Instantly Italy

Italian speaking practice and grammar tutoring

[Italian Grammar] Imperfetto vs. Passato Prossimo: When To Use One or the Other?

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Knowing when to use imperfetto or passato prossimo is one of the most difficult aspects of the Italian language, in my opinion.

I have seen many students struggle with this topic. In some cases, they were even advanced students who could use the congiuntivo quite confidently, for example, but would still stumble upon the choice of when to use imperfetto or passato prossimo.

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Pausa Caffè: A Challenge To Overcome Your Fear of Speaking Italian

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“I can write, read and understand Italian well but the real issue is when I have to speak!”.

I cannot tell you how many times I have heard this sentence. This is what a lot of people tell me when they contact me for speaking practice but it is also what I am told by my students and what I read in comments and messages here and there.

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How To Start Studying Italian Again After A Long Break

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The questions I get about studying Italian are always an incredible source of inspiration. 

I am blessed with many students and passionate followers and this means I am frequently asked for general advice about studying Italian or for tips and ideas to make language practice more effective.

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Using Instagram Stories For Your Italian Listening Practice

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Instagram is a really awesome tool for practicing languages. 

Even when it was only used to share photos, it was a great way to learn new words, improve vocabulary, or practice reading comprehension. Nowadays, with Instagram Stories, Ig Tv, and Reels, it is literally packed with useful content you can use to improve your language skills.

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How To Make The Most of Giorno Dopo Giorno (And Of Language Practice in General)

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I have received a few inquiries about Giorno dopo giorno, lately and I’d love to share some of my answers with you. 

I have decided to do it because, while answering emails requiring more information about the service, I have realized that some of the tips I gave can be applied to language learning in general, and I thought they might be useful for all students.

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[Italian Grammar] Verbs With Direct or Indirect Object Pronouns

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When students first study direct object pronouns in Italian, things seem quite easy. 

It just takes some time to memorize all the different pronouns but their use is very straightforward. The same can be said for indirect object pronouns but things become a bit more complicated when you need to figure out whether to use one or the other.

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[Italian Grammar] The Verb “Mancare”: How To Use It and How It Works

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As you may know very well, piacere is a very tricky verb, one of those Italian verbs that seem so easy yet cause lots of problems. 

This is why last month I wrote a blog post explaining how to use piacere and some other similar verbs. Actually, the post was mainly focused on piacere and some people asked me if I could focus a bit more on the other verbs working in the same way.

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[Italian Grammar] The Verb “Piacere”: How To Use It and How It Works

Subscribe to the Vespa rides and get full access to Your Italian Toolbox, a library of language learning materials that you can use to practice Italian.

I have been chatting with students of Italian for quite a while now and I have noticed some recurring mistakes. 

Moreover, I have noticed that many of my students struggle with the same grammar topics and most of them are weak in the same areas, so I have decided to write a series of posts about Italian grammar.

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Learning a Foreign Language is Hard: Stop Apologizing For Your Mistakes and Be Proud of Yourself!

Subscribe to the Vespa rides and get full access to Your Italian Toolbox, a library of language learning materials that you can use to practice Italian.

I have been meaning to write this post for a while and the time has finally come. 

The Italian Writing Challenge, the creative project that required participants to write a short Italian text on a different topic every day, is over and it has been an awesome experience.

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