Dilit Italian School

Learn Italian by Listening to movie trailers

Movie trailers are great listening material. They rarely exceed 3 minutes, with images you can better understand how many people are speaking, be it chatting, arguing, courting or ordering a coffee at the bar, etc.

On YouTube type "trailer film italiani " and pick one.

Find one that interests you or that you enjoy. If you have fun and like the exercise you are doing, it is definitely better. Studying does not mean suffering, but being good to yourself!

Listen to / watch the first 3 minutes and then listen again to the same 3 minutes several times. At least 6 times, I emphasize “at least”. That's it.

The first time you listen, it may seem incomprehensible, the second time you feel frustrated, the third, a few words or groups of words begin to make sense. Go on, don’t stop! At first it seems impossible, but it is not. Trust your ability and your potential, as  our teachers repeat in our classes. The main obstacle is not the language, but our unrealistic expectations. You learn step by step, a bit at a time through practice.

These are things that affect the brain circuitry, but don’t worry, we will not talk about that now.

After the second or third listening, it is a good activity for beginners to write the words "you understand." If you don’t know some of the words that you have written, look them up in the dictionary. If you can’t find a word, listen again and again only to that small part (about 1 second) where it is pronounced. Maybe they are two words together or maybe it is spelled in a different way (the "i" is an "and" or "s" is a "c", etc.). This task needs great attention. Try again; it is a challenge and you can win.

Those who are more advanced in the Italian language, can try to write down all the words in a 20/30 seconds trailer. Choose the part you are unsure of and then try to write it out, all of it. You should listen many, many, many times. As if you had to solve a puzzle.

This is good practice exercising the organelles inside the ear and connections in the brain.

At the point where you just cannot figure out the word or words, try to write something that is consistent and logical with the rest of the speech.

Then rewrite everything on a new white paper, to rearrange words and ideas. And listen again. Perhaps the result will not be identical to the original, but it will be a good alternative.

The Dalai Lama said: "There is nothing that is not made easier by constancy, familiarity and training. Through training we can change; we can transform ourselves." These words apply perfectly to the study of a language and to this exercise in particular.

Enjoy listening everyone!

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