Parlo con Carlo   is for  practical  Italian learning.

The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity.

(Dorothy Parker) 

If you practice reading, you'll be a perfect reader.

If you practice listening, you'll be a perfect listener.

>>  Log into Skype from your home and SPEAK Italian with me. You can talk to a  motherlanguage while sitting at home thanks to this wonderful, free software. All you need is a headphone (or loudspeakers) and a microphone to plug into your computer. A webcam helps too since you'll see me and I'd like to see you!

>>  One to one personalized teaching. A group's learning pace is its slowest member's, so in a class you either are slowed down because someone's slower than you or you feel bad because the slow one is you! Neither's fault though: each one of us has his own level, skills and amount of time he can devote to learning.

>>  First lesson (60 minutes) for free. During our first talk we'll define your goals and level and if you like it we can start a free lesson right away! Of course that's no commitment for you to go on with me.

>>  Choose your favourite day and time. We'll set a day and time which works for both, and this can change from lesson to lesson.

>>  Each lesson (one hour long) 30 Euro, five lessons at the price of four (120/5 = 24 Euro/hour). This is to reward perseverance, which always deserves a prize. And if you are two (but not more than two) the price is the same: my time doesn't become more expensive just because I'm following two students instead of one! Only choose your partner with care: studying/practicing with someone else can incredibly boost your learning, but your levels mustn't be too different.

>>  Payments via PayPal. You don't need a PayPal account for this: once you decide for a certain number of lessons I can email you a PayPal invoice, payable with any VISA card. Paypal's 3.5% commission is included in my price, this means that you have no hidden fees to deal with (I pay PayPal for its service).

>> All levels from very basic to very fluent. Whatever your Italian skills, if  you need making your Italian better this is the right place. I'm a native speaker and my Italian is clean from regional accents (most Italian towns have their own dialect, which usually leaves traces in people's  pronunciation). I have a good knowledge of this language's structure and traps.

Email me here:  learn@parloconcarlo.com

Testimonials:

I was born and live in Venice where I presently earn my living renting my family's properties to tourists through the WeNiceVenice apartments website. I lived in Rome, Bergamo, Milano and Ferrara before finally getting back to my hometown in March 2001.

A former chemist, I quit that job and moved to Venice again to start a new life, and was rewarded with luck and serenity. I'm in love with this town and like to catch nice views of it. Some of them are shown here.

I learned Latin and ancient Greek in high school; these studies allow me a deeper sight on Italian language's structure/organization and fed my curiosity about languages in general.

January 2010: a new project & online business has been born! My Starsinvenice website helps now selling my pal's Vittorio prints of celebrities visiting Venice from the '50s to the '80s, and I guess it'll keep me busy for quite a long while...

Lieve, Belgium

Parlo con Carlo is a wonderful experience and break-through in learning Italian.

Carlo should make more publicity. Just by chance I found a small reference to the site. It would be a real pitty that people interested to learn italian do not succeed in finding Carlo.

When I found "Parlo con Carlo", I was immediately curious to learn more about Carlo's methods. Of course, I found it an unbelievable coincidence: Carlo being a pharmacist and not in a pharmacy any more but now renting furnished appartments, which is exactly my curriculum vitae too. There are differences of course. J age...

Since I was at school I wanted to learn Italian, because of the beauty of the language. One year ago, in march 2009, I decided to start learning it, finally having more spare time in my life after the frenetic pharmaceutical industry.

I studied on my own, with a lot of courage and daily efforts. In fact I thought that I would be able to learn it quicker because I speak French too and because I have studied Latin. However, the Italian grammar turned out to be much more difficult than I thought. Since last autumn I read Italian books (the Italian classics!!!!), magazines and whatever I could find.

I also listened to audiobooks, which helped me in my pronunciation. Then I started listening to podcasts. However, I never did any practice, I never talked in Italian. So I was completely stuck. And whenever people asked me to say something in Italian... I had a total black-out.

Within a few sessions with Carlo, I found the courage to speak and I speak !!
Amazing ! All this passive knowledge is coming out, and I know that one day I will be able to speak fluently, without too many mistakes.

