Italian Facts
Italian is prevalent in Latin America: the Italian language is spoken abundantly in Venezuela, Brazil, Uruguay, Mexico and Argentina
Diphthongs (two vowels following each other) in Italian are pronounced as two separate letters
Italian is spoken in Africa, primarily in Ethiopia, Somalia, Somaliland and Eritrea
Italian
Glossary
Enzo Ferrari
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Enzo Ferrari nacque a Modena il 18 Febbraio 1898. Quando era giovane aveva tre desideri: diventare un cantante d’opera, un giornalista sportivo ed un pilota da corsa.
Il primo non era realizzabile perché non aveva una voce adeguata. Per quanto riguarda il secondo le potenzialità non gli mancavano e questo lo dimostrò con la pubblicazione di un suo articolo nella Gazzetta dello Sport a soli sedici anni.
A causa della morte del padre non potè finire la scuola e fu costretto a lavorare come vigile del fuoco a Modena. Nel 1918, dopo aver combattuto nella prima guerra mondiale, trovò lavoro come collaudatore e pilota da corsa alla CMN a Milano. Pochi anni dopo corse la sua prima gara e nella seconda raggiunse il secondo posto alla guida di un Alfa Romeo.
Nel 1921 iniziò a lavorare come collaudatore e pilota presso l’Alfa Romeo e nel 1939 venne promosso direttore sportivo della sezione sportiva. In quegli anni Ferrari conobbe il conte Barocco, padre di un famoso pilota d’aviazione deceduto nella prima guerra mondiale. Questi gli propose di affiggere sulla sua macchina un cavallino rampante di colore nero che era il simbolo di suo figlio come portafortuna. Ferrari accettò di buon grado e così nacque quello che in seguito divenne ed è tutt’ora il simbolo della Ferrari.
Nel 1939 Ferrari fondò a Modena l’omonima scuderia. Quando nacque il suo primo figlio, Dino, egli decise di finire la sua carriera come pilota. Durante la seconda guerra mondiale l’officina Ferrari fu trasferita da Modena a Maranello ed egli non potè costruire macchine ma si dovette accontentare di produrre motori di aerei.
Finalmente nel 1946 la Ferrari progettò e costruì la sua prima automobile che vinse il suo secondo granpremio. Da quel momento la scuderia Ferrari ebbe un successo dopo l’altro fino a quando per motivi economici Ferrari dovette cedere parte della sua società alla Fiat.
Ferrari morì nel 2000 dopo aver ottentuto innumerevoli successi ed una “laurea honoris causa” in ingegneria meccanica dall’ università di Bologna ed una in fisica dall’università di Modena. Attualmente la Ferrari continua ad essere la protagonista indiscussa del Gran Premio di Formula Uno.
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Italian Courses in Birmingham
Our native speaker qualified Italian language teachers can train you and your colleagues at your office or home at a time to suit you. Classes can be any day of the week (even weekends) in the morning, afternoon or evening. In certain circumstances, if your home or office is not suitable, you can take your classes at the trainer's office. Course books are provided.
Book now / EnquiryItalian 1 to 1 Business
These Italian courses are intended for people who really need to learn Italian to help make that difference in their work. For beginners, it will be useful to learn greetings and basic business etiquette, at higher levels reading and then writing become more important. Typical students include those involved in import/export, international negotiations and acquisitions, jobseekers in multinational companies where an additional language is required, and those working with international colleagues, academia and government. Even on our most basic course for Beginners, students should expect to end the course with basic Telephone Italian and e-mail Italian skills for communications as well as Survival Italian required for short visits to a country.
Book now / EnquiryItalian 1 to 1 General
These Italian courses are more general in nature and are targeted at students with a whole range of different needs. While all beginners level students can expect to cover Survival Italian - required for short visits to a country where English may not be spoken and/or the intention is to make good contacts with the local population, students then generally progress in different directions depending on their needs. Typical students include those buying property overseas, spouses of overseas nationals, people about to set off on that long-awaited world trip, Italian culture enthusiasts and those who are keen to pass a particular Italian examination.
Book now / EnquiryItalian Group Lessons
The Italian courses are also available for 2 or more people studying together (Two-to-One Italian Course or Small Group In-Company Italian Course). All participants must have the same level, the same business or general language needs and be able to study at the same time in the same location. The booking must be made for all participants at the same time. Listen & Learn do not recommend group classes of more than 6-8 people although In-Company Taster Italian Courses can be run with up to 12 people.
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Birmingham
Widely regarded as the UK's "second city" (and the largest of the UK's 8 "core cities"), Birmingham's reputation came into its own during the Industrial Revolution, leading to nicknames for the city such as The Workshop of the World. The city these days has a population of just over 1,000,000 people, but is more concerned with the service sector than following its history as a centre of manufacturing and engineering - though the many museums are still there to boast its rich heritage. Birmingham boasts a recorded history that goes back 1,000 years, growing from a small farming village into a huge commercial and industrial city.
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"This is just a quick note to say thank you for arranging our Italian classes. We really enjoyed them and we liked Maria very much. We are interested in having some more lessons, perhaps once a week now. We'd like them to focus on conversation so that we can practise what we've learned so far."
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