About Cher

Cher is the founder of The Iceberg Project and a passionate learner of the Italian, Mandarin and Spanish languages. In a little town called Vegas, you can find her searching the Internet for Doctor Who and Parks & Rec memes, drinking bubble tea, or talking about how much she loves grammar.

Native Audio + Transcript: Andare in Sardegna

Every week, I do my best to send as totally free, bite-sized Italian lesson to give you a taste of real conversational phrases and vocabulary. Lately, I’ve been partnering with my friend and tutor, Beatrice Massaro, to produce some native audio recordings for you. That way you can improve your listening comprehension and learn new…

Dinner Conversation

Click play on the player at the bottom to listen to this podcast or find it on Apple Podcasts. 1.) Qual è il tuo piatto preferito? – What’s your favorite Italian dish? 2.) Cosa prendi? – What are you getting? 3.) Che tipo di vino è? – What type of wine is this? 4.) Non…

(Native Italian Recording) Making Plans

Click play on the player at the bottom to listen to this podcast or find it on Apple Podcasts. Ciao mia cara, Come stai? È veramente un sacco che non ci sentiamo. Senti, mi sei venuta in mente perché ho sentito che hanno aperto un nuovo locale che sembra molto carino vicino Piazza della Repubblica…

False Friends in Italian

Click play on the player at the bottom to listen to this podcast or find it on Apple Podcasts. Ripetere does indeed mean to repeat. Avocado means avocado. There have been many a time where I’ve guessed a word relying solely on English and have added an Italian ending… and I’ve been right. And there…

Learning Italian? What You Need to Know About Dialect

Note from Cher: While we do A LOT of Italian-related stuff at The Iceberg Project, we don’t plan trips for you. That’s why I love partnering with a few key travel agents and planners so you can have the trip you keep daydreaming about – whether that’s visiting the town your family is from or…

How to Order Pizza and Gelato in Italian

Click play on the player at the bottom to listen to this episode or find it on Apple Podcasts. Ordering Pizza I really like pasta (cacio e pepe is my favorite), gelato (fragola, every day all day), and cheese (pecorino forever and ever), but pizza? I love pizza. For the first few weeks that I…

Italian Word Speed Dates: Tanto

Click play on the player at the bottom to listen to this episode or find it on Apple Podcasts. ITALIAN Rachel: Hai bisogno di qualcosa dal supermercato? Carlotta: No, no, dai, non ti preoccupare. Rachel: Macché! Tanto, oggi vado al supermercato comunque. Have you ever heard an expression like the one above that starts with…

Did You Know You Could Use ‘Sentire’ and ‘Trovare’ In These Ways?

Click play on the player at the bottom to listen to this episode or find it on Apple Podcasts. // SENTIRE WordReference lists it as meaning: — To taste — To feel — To hear — To smell And you might be confused because you know that “ascoltare” can mean “to hear / to listen,”…

Useful Phrases to Say When You Freeze and Forget How to Speak Italian

Click play on the player at the bottom to listen to this podcast or find it on Apple Podcasts. Non ho capito. – I didn’t understand. Scusi/a, può / puoi ripetere per favore? – Excuse me, but can you repeat that please? Può / puoi ripetere per favore, ma più piano? – Can you repeat…

Figuring Out Verbs Like Andarsene, Volerci, Avercela, and Entrarci

Click play on the player at the bottom to listen to this episode or find it on Apple Podcasts. In Italian, a pronominal verb is basically a verb mixed with pronouns. Pronominal verbs look similar to verbs you already know, making it a little bit easier to take a guess at their meaning. We’re all…

Phrases to Buy Cheese in Italy

Click play on the player at the bottom to listen to this podcast or find it on Apple Podcasts. — Vorrei… – I would like… — Poi? – Anything else? — Basta. – That’s enough. — Fetta – Slice — Fettina – Thin slice — Un etto – 1/10th of a kilo, aka 100…

What’s it like to be an American living in Florence?

Click play on the player at the bottom to listen to this episode or find it on Apple Podcasts. In episode 208 of the 30 Minute Italian Podcast, Rachel and I talk about what Christmas holiday is coming up in Florence and the reality of being a foreigner – an American – in Italy. We…