Sunday 26 December, Santo Stefano (with us 25 and 26 December are always holidays), on RAI 1, during the program DOMENICA IN, conducted in the studio by Mara Venier, Il Volo was a guest.
A pleasant hour, where Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca sang and talked, a really nice interview, which had already been previously recorded, to make sure that that day, everyone was with their own family.
Here is the video and its translation.
Click on the photo below to view the video.
MARA = I would start immediately with them, I thank them very much, they are indeed ambassadors of Italian culture and music in the world and thanks to Rai Italia, we are seen all over the world and I want to greet all the Italians living abroad and me I would start immediately with Il Volo.
(Applause. A video begins with the most important stages of Il Volo’s career)
But how wonderful this video is, how many very famous people they met.
Well we will be here, we will present the latest wonderful project of Il Volo, which is entirely dedicated to the great Ennio Morricone, but let’s start immediately like this: IL VOLO.
(Enter Gianluca, Ignazio and Piero, applause, kisses and hugs)
Guys, start right away with the first performance, then let’s talk about everything, everything.
GIAN = Come on, we are ready, here we are.
(the song SE begins, from Cinema Paradiso)
MARA = Well done, well done.
PIERO = How beautiful.
IGNAZIO + GIAN = Thank you
MARA = I’m excited, maybe it’s Holy Christmas …. she turns to Gian: “Everything’s fine, dear”.
GIAN = Very well.
MARA = Very good, very good.
PIERO = This is too much. (He refers to the constant applause of the audience.)
MARA = No, it’s never too much. But have you seen the video we sent?
IGNAZIO = Absolutely yes, and it’s always exciting to see it.
PIERO = There were the images of the film Nuovo Cinema Paradiso.
MARA = These are taken from the film Nuovo Cinema Paradiso, which together with Il Ferroviere (another Italian film) are the films of my life (he means that they are his favorite films).
I know the lines of the film by heart.
PIERO = It is also my favorite movie.
MARA = Mine too.
PIERO = I watched it during the lockdown, I dedicated a Sunday afternoon to this film, I don’t deny you that I cried.
MARA = When he looks at all the kissing film clippings …..?
PIERO = For me, the most exciting moment, as a Sicilian, when he says to him: “Don’t get nostalgic, never come back” …. there an emotion came to me ….
GIAN = It’s normal, it’s a bit like what we experienced, leaving what was ours ….
MARA = Sure, maybe because of this. Do you recognize yourself a little …
PIERO = So much ….
MARA = However it is a wonderful film, great Peppuccio Tornatore, great director, great friend, a kiss. (applause)
So guys, I saw in the first video, during your presentation, and I must tell you that I was quite excited, because the path you have made, who has it happened to?
Maybe in Modugno, I don’t know, I really think about the greats, the myths.
What happened to you in a few years is simply wonderful (applause) because you bring Italy to the world. And Italy is not just pizza, spaghetti and mandolin (stereotype of Italy), it is also something else and you are bringing something else, your talent, your voice, I wanted to tell you.
IGNAZIO = This has always been our goal, to make our culture known, however in this album, we give prestige to what was the maestro Ennio Morricone, and as you can see from the cover, we also remember Sergio Leone’s films (western director and friend of Morricone).
MARA = Beautiful.
GIAN = Remember the movie The Good, The Bad and the Ugly ….
MARA = Beautiful also the photo inside, though. Look at these three children.
PIERO = Can we have a marker to autograph this album to Mara?
MARA = Really? Immediately, live? Come on, yes!
IGNAZIO = I’ll go.
MARA = Look, by magic, there is also the marker, “Aunt Mara” and this too (she also gives the CD and asks that they be dedicated to aunt Mara, as Mara often calls herself by young people).
IGNAZIO = The dedications are made by Gianluca.
GIANLUCA = Since I have the most beautiful writing, I write.
PIERO = I write like doctors, doctors’ recipes (prescriptions) ….
MARA = … that it is not clear what you write.
IGNAZIO = While Gianluca is writing, let’s go back to the previous discussion ..
MARA = Among all these important characters, myths, true myths, is there anyone who has moved you more? Saw Barbra Streisand ….
PIERO = The editing you did is really beautiful, but each of us has his own indelible memory, personally, singing in front of Pope Francis in Panama, during the youth day, I think it was one of the most important and profound moments.
MARA = Of course, I believe it. Then he has a great charisma, I spent two afternoons with him, one afternoon for 4 hours always with him, and the incredible thing is that it’s like talking ….. (the photo of the boys with the Pope appears in the background) There they are !! …. because he is a simple man, it is like being really, with a grandfather.
IGNAZIO = I think that a figure like Pope Francis, we needed it, also to approach the youngest, I speak as a boy who does not practice, but, thanks to Pope Francis, I have re-evaluated the religious world.
MARA = Of course, when there are men like that, then he is a real revolutionary, guys.
GIAN = Maybe he’s looking at us, let’s say hello.
MARA = We greet Pope Francis:
“Happy St. Stephen Holiness!” ….. but he only wants to be called Pope Francis.
So guys, I start where we started, because it’s beautiful, then do your whole wonderful journey.
(Begins a 2011 video of the LA VITA IN DIRETTA program , conducted by Mara Venier, with guests of the very young Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca. In the video Mara says that three of them are 48 years old and then asks who wanted the name Il Volo and Piero replies that it is a metaphorical name and that they decided it together.)
Have you understood? In the end I wished you to fly high, but you took me at my word !!!
GIAN = I still remember the first moments. It was one of our first interviews. I still remember the excitement of doing the interviews, we didn’t know what to say, sometimes we got tangled up, we didn’t really know how to behave with the cameras. It’s amazing how, over time, things can change, in 10 years our life has changed in an incredible way.
