personally. Maybe, other students will leave a comment! We all learn languages for communication. That’s why I give you a chance to express yourself on any page of the website. You find the latest comments in the “community” section on your dashboard. Join the conversation! In the last unit, I’ll show you your next step to start to study on your own.

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Bravo! You made it to the end. If you’re motivated enough to watch and read this, you’ll also make progress fast with my lessons. Now that you know how my method works and where to find the lessons, you can start to study on your own.

The dashboard

I collected all the resources you need on your dashboard. Visit it every day to find the lessons you need right away. The dashboard shows lessons based on your level of Italian and other resources, together with your recent history to keep track of your progress. You can set your level at any time on your dashboard. It’s a good idea to bookmark the dashboard to visit it regularly. On the dashboard, choose a lesson of Ripeti Con Me or Leggi Con Me and take it today. If you still have questions, find the answers on the “support” page or send me a message. Enjoy your study! Ciao ciao!

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