½ûÂþÌìÌà ½ûÂþÌìÌà Lesson 2: Stunning Landscape

| Mon, 04/30/2012 - 07:49

I studied ½ûÂþÌìÌà at school and at university and lived in Rome for nearly 5 years. I have started up an ½ûÂþÌìÌà school and have been considering some interesting ways to teach the ½ûÂþÌìÌà language. I listed the top 5 things I love about Italy and came up with:

- Amazing food
- Stunning landscape
- Romantic language
- Friendly people
- Beautiful art and architecture

So I thought - what about teaching ½ûÂþÌìÌà through love and awareness of these wonderful aspects of Italy? Lesson 2 explores the beautiful ½ûÂþÌìÌà landscape of Italy which varies from the nord (north) to the sud (south) of the peninsula and out to the isole (islands). Each regione (region) is different, and the landscapes include:

* °ä¾±³Ù³Ùà: Cities
* Campagna: Countryside
* Paesi: Villages
* Montagne: Mountains
* Mare: Sea
* Colline: Hills
* Campi: Fields
* Vigneti: Vineyards
* Fiumi: Rivers
* Boschi: Woods
* Scogliere: Cliffs
* Vulcani: Volcanos
* Laghi: Lakes
* Canali: Canals
* Piste da sci: Ski slopes
* Spiagge: Beaches

To ask for directions to these places in ½ûÂþÌìÌÃ, we would say:

* Dov’ è la spiaggia?: Where is the beach?
* Dove sono le montagne?: Where are the mountains?
* Il lago è qui vicino?: Is the lake near here?
* Quanto tempo ci vuole per arrivare sulle piste?: How long does it take to get to the slopes?
* È lontana la città?: Is the city far away?
* Come faccio ad arrivare in campagna?: How do I get to the countryside?

Lago di Garda

To describe the landscape we can see, we can use adjectives like:

* Bello/a: Beautiful
* Stupendo/a: Wonderful
* Favoloso/a: Fabulous
* Fantastico/a: Fantastic
* Impressionante: Impressive
* Straordinario/a: Extraordinary
* Mozzafiato: Breathtaking
* Pittoresco/a: Picturesque
* Animato/a: Bustling, busy

Some example sentences using the vocabulary above are:

* Il bosco è bello: The wood is beautiful
* La vista è mozzafiato: The view is breathtaking
* I canali sono straordinari: The canals are extraordinary
* Il paese è animato: The town is bustling
* Quel vulcano è impressionante: That volcano is impressive
* Quest’isola è stupenda: This island is wonderful

That’s all for now, buon viaggio (enjoy your trip)!

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½ûÂþÌìÌà ½ûÂþÌìÌà Lesson 1: Amazing Food
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Alesha Keene is an Oxford graduate of ½ûÂþÌìÌà who is now back in London after years spent living and working in Rome as a language teacher and PR consultant. Alesha is CEO and ½ûÂþÌìÌà teacher at Alesha’s ½ûÂþÌìÌà Masterclass, which runs ½ûÂþÌìÌà immersion courses at authentic ½ûÂþÌìÌà café’ in Borough Market (London Bridge). You can contact her at italianmasterclass@hotmail.com or through or . Her website it www.italianmasterclass.co.uk.
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