I work reasonably well using traditional methods (i.e. going through workbooks, learning by rote, memorising stuff) but I have a real problem learning from the mistakes I make when I speak Italian. I can never remember any of the corrections I get when I have a conversation, or at least not until I've remade the same mistakes dozens of time. Anyone have a good technique for improving spoken Italian?

Beebee, not knowing the nature of mistakes you make, - grammar mistakes? pronunciation? wrong usage? - I have the following suggestion on vocabulary, which must be the most tedious, most laborious part of language-learning, unlike, say the learning of grammar rules, which uses logic and deduction and in general a more fun part of the brain instead of brute memory.
When I learn a new noun, I don't just try to memorize the lone word. I try to memorize (and drill) the gender-article with it. In fact, whether it is a noun, verb, adjective or any other part of speech, I try to memorize the entire context by memorizing a whole phrase that contains it.

Someone once told me that in order to remember one word in a foreign language, one must go through forgetting it 9 times. I think it sounds about right.
Think about it this way: by the time you forget a word 4, 5 times and want to bang your head on the wall, remember you are half way there.

That's a good point; I haven't stopped to consider whether there is a particular type of mistake I make more than others. I suspect I make them all, but know for certain that I get prepositions wrong. Where they are regularly learned in connection with a verb, it's not such a problem it's the not knowing...

And actually, thinking about it, it is the not knowing that's the problem. If I know that a word is feminine, for example but give a masculine ending and someone corrects me, I know immediately that it was a stupid mistake and (hopefully) log it for the future. The situations I am thinking about are where I am stretching my speech beyond my capabilities, where the word I use is the wrong one for the sense I'm trying to convey or where I am told an expression that I haven't come across before. These corrections go in one ear and out the other.

The reason it is an issue, is because I would like to engage an italian teacher for speech practice, but if I don't retain the corrections, it's money down the drain.

I am not sure this is a technique but when I speak I try not to translate word for word in my head. I try to convey a concept. Be a little flexible. Don't fear making a mistake.

Beebee
I don't know if this is possible for you in the situations in which you have these conversations, but you could:

1. Make recordings (use a laptop with microphone) and then replay them and make notes.
(if you can't record them then make notes there and then)

2. Try and use the phrases/construction/words again in future conversations.

Often you will find that similar phrases/constructions/words can be used in several different situations and you should try and create situations in which you can use them again.

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2. Try and use the phrases/construction/words again in future conversations.

Often you will find that similar phrases/constructions/words can be used in several different situations and you should try and create situations in which you can use them again.

This is something I try to do and I find it vey helpful. Thanks, Vasco.

If you're uber-serious about your languages I can only pass on my experience with my craziest language-learning friend - a German girl who speaks French and English at a nearly bilingual level, plus conversational Italian and Spanish, and a smattering of Japanese.

Okay, she's gifted at languages, but I have also seen how methodical and serious she is whenever she makes a mistake in English.

If she makes a mistake, she takes out her notebook and pen, and writes down the correction. She then puts it in a sentence and makes a conscious effort to use the corrected sentence in a phrase. At the end of each day she goes through her notebook and memorises the day's entries.

One time she was talking about how she'd bought a new iron, but pronounced it "eye-ron". I told her that the correct pronunciation was "ion", but that the "r" isn't silent in "ironic". So, out comes the notebook, she writes down iron with phonetic spelling, ironic with phonetic spelling, the meaning of each word and a phrase with each word in it. Then she practised saying each word in a sentence.

I have also seen her use this method when she comes across a word used in a way she hasn't come across before. Once I described a novel as "juicy" - and for the next week my friend made an effort to tell me about a "juicy" novel she was reading too.


I had an excellent French teacher once who also suggested writing lists in pink for feminine and blue for masculine, and also learning words in groups or in opposites. Ho fame/ho sete etc.

Best of luck, Claire.

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I told her that the correct pronunciation was "ion",

... and if she were with Americans, she'd have yet another entry for her notebook: we tend to pronounce iron: eye-urn!

Thanks to everyone for their good ideas. I like the idea of recording a lesson to replay again afterwards and use the replay session to write down and properly file away the corrections or new words/expressions.

I've only recently come a across a useful method of keeping new words, btw. I can't remember if it was a tip that someone here passed on or whether it was somewhere else but I'll repeat it here in case it's helpful to anyone else. It's so simple yet I definitely didn't think of it: Buy a small address book which is tabbed by alphabet letter, then add your words or expressions in the appropriate tab. You effectively make a little dictionary for yourself. Makes it so much easier to find words later and also to test yourself. I have also started adding book/page references, of where I have learned the new word or phrase from. That way I can see it in context again in the future. When you fill it up, buy another one.

Another good idea! Thanks, BB.

hey friend... in my opinion as When we are playing games, surfing on line or doing some other work we spend a lot of time on waiting. How can we make full use of the waiting time? To use this software to learn foreign language, I think, is one of the perfect ways. Learn to Speak Italian is very useful in improving your spoken Italian and building your vocabulary. It will make every second of your time useful!

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Originally posted by smith:
To use this software to learn foreign language, I think, is one of the perfect ways. Learn to Speak Italian is very useful in improving your spoken Italian and building your vocabulary.

Excuse me, smith, which software? And what do you mean by "Learn to Speak Italian is very useful in improving your spoken Italian"?