Turning car time into bel tiempo
It's a great time to learn weather vocabulary!
Sitting in the car doesn’t have to be a waste of time.
I’ve spent a lot of time in my car this past year, driving kids to and from school and activities, and instead of wishing away the hours I spend sitting in the car, I’ve decided to use it to my advantage. When I have a quiet 30-minute span of time, I turn on the audio lessons from Innovative (specifically, ItalianPod101.com). If you want to test out some of the lessons without paying for the program, you can subscribe to their podcast for free! Some lessons are longer than others, but if you’re looking for some simple, usable words and phrases that you can practice in the car without having to look at a book or a screen, the “can-do” lessons are really effective.
I listened to the weather episode, and the pace was perfect. You get to listen to different speakers using the words in context, and then practice repeating what they say. You can even practice responding to questions that are asked. In addition to that, if you want a little grammar explanation to help understand the constructions, the speaker goes through the structures out loud, so you can better understand what you’re hearing (and saying). The audio wasn’t available without a subscription, but you can check out the lesson by watching this youtube video.
Another day while sitting in the car, I listened to the “How to order at a restaurant” audio lesson, and it was phenomenal! Yes, it was simple, but it was enough practice to get a few basic expressions memorized, which will be extremely important for my next trip to Italy… It’s vital that I know how to correctly order un caffè, as this is the linchpin to my survival most days.
There are different options for subscriptions to their programs, even as far as getting a live teacher to help you, and meeting with other students for live lessons.
The Innovative Language app also really great if you want to buy one subscription for multiple children in your family. Different users can share the same login and password, and as long as they’re using it on their own, separate device, it still records their individual progress without losing their place when a sibling gets ahead in the lessons. Click HERE for my full review.
If you’re looking for a beginner Italian program that you can do while driving, walking, cooking or an otherwise screen-free situation, I really like ItalianPod101.com.
