Asking the way - A2 LEVEL

Excuse me, could you tell me the way to the bank/the theatre/ the tube station?
Mi scusi, mi sa dire la strada per la banca/il teatro/la stazione della metropolitana?
Excuse me, how do I get to the bank?
Mi scusi, come si arriva alla banca?

Writing instructions for a friend you have invited to your house: 
Instructions:
This is how you get to my house from the language school. Take Bus number 16 (the stop is just across the road). Get off at the fourth stop. My house is about ten minutes walk from there. Go past the church and take the first on the left. Then turn right (there’s a phone box on the corner), walk past the pub, then right into Hamilton Road. My house is the third on the left, number 25.

Now write similar instructions for a friend telling him/her how to get to your house from the language school.

Il Natale in Italia

Il Natale è senza dubbio la festa religiosa più sentita dagli italiani. Il giorno di Natale si passa sempre in famiglia e i parenti si scambiano auguri e regali.

Una volta in molte case si faceva il presepe,



oggi invece molti preferiscono l’albero di Natale.

I bambini, la notte di Natale aspettano i regali portati da Babbo Natale.

Molte persone la notte della Viglia di Natale vanno alla  tradizionale messa di Mezzanotte.
Ma il momento più importante è senza dubbio quello del pranzo di Natale, sempre abbondante e che dura diverse ore soprattutto nelle famiglie del Sud Italia. Il dolce di Natale che è diventato più famoso è il panettone, originario della città di Milano.

Il panettone tradizionale è fatto con farina, uova, burro, zucchero, uvetta e canditi. Oggi si possono trovare versioni più moderne con cioccolato, varie creme o anche senza canditi e uvette.
Altri dolci tipicamente natalizi in Italia sono il pandoro, originario di Verona,

e il torrone. 

Per fare gli auguri natalizi in italiano si dice: Buon Natale e felice anno nuovo! 

Christmas in Great Britain

In Great Britain the hustle and bustle of the season begins well before Christmas. There is preparation of food, the sending of Christmas cards, the decorating of houses and churches, and buying gifts. All these things keep everyone busy, even the youngest family members.
On Christmas Eve youngsters hang up their stockings on the ends of the beds or by the chimney so that when Father Christmas comes he can leave them something.
On Christmas morning the family traditionally opens their presents and prepares for a big feast which is typically served just after midday. The table gleams with the best china and glassware, and at every place on the table there is a cracker. The meal begins with a toast, followed by the popping of the crackers. After the meal they sit down in front of the Television for the traditional Christmas speech of the British Monarch. 
In the afternoon they exchange visits with neighbours and other family members.
Some churches in Great Britain have a carol service on the fourth Sunday of Advent. This is a carol service of Scandinavian origin at which every child received an orange and candle wrapped in a red ribbon. The candle represents Jesus and the ribbon stands for the blood of Christ and the love of God embracing the world.
In Britain, children write their letters to Father Christmas and then throw them into the fireplace so they will float up the chimney and fly to the North Pole. If the lists catch fire first, they have to rewrite them.
At Christmas dinner, a plum pudding is served with little treasures hidden inside that bring their finders good luck. Britain was the first country to hang up mistletoe.

Christmas crackers or bon-bons are an integral part of Christmas celebrations in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth countries such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa. They are also popular in Ireland. A cracker consists of a cardboard tube wrapped in a brightly decorated twist of paper, making it resemble an oversized sweet-wrapper. The cracker is pulled by two people, and, much in the manner of a wishbone, the cracker splits unevenly. The split is accompanied by a small bang or snapping sound produced by the effect of friction on a chemically impregnated card strip (similar to that used in a cap gun).

I get a kick out of something - English idiom and song

I get a kick out of something is an English idiom used to say that you enjoy something very much, that you have fun doing something.
For example: I get a kick out of playing cards.
“I get a kick out of you” is also the title of a song written by Cole Porter in 1934, originally sung by Ethel Merman. It was covered by performers including Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra.
Here’s the video of the song in a live performance by Frank Sinatra.
Enjoy listening to it and trying to understand its words and its meaning….try to get a kick out of listening to a master at work!

Weihnachtsmärkte in Deutschland-Übung für Schüler der Mittelstufe

Für viele Menschen in Deutschland beginnt die schönste Zeit des Jahres im November, dann ist wieder Weihnachtsmarkt. Es ist die besinnlichste Zeit des Jahres, geprägt von Kerzenlicht und Plätzchenduft, Eisblumen am Fenster, geheimnisvollen Weihnachtsgeschichten, klirrender Kälte und romantischen Nächten am lodernden Kaminfeuer. Lebkuchen, Printen, Stollen, Spekulatius, Zimtsterne, Glühwein, und heißer Apfelsaft gehören dazu, und die gibt es auf dem Weihnachtsmarkt in großer Auswahl und bester Qualität.

Die meisten Besucher gehen mit Familie, Freunden oder Arbeitskollegen auf den Weihnachtsmarkt. Singles finden hier vielleicht den lieben Menschen, mit dem sie die Feiertage verbringen möchten. Und manch einer lässt bei einem guten Glas Glühwein die schönsten Momente des Jahres Revue passieren und freut sich auf die verdiente Weihnachtspause. Weihnachtsmarkt ist wirklich eine schöne Einstimmung auf die Festtage.

Es gibt viele schöne, traditionelle, romantische, beliebte, und außergewöhnliche Weihnachtsmärkte in Deutschland. Der Dresdner Striezelmarkt, ältester deutscher Weihnachtsmarkt, und der Christkindlesmarkt in Nürnberg sind immer eine Reise wert, und daneben gibt es noch viele andere Weihnachtsmärkte zu entdecken.

Übung: was haben Sie verstanden? Fassen Sie den Inhalt des Textes kurz zusammen! Können Sie Genus, Numerus und Kasus von Definitartikeln analysieren?

Presentarsi in italiano-per principianti

Quando ci presentiamo in italiano, in una situazione informale diciamo:
“Piacere” . 
A volte possiamo dire “Piacere”, e aggiungere il nostro nome, per esempio, “Piacere, John”.
Possiamo anche dire “Piacere di conoscerti”.

Diciamo invece “Piacere di conoscerla” oppure “Molto lieto” (se chi parla è un uomo) o “Molto lieta” (se chi parla è una donna) in situazioni formali.

Stringiamo la mano in qualunque situazione, formale o informale.
Esercizio: saluta e presentati in una situazione formale e in una situazione informale.
Per i saluti vedi post: I saluti in italiano, per principianti. 

Steve Jobs' 2005 Stanford Commencement Address

FOR ADVANCED LEARNERS OF ENGLISH

Listen to Steve Jobs' 2005 Stanford Commencement Address (Standard American Accent) at least twice. Take notes and summarize the key points of his speech.
Then listen to the same speech with English subtitles and check your general vs detailed understanding. Detect spelling differences between British English and American English.
What do you think of this speech? How would you describe it? Incredibly moving? Too long? Too short? Too personal?
Make sure you have at least one hour to do this exercise. This will help you improve your listening and speaking skills. Ready to start?