ciao a tutti!

[mio nome]

Ciao a tutti! Parlo un po di'Italiano pero non molto bene. Sono qui apprendere la lingua migliore. - Actually should that be "Sono qui apprendere la lingua" o "Sono qui a apprendere la lingua"?

Sorry, I don't speak Italian all that well yet. I'm here hoping to improve because I have relatives in Italy. Thanks a lot. Looking forward to meeting you all!

[Dottore No]

Benvenuto, signore (o signora?)

I'm a relative newcomer, too, but I'm up to my waist in it...and I'm enjoying this site greatly. People here offer a lot of recommendations about how to learn Italian, so here comes mine. For years, I've driven around listening to sports radio or talk shows. For the last year or so, I've substituted this with a series of CDs released by a remarkable man named Michel Thomas...these disks are available widely in the US at bookstores like Barnes and Noble and Borders. I wholeheartedly endorse these as very cost-effective learning tools (I went to Germany in October and spent about 3 months doing the German equivalent of the Italian that I am more interested in...I held my own on the trip).

Anyway, I'm glad to know that a number of people visit this site regularly and read these posts. I find it interesting that you chose to use the word "apprendere" rather than "imparare" for "learn". Since this web site is called "Impariamo"...meaning both "we learn" and "lets' learn", it is probably the more-common verb for "learn". So I'll wait for one of the "elder statesmen (or women)" to respond and tell us both what the difference is between these two forms of "learn". Look for posts by Roby, Peter, Devery, and native Italians, who know what they are talking about and who are very patient and supportive of us newbies!

Spero che ti divirta!

Pietro

[cyn]

Ciao mionome e Dottore, benvenuti anche da parte mia

Replying to Doc :

Apprendere is merely a synonym of Imparare

Have a look at this, it's a very useful source for us (natives) too:

De Mauro sinonimi e contrari

For mio nome:
"Sono qui per apprendere...", per as in order to, in this case, but, as for all the prepositions, it depends on the context.
These posts by Roby (she did a great job!) can be of help:
http://www.impariamo.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=163

However, don't worry too much about it at the beginning
I would suggest a "ste-by-step" approach, as I still haven't found out the secret to learn a foreign language quickly, if there is any. Unless you're a child, or you live in the country where the language is spoken, you will often find it difficult to deal with a foreign language, so be patient
A presto,
Cinzia

[Peter]

Ciao mionome e benvenuto/benvenuta.

I agree entirely with what Cinzia has said. Have patience; it's not easy learning a new language, but it is SOOO rewarding as it involves you in the culture of the country. And so you get to learn more about the country, warts and all!

[mio nome]

Dottore, grazie per vostro suggerimento di CDs
per utilizzare. E grazie Cyn per il grande link. Grazie e tutti!

If any of you notices any mistakes in my Italian, please let me know. Many thanks.


By the way, what would be like the equivalent of the Spanish "muchas gracias" but in Italian, if anyone knows.

Also when I'm on the phone with my relatives, how would I say "how's the weather there?"

Thanks again. I'll try to help too when I learn the language better.

[coffeecup]

Ciao mio nome, e benvenuto/a!!

Just to let you know when you wrote

Dottore, grazie per vostro suggerimento di CDs per utilizzare.

the word 'vostro' indicates that you are talking in the 'you (plural)' form. That's like saying, 'all of you'. In this case, I think you meant to write 'tuo suggerimento' - which is 'you (singular)'.

(I don't know too much about Spanish but...) As for the Spanish 'muchas gracias', the Italian version would be 'grazie molto'.

[Dottore No]

Mio Nome

Check out the Lezioni Gratuiti section. It has an abundance of info on phrases...weather, greetings, you name it.

By the way, consider giving the group a clue about your name (or at least your gender)....Italian is very gender-specific and you may have noticed everyone is writing things like "benvenuto/a"...because they don't know whether they are addressing "una donna o un 'uomo".

This language is awesome and I WILL speak it, understand it, etc. within the next few years. You spoke of relatives/heritage in Italy...don't give up. It'll be worth the effort!

Ora, devo partire, ma ritornero'.
Buona notte

[polideuce]

(omissis)
how would I say "how's the weather there?"
(omissis)

"che tempo fa da voi?"

Benvenuta/o

[Paoloitaly]

ciao Ramesh,
benvenuto anche da me

[Paoloitaly]

ciao Mionome...
se frequenterai questo sito vedrai che migliorerai il tuo italiano!

[Peter]

By the way, what would be like the equivalent of the Spanish "muchas gracias" but in Italian, if anyone knows.

I know coffeecup has given grazie molto; however, it is far more common to hear grazie mille, literally 'a thousand thanks'.

[mio nome]

Grazie molto e grazie mille e tutti!!

Incidentalmente, sono un maschio. Mi dispiace per qualunque confusione.

[lockettpots]

Ciao mio nome e Benvenuto

Di dove sei?


John

[mio nome]

Ciao John e grazie! Sto dagli Stati Uniti, New York. E voi?


Jim



Edit: Nevermind, I just saw it under your screen name. Nice meeting you.

[Pompiere]

Ciao John e grazie! Sto dagli Stati Uniti, New York. E voi?


Jim



Edit: Nevermind, I just saw it under your screen name. Nice meeting you.

Benvenuto Jim,

Anchio sono di New York. Sara' trovare la gente qui essere molto gentile e di aiuto. Studio l'italiano da ventisei mesi adesso. E lei, da quanto tempo studia l'italiano. E" buono a avere qualcuno nello stesso time zone.

A presto ..... Richard