Study by subject
Italian
In Italian you memorise vocabulary, genders, verbs and agreements. Lumi asks them back until the right form comes on its own, before your trip or your exam.
How to turn this subject into cards
Make one card per word with the article, the gender and an example, because il libro and la casa are learnt with their article. One card per irregular verb gives the infinitive, the auxiliary and the participle. The trap is assuming that a word that looks like English, French or Spanish has the same meaning or gender. With Lumi you write or say the form before seeing the solution, and retrieving from memory fixes more than rereading (Roediger and Karpicke, 2006). Come back often to a few cards rather than in one big block, because spacing helps you remember for long (Cepeda et al., 2006). Add to each card an example from your own life, which makes the answer easier to find again.
What you need to know by heart
- Everyday vocabulary, each word with its article and gender.
- Definite and indefinite articles and their forms depending on the first letter of the word.
- Regular verbs in are, ere and ire, and irregular verbs such as essere, avere and andare.
- The passato prossimo and the choice of auxiliary, avere or essere.
- The pronunciation of double consonants and of sounds such as gli and gn.
It depends on the country
Italian has recognised certificates, such as the CILS and the CELI, which assess reading, listening and expression. The cards of vocabulary, verbs and grammar that you make with Lumi help you prepare for them. You pick the level you are aiming for, then write the cards that match what the test covers.
How Lumi helps you remember it
You teach your Italian cards to Lumi, words, genders, verbs, phrases. It forgets over time, like you do, then quizzes you right before you would forget. As your exam or trip approaches, the Mist settles over what you know less well and Lumi asks that first. You arrive able to say the right word, not only to recognise it.
Example cards
Three cards the way you would write them, with the answer Lumi expects.
How do you say “I would like a coffee” in Italian?
Vorrei un caffè.
What does “dov’è la stazione” mean?
Where is the station?
What is the plural of la casa?
Le case (the houses).
Example card
Try it, Lumi turns it into fill in the blank questions in your browser.
Italian · teach this card to Lumi
Italian nouns are masculine or feminine and often end in o or a. The plural of il libro is i libri. The verb andare takes essere in the passato prossimo, as in sono andato. The word grazie means thank you.
Lumi’s question
Italian nouns are masculine or _____ and often end in o or a.
Pick the missing word
Answer right to light Lumi up
Its lamp fades when a fact slips away.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Italian easy if I speak French or Spanish?
- Many words look alike, which helps. But some false friends change meaning, so write them on cards with an example so you do not mix them up.
- How do I remember Italian irregular verbs?
- Make one card per verb with the infinitive, the auxiliary, the participle and a sentence. Answer from memory before seeing the solution (Roediger and Karpicke, 2006).
- Can Lumi help me get ready for a trip to Italy?
- Yes. Write the useful phrases, ordering, asking the way, introducing yourself, and Lumi asks them back so they come on their own once you are there.
Read next
Sources
- Roediger, Karpicke (2006). Test-enhanced learning. Taking memory tests improves long-term retention. Psychological Science, 17(3). doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2006.01693.x
- Cepeda, Pashler, Vul, Wixted, Rohrer (2006). Distributed practice in verbal recall tasks. A review and quantitative synthesis. Psychological Bulletin, 132(3). doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.132.3.354
Teach this to Lumi
Give Lumi your italian notes, it gives them back as questions at the right moment.