One of my long-standing members, Rebekah Ross, kindly offered to share her success story with my courses.
Everything you read below is her contribution and this post has been published upon her approval.
I hope that you’ll find her testimonial more convincing than any sales pitch.
Stefano
My experience learning Italian
I am an intermediate Italian learner. I know some of the main grammar rules and I can read some Italian, like short articles and stories.
But I don’t feel very confident speaking Italian. And I cannot understand everything when Italians speak so I find it even harder to understand Italian TV shows and movies, which is something I really enjoy doing.
Last month I discovered Ripeti Con Me, Leggi Con Me, and Impara Con Me, and I found them very helpful.
The “Leggi Con Me” part of the program offers short readings that you can listen to before, after, or during your reading of the passage. It’s helpful both for new vocabulary and focusing on pronunciation, such as how to pronounce double consonants.
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“Impara Con Me” includes explanations of grammatical rules and how certain phrases or words are used in daily conversation. The explanations and examples (often fun and vivid) are very well presented and clear.
However, my very favorite part is “Ripeti Con Me”.
How I learned with Ripeti Con Me
Ripeti Con Me shows you a set of 30 sentences that focus on a word, phrase, or grammatical concept. The first time (A) you hear the English version followed by the Italian version, and followed by the Italian again.
What you’re supposed to do is basically “shadow” that second time, speaking with or just after Stefano.
The second time (B) you have a blank to try to remember the Italian and then can “shadow” again. The third time (C) is shorter. Sometimes I turn on the Italian text for this third time and shadow and read at the same time.
I try doing that and then the following day I usually read the English version, say the Italian the way I remember it, and then read and listen to the recording (C).
If you do that, you end up internalizing the word, phrase, or grammatical concept. This way, you’ll also learn some new vocabulary and sentence forms.
What I like about Ripeti Con Me
These are the main aspects that I really liked about Ripeti Con Me:
- Each lesson takes about half an hour in total. I think it’s a reasonable amount of time per day. Also, I find that focusing on 30 sentences is an active form of learning (as opposed to passive learning).
- I’ve enjoyed the sentences that Stefano chooses. They tend to be fun or useful for day-to-day conversations. So far I’ve never found a lesson boring.
- The new vocabulary chosen is appropriate for the level. With other learning apps sometimes you hear some really odd and random vocabulary even at a beginner level.
- Stefano speaks very clearly, with pacing appropriate to the level (beginner up to advanced). Of course, I hope someday to be able to understand when Italians speak with each other at a normal pace, but in the meantime, this is what I need to build my listening ability and confidence.
Why do I think Ripeti con Me is a Reasonable Option?
I’ve encouraged many others to give this program a try, as there’s nothing to lose. Stefano offers a 7-day trial.
I find the cost reasonable in the context of how much I use it (daily, because it’s fun) and the value it offers.
Anyway, you can find the pricing here.
Update After Using RCM for Several Months
Having progressed from intermediate to nearly the end of upper-intermediate, I am even more pleased about having selected Ripeti Con Me as my guide along this voyage.
There are other resources out there for improving Italian listening and reading, and I use some of them in addition to Ripeti Con Me. But Ripeti Con Me is the foundation stone of my Italian learning.
It is well organized and the lessons progress in a logical and useful order.
The sentences Stefano has chosen to demonstrate grammar points or how to use a key sentence or phrase are the heart of the program for me.
They are often vivid or amusing, so often I can imagine a whole little story from just a single sentence or two sentences of dialog.
This keeps my interest engaged much more than the badges that some other programs believe are motivators.
I also appreciate that Stefano has always been around to personally answer my questions.
Rebekah Ross
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