I've been promising myself I'd learn some for at least 10 years, from time-to-time approaching this Italian teacher or that with a view to one-to-one lessons - I'm not very good at 'class' stuff, I told myself.

I have even made the acquaintance of a pleasant Italian gent who lives down the street who often stops to chat while I'm cleaning the coop and recently I tried to twist his arm into drumming some conversational Italian in my direction - nothing has yet transpired.

But Mrs Edinburgh has just decided to start Spanish classes (our daughter-in-law is from there - Catalunya actually) so that
a) she can converse a bit with our grand-daughter who is learning it at school in Dubai and
b) use it if we go to Spain on holiday, as in this year, where my smattering (picked up in the gutters of Nicaragua decades ago) is usually enough to get by.

Bull, rag, red etc...so that was enough, I've enrolled for Beginners' Italian in a local Adult Education Course starting end of the month, a couple of hours a week

It'a such a great-sounding language and no surprise it's so strongly connected with (classical) music. One instance really brought it home when arriving in Rome Ciampino, eventually catching the crowded metro into the city centre. In the crush with my head bent sideways I read what looked like an Italian warning above the door's window:

non appoggiarsi alle porte

Okay, 'non' I can guess, 'porte' is probably 'doors', it must mean Don't Lean on the Doors (I'm quick) then ah....appoggiare....of course, in music an appoggiatura is a note to be 'leant' on; and so my education continued

Then, comparing our own parsimonious word 'lean' with the far more interesting
'A-pogg-i-ar-e' with its multiplicity of sounds, is when it dawned on me how much value it contained.

I know we host some Italian speakers, hands up anyone?

I know some Latin.

Picked it up from some soldiers when I was a lad.


Try translating this

DUIT ON MON DEI

You've guessed when the weekly class is!

I’m very converse in Doric

Anita speaks some Italian... I can do the bit with the fingers held just so: "Sono Montalbano!"

Curiously, I was recently fed an odd comparison of Germanic root languages (which Italian obviously isn't) given by a gentleman from (I believe) the far east somewhere... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryVG5LHRMJ4

Neil

p.s. A wand'ring minstrel I, a thing of shreds and patches...

Lo parlo io. Like you, I found an adult education class, about 20 years ago! For the last 10 years or so I've been in a weekly conversation group, with a native italian teacher. I really enjoy it, and it's always appreciated when you're on holiday in Italy.
Useful apps: Google Translate, which is good for whole phrases. And Word Reference, which is really useful for conjugating verbs. Good luck!

For some reason wink I had you as a native Italian

Agree about the genuine article though as a teacher to get the sound as authentic as possible (given that there are probably differences in dialect from top to toe...)

Another reason for learning would be the opportunity to try it out (and get thoroughly corrected) at Turin next year for the 30th anniversary trip

When one considers the excellent grasp of our language by so many foreign nationals I always feel it's like a respect to attempt to say at least something in the lingo of a country other than ours. Mostly (often French ) they cotton on right away and immediately answer you back in your own language far more fluently! But at least one tries.

I find it great fun.

I speak bad French very well. It seems to work and breaks down barriers.

If you go out of the city, people are less experienced at speaking English, and like us, are reluctant to speak English, and show themselves up.

If you try, then everyone joins in and you usually muddle through.

When learning, get good at some basics first, then build on it.
Politeness goes a long way, so don't forget to smile, say hello, please and thank you.

You might also buy a magazine in the language of your main interest.
I buy the AutoExpress equivalent, you know the topic and can guess the bits that are new to you.

One of my relatives has an English dad and Lebanese mum. She speaks English, Arabic, Spanish, French and is thinking of starting Italian. The main surprise to me was that she also speaks Mandarin !
I can't even peel one.