Native teacher gives online lessons focusing on the conversation and language practice

Find out more about Attilio

• Do you speak this language fluently because of your origins or because a teacher inspired you to learn?

  I'm native Italian. I did my studies in Italy from primary school to university. I graduated in Political Science at the University of Pisa and in Nutrition at the University of Bari.

• Can you name a living, historical or fictional character that you think is the emblematic representative of the language's culture?

  I am greatly inspired by the figure of Leonardo da Vinci: scientist, anatomist, philosopher, painter, botanist, curious about life. Furthermore, I value its eclecticism: the fact of not specializing in one discipline, but achieving excellence in several fields and arts.

• Is there a typical word, phrase, tradition or behaviour in the language that you particularly like?

  I really like the sound of Italian: it's a language that pursues an aesthetic ideal in the regularity and alternation of sound. That's why many foreigners say that Italian is "linke singing".
  And I also really like the traditional sayings, a legacy of popular wisdom that summarized in short formulas the knowledge gained from experience. An example: "A buon intenditor poche parole". It means: there is no need to describe a thing in great detail to someone who knows the subject.

• Why does speaking this language matter to you?

  Knowing languages opens doors: it connects you with people, places, stories, experiences. My students study Italian because they want to travel to Italy, get back to the roots of their family, go to university there, get citizenship, meet local people and much more.

• What is the main difficulty in learning this language and what can help the process of learning?

  Italian is comparable to other Latin-derived languages, like spanish or portuguese. English native speakers who face Italian for the first time often get confused with the pronunciation of some letters, sounds where you have to combine several vowels, and with genders (yes, in Italian things like a chair or a mobile phone are either masculine or feminine). If I have to mention more advanced topics, these could be: the uses of "ci" and "ne", the combined pronouns, the choice of the auxiliary "essere" or "avere" and idioms...
  To overcome these obstacles, practice is needed: guidance from the teacher, then exercises, repetition, patience..

• Provide a valuable anecdote related to your language learning or your days at school.

  One of the greatest satisfactions comes from seeing students progress. I accompanied a doctor who wanted to specialize in Italy for a long time: I saw him improve day by day and when he stopped taking classes with me, it was because he spoke very well. I also accompanied some doctors who were preparing to study abroad: we took several classes together, then they left and now they are in Italy!
  I have taught several students who started from scratch and reached an intermediate level within a few months.

• How has travel or a specific trip helped you to increase your skill and knowledge of the language?

  I love to travel, I consider myself a nomad. Every language I speak - 5 at the moment - is somehow related to a place I've traveled or lived. I love meeting different people, with many experiences behind them, who like the adventure of living in a foreign country and living freely and out of routine.

• What makes you a Superprof in language?

  I use a flexible methodology, which is adapted to the preferences and needs of the students. I can use textbooks, but I also have materials developed by me. We can do real-life simulations, or talk about topics that interest you. Thanks to my travels and experiences, I often have something to talk about; and I'm also a very curious person: if you allow me, I can ask you everything about you and develop the conversation about the most important things in your life.
  I'm a teacher, but also a student: I'm currently learning Portuguese and I know what it means to learn a language from scratch.