Iceberg Project

Books to Read for the Beginner Italian Student

We get a lot of readers who check out Cher’s top 10 books she loves in Italian and many who read about how to discuss these beloved (or hated) libri but both of these articles are for the more advanced learner. After seeing emails come through asking for beginner books, we thought it would…

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,…

What It’s Like to Move Houses in Italy

Before Friday, 16 March, I will have moved 23 times since I was 17 years old. After March 16, I will have moved 24 times. At this point, I consider myself a bit of an expert in this matter. I pack quickly, unpack quickly, throw away or donate anything even remotely useless to me, and…

Worksheet: Phrases to Talk About Your Italian Lessons

Click play on the player at the bottom to listen to this podcast or listen to it on Stitcher or Apple Podcasts. 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?”…

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…

Dialogue: Differences Between American & Italian Culture, Pt. II

At The Iceberg Project, we believe the only way you can truly learn a language is by using it in real life. (We also believe that Italian is the best foreign language to learn.) To help you get that real-life experience, we put together this dialogue for you. It’s about two friends — one Italian…

Dialogue: Differences Between American & Italian Culture, Pt. I

Love Florence? Make Sure to Do This First.

Every time I tell someone I live in Florence, I’m met with the same reaction. “Oh my gosh, you live there!? I LOVE FLORENCE!” And I’m never surprised to hear it, in fact, I totally get it. I too am absolutely smitten with my city and take a lot of pride in being a Fiorentina….

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….

How to Buy Clothes in Italy (or How to Buy a Coat to Keep You From Succumbing to Hypothermia)

I have previously discussed having to adjust to the weather in Italy, although not in great detail. I come from Las Vegas. Seasons? What are those? In Las Vegas, you wear shorts in the summer and pants in the winter. There isn’t really ever a need for layering or rain boots or big winter parkas….

Italian Present Conditional (or the tense that finally lets you express yourself in Italian)

This episode’s audio doesn’t exist, and we have technology to blame (poof! gone into cyberspace!). Instead of listening to this episode, feel free to use the notes below to learn more about the topic. And if you’re like, “CHER, NO. I NEED THIS EPISODE,” then let me know in the comments below. I’ll put it…

Present Tense Reflexive Verbs in Italian (or the verb tense that’s all about you)

Reflexive verbs are probably the most narcissistic grammar form in Italian. It changes just to show that what you’re doing…you’re doing to yourself. (If you’re thinking dirty, stop it.) So examples of where reflexive verbs are used are in situations like: — Lavarsi – Washing yourself — Vedersi – Looking at yourself — Divertirsi – Enjoy yourself —…