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.

How to Create the Ideal Language Learning Flashcard

So, you’ve discovered the power of flashcards, and would like to finally use them to help memorize Italian words. In theory, all you need to do is create a flashcard (physical or digital) that displays two pieces of information: A target language word The translation of that word in your native language Once you’ve done…

75 Vocabulary Words for Talking About Sports in Italian

When you think about sports in Italy, I’ll bet the first one that comes to mind is the infamous calcio, or soccer. And if you have spent any length of time obsessing about Italian culture or in Italy–or both–team names like Juventus and Gli Azzurri will come to mind. But beyond calcio, there are lots…

How to Supercharge Your Vocabulary Flashcards for the Digital Age

I have a confession to make: I hate language learning flashcards. Well, I used to, anyway. Before you reach for your pitchforks, hear me out: The traditional vocabulary flashcard suffers from two key problems. Flashcards are, in my opinion: — Cumbersome – Flashcards take up space, and lots of it. If you’re using index cards,…

Worksheet: Phrases to Talk About Your Italian Lessons

We snaked our way through the streets of Florence as we made our way to il mercato di Sant’Ambrogio. I turned toward Mary, “Com’è andata la tua lezione? – How’d your lesson go?” She responded, raising her voice slightly so I could hear her above the clamor, “È andata benissimo, Beatrice è un’insegnante fantastica. –…

12 Ways to Motivate Yourself to Learn Italian

Need more motivation for learning Italian? I’m speaking at an online conference called Women in Language on the topic “Are you making the most of your language lessons?” It miiiiight be the push you need to get back to the grindstone with your studies. Other talks cover topics like: Memory for Conversation, Why You’re Struggling…

10 Italian Love Songs

I LOVE LOVE. I’m really good at falling in and out of it, talking about it, and looking for more of it. 🙂 That’s why we’ve written articles about love every Valentine’s Day since The Iceberg Project has started. Turns out, you love love as much as we do — especially when it helps you…

How to Shop at a Market in Italy

Rachel and I walked behind Giacomo, Mary, and Hannah as we snaked our way through the Sant’Ambrogio market in Florence. Giacomo, our cooking teacher and chef, was leading us to a vegetable stall to buy ingredients for the meal we were going to make that afternoon. Deep, red radishes and green lettuce covered with droplets…

Chi sono i “falsi amici”??

No matter whether it’s your first foreign language or your fifth, the rules of the Italian language can be really confusing. Plus, there isn’t a whole lot of material out there in Italian that offers comprehension practice targeted at English speakers. That’s why I ask my team to create original content in Italian constantly, like…

Our Favorite Places to Visit in Florence, Italy

Confession time: When I first visited Florence, I wasn’t impressed. To be fair, I was also 21 and had very little appreciation for history or art. Don’t get me wrong, seeing the Duomo made my eyes big + shiny, and my jaw definitely dropped. Back then, though, I just didn’t think it was “authentic” enough….

Attenzione agli errori!!

Phrases to Buy Jewelry in Italy

Have you ever been to Florence? If so, you’ve likely noticed that gorgeous old bridge, Ponte Vecchio, full of glistening gold and jewels. You may have even wanted to buy something or just step inside one of the historic shops to look around. You may also have been intimidated not knowing the words to use…

How to Talk About Where You Live

“Where are you from? – Di dove sei?” It has to be one of the top ten most frequently asked questions when you meet somebody while abroad in Italy. And while you could just simply say, “Colorado” or “Gli Stati Uniti” and end the conversation, what else could you say to describe where you’re from…