Apart from having given me this great push, I admire the way in which Carlo explains difficult grammar in an understandable and practical way.
On top the lessons are very pleasant. And each session is a big step forward.
Carlo is a born teacher and his knowledge of and love for the Italian language is so huge, it is a real pleasure listening to him. It is like a combination of being in theatre, listening to songs and to poetry. I look forward to each lesson.

I could recommend "Parlo con Carlo" to anyone who studies Italian, in whichever stage. Carlo feels directly what is useful to teach you.

THANKS CARLO
 

Kaaren, Australia

I happened upon Carlo one year ago when we were looking for an apartment to rent in Venice. What a happy coincidence.

We ditched the plan to go to a language school and instead took classes with our new landlord several times a week. We enjoyed them so much and felt a renewed confidence in our language skills that upon return to Australia we continued on skype.

Now it’s just one on one. Carlo never makes me feel anything but positive about my efforts and struggles. His overriding message that one should parla, parla, parla … at every opportunity and even aloud to oneself has given me a finer ear for the language. I’m beginning to know what sounds right!

I urge anyone who wants to progress beyond endless classes with emphasis on written grammar exercises to try parloconcarlo!

Kaaren. Sydney Australia.

Tony, UK

One of the high-spots of my week is talking to Carlo on Skype; we have a regular appointment on Tuesday mornings before breakfast.  I am English and have been learning Italian for around four years; I have made good progress with the written language but have hit a plateau with conversation, understanding Italian films, TV, and other similar media. 

It is a great feeling to use Skype, which is free, and have the undivided attention of Carlo for an hour on a one to one basis, this is so much better than a group lesson.  He is a cultured and meticulous listener, who can make instant corrections to grammar, or pronunciation.  Skype’s ‘chat’ facility is very useful to record points in writing, so that they can be referred to later, after the conversation.  Of course, being Italian, it is good to see his body language on the webcam!

Tracey, Australia

Parlo Con Carlo has been my biggest breakthrough in learning the Italian language.  In the early 1990’s here in Australia I learned Italian as an adult learner in a classroom situation over a few terms.  It was great to gain the basics but did nothing for my speaking skills.  When occasionally meeting an Italian speaker who tried to help me by speaking in Italian, I froze up.  Whilst I could read reasonably well, words did not come to me easily.

After those classes ended, I had another term of lessons via correspondence, which included a 10 minute weekly conversation with the teacher by telephone.  Whilst I loved learning the language, I felt very nervous when the teacher called, as she spoke quickly and her accent was thick.  I did not make any progress at all, and it was difficult to understand her English.  As I live in a rural location, I did not have access to classes without travelling a great distance, so tried to teach myself, going to great expense purchasing books and CD’s. 

My listening improved but I still found myself lost for words.

Turning the clock forward a few years, and prior to embarking on my dream trip to Italy, I was fortunate enough to stumble across the Parlo Con Carlo website.  I received a prompt and polite response to my inquiry and Carlo’s philosophy on learning also struck a chord with me - he seemed to know exactly what I was going through, and how to help.

I couldn’t wait to purchase a webcam and begin, although I felt a bit nervous at the thought of trying to speak.  Well, I must say there was no need for concern.  Carlo assessed quickly which level I was at, and with practice I gained the necessary skills to engage in conversations when travelling throughout Italy.  I surprised myself at how easily the words came, as we had done some role-playing including going into shops or at the railway station, which instantly came back to me and could be easily adapted to most given situations.  To put my newly found speaking skills to the test was extremely satisfying and I was well understood whenever I spoke.

Since returning from Italy, I have continued having lessons as I now feel like I am finally making the progress that previously I could have only hoped for.  Carlo is extremely interesting, has a great sense of humour, and makes each lesson fun.  He has some fantastic study tips which can be used between lessons and is very careful to review new things as we go.  He does not complicate things, taking each a step at a time.  He is very flexible with times, is generous with the lessons and is prompt and reliable.  Carlo’s lessons are never boring, and I have also learned much about the culture and day-to-day life providing a true insight into all things Italian, from the comfort of my own home.  He is very particular regarding pronunciation and grammar, and is extremely knowledgeable in the technicalities of sentence structure in both Italian and English.

I would highly recommend anyone learning Italian, regardless of their level, who wants to expedite their progress and have fun along the way, to try Parlo Con Carlo.  You will be amazed with the results.

I am happy to expand further should any potential students wish to contact me.

Marie, Austria

Parlo con Carlo is a very fine way to learn italian.

I tried to learn italian in several courses but always when I wanted to speak I felt  unable to do so. 

When I heard of Parlo con Carlo and the  possibility to learn via Skype, I was a bit sceptical, but than I tried and I was surprised . It´s the same personal feeling as if a teacher is sitting at the opposite side of the table. Carlo has a great Focus on the spelling and his method is extraordinary you realy learn by  speaking ! You have the possibility to learn an italian wich doesn´t sound like a schoolbook- language.

 The tempo of learning is in my pace and although I haven´t  much time to practice alone I get on with the language.

Parlo con Carlo ist eine sehr gute Methode um italienisch zu lernen. Ich habe vorher immer wieder einmal begonnen in diversen Kursen italienisch zu lernen und hatte aber immer das  Gefühl ich komme nicht voran ,vor allem wenn ich etwas sagen wollte war ich ganz hilflos.  

Als ich zum ersten Mal über Parlo con Carlo  gehört habe war ich etwas skeptisch . ich konnte mir nicht vorstellen über Skype italienisch zu lernen. Dann habe ich mich doch entschieden und war erstaunt wie gut das funktioniert,es ist fast so als ob der Lehrer wirklich present im Zimmer ist . Carlo legt sehr viel Wert auf eine gute Aussprache er ist sehr genau und geduldig.

Die Methode ist auch faszinierend denn er lernt einem die Sprache nur über das  Sprechen zu üben. Das ist für mich ganz neu, bisher habe ich immer sehr viel schriftlich geübt und bin dadurch immer beim Sprechen zu langsam gewesen.  

Man hat die Möglichkeit ein Italienisch zu lernen, welches nicht wie aus dem Schulbuch klingt. Das Lerntempo ist meinen Möglichkeiten angepasst und obwohl ich wenig Zeit zum Üben habe komme ich trotzdem voran.

Ulli, Austria

I am so happy  I discovered this site! The concept of Carlo´s teaching is just great! And you do not even realize you are  "learning", it is so much fun to speak with him. He is on one hand very patient and intuitive to get the best out of you, but on the other hand "severe" with your gramatical errors, so you really improve. Carlo is a perfect guide to get familiar with the Italian language!  I am travelling a lot and everytime I get back to Italy I really can feel the change of progress.

Carlo's view on teaching:

Learning a language involves a number of aspects: grammar and its rules plus new words and their pronunciation, unfamiliar sounds, syntax, conversation.

None of them is enough by itself, but one item is fundamental: practice. This is also the hard part of the learning process: being costant is hard, and finding someone who can assist you during that can even be harder.

With no practice, everything we learn tends to fade away and can ultimately become useless. We learn something new in order to use it and using what we know will eventually teach us more.  Practice is so vital in the learning process that we can even disregard other aspects and still get better. Constant practice is what lets us learn our native language, after all.

This project is not about learning Italian with no grammar or without theory.  It is meant to give you constant practice and feedback on Italian pronunciation, grammar, conversation, fluency. We'll touch rules when they'll be needed and you'll become familiar with new sounds, work on short sentences and simple everyday words. A good starting point is to define an area of life where you'd like to be able to express yourself in Italian: some might want to learn how to ask for directions, others might need numbers first. Someone might feel puzzled by our verbs system but please believe me: put some practice and an understanding teacher in the picture and you'll eventually find yourself speaking Italian without much effort anymore.

Same goes with speed: Italians talk fast and it's hard to tell where one word ends and the next starts. This skill will come too, provided you don't look too much for it. No problem if you talk slow here though, and Italians usually like to repeat or slow down in order to let you understand them. I hope we'll be discussing and learning this (and more) in person.

Join Parlo con Carlo to get better every day and let your fears about talking Italian slide away. Choose your favourite  lesson pace, or change it along the way, and get the feeling of a daily growth. Knowing that we're finally learning what we like to can raise our confidence in all other sides of life!