MARA = Incredible. Have you ever thought about all this guys?
(she drops the felt-tip pen)
IGNAZIO = I’ll take care of it.
MARA = Come on, I can do it.
IGNAZIO = I wanted to be a gentleman.
MARA = What love !! I wanted to take this (the vinyl) and show it because it’s beautiful.
PIERO = Actually while we were singing she was afraid that it would be stolen.
MARA = In fact, look, I’m holding it tight.
By the way, Monica Bellucci called me (Il Volo was a guest on the previous Sunday for a tribute to the actress Monica Bellucci in connection from Paris).
IGNAZIO = Did she like it?
MARA = She thanked me, it was a surprise, she wasn’t expecting it at all.
GIAN = It was good for us too.
MARA = Really?
GIAN = Sure
MARA = Did you have any feedback?
GIAN = Apart from that, during the interview, Monica Bellucci is Monica Bellucci (as if to say that Bellucci is famously beautiful) .… but Mara Venier ….
PIERO = But Mara Venier is Mara Venier (as if to say that Mara is beautiful too)
MARA = Oh yes, at my age …. guys but I invite you every Sunday ….
IGNAZIO = You have to thank that I am already busy, otherwise I would make you a ruthless court (what a seducer).
MARA = Where is your girlfriend?
IGNAZIO = She is far away.
MARA = Very far?
PIERO = No, she’s near here, around the corner.
GIAN = Exactly!
PIERO = In Brazil.
MARA = But you really had to find her in Brazil?
IGNAZIO = Love does not know distances, it does not know religions, races.
MARA = Is she Brazilian?
IGNAZIO = Yes. Traveling, you meet different cultures, and this has given us the opportunity to get to know the whole world and also arrive in Brazil, where I later met what my love is, however ….
MARA = But why Ignazio, didn’t you join her now for Christmas?
IGNAZIO = Work calls and we are very professional.
MARA = Like me.
IGNAZIO = Exactly. Unfortunately or fortunately, in life you have to work and there are priorities.
MARA = I am very happy.
IGNAZIO = And we are young ….
MARA = You have time, now, as soon as the broadcast is over, you can join it.
IGNAZIO = Yes, I’m going down (He means Brazil. Actually the program is recorded in this way Ignazio at Christmas reached his love in Brazil.)
MARA = So guys, let’s talk again ….. why are you looking at me like this Piero, you look at me and you make me laugh.
PIERO = I respect you, you are fantastic. See you go to the programs, that feeling with the presenter, it is fundamental, it is crucial to make sure that the best part of us comes out.
MARA = Sure.
PIERO = Because you know, behind the artist, behind the singer, many at home cannot perceive the personality, because there is always the fear of making a mistake, or how much to talk, with you it is unfiltered.
IGNAZIO = Also because you always talk, so we are fine.
MARA = That’s not true !! I always make you talk and above all I listen, what a bad Ignazio. (Ignazio laughs) I’m not sending you to your girlfriend, I make you stay here, even for New Year’s, I don’t let you leave. (applause and laughter)
Ennio Morricone, why? You are very young, boys and here are some pieces that will truly remain in history.
GIAN = Let’s say that we have had an artistic evolution over the years, it all started with O SOLE MIO, then slowly, even with Grande Amore, we tried to have our own repertoire, then in 2016 a Tribute to the Three Tenors with Plácido Domingo, and this time we decided to pay a tribute, however, on the soundtracks of the films, which are a little detached from what is the real tradition of Italian music, because in any case Morricone is a genre in itself, an international genre, which has made history …
MARA = Oscar winner!
GIAN = Exactly, and therefore he wrote a music that has made generations dream, and it is also a way to make him known to the youngest, who may not be able to connect the music with the composer at first glance. So for us it is really an honor, we also thank the family, the teacher Andrea Morricone ….
MARA = The son.
GIAN = …. who immediately supported the project, and also his wife Maria Travia, who also gave the possibility to have her son (Andrea) write a text on the first sung version of the Ecstasy of Gold by Il Buono, the bad, the ugly.
MARA = Beautiful !!
Now I’ll show you June of this year, the Verona Arena, I remember that we made a connection, just to launch your concert, let’s see this clip together.
(A video starts with Your Love from the Verona concert. In the video, Andrea Morricone says: “It is really exciting to hear my father’s music playing in this splendid Arena, it is really fantastic.” Ignazio says:
“Maestro Morricone means a lot to us, he is a symbol of Italy in the world, on this stage with the great maestro Andrea Morricone, is an honor.”)
How wonderful! (applause)
PIERO = Mara, those images are really strong for us, because the first images we saw are taken from the concert on June 5th and it was the first concert, right after the lockdown ….
MARA = Sure.
PIERO = ….. with 50% of the capacity of the Verona Arena.
IGNAZIO = 6 thousand.
PIERO = Yes, 6 thousand people, so we got on stage after almost two years of pause and silence, so there we really understood that for an artist, for a singer, the audience is oxygen.
MARA = Sure, absolutely. How have you lived through these two years of pandemic and I keep saying that we must still be very careful. Yes, we must not give up.
IGNAZIO = Never.
MARA = You who are used to traveling the world, never stand still.
GIAN = We tried to live it definitely not in a passive way. It is not easy, because many families have certainly suffered, and there have been people who have not been able to manage, especially young people, adolescents, who perhaps miss the most delicate period of their life and therefore, in some way, be still, not having a place in society, being able to understand what to do in the future and instead stopping, was certainly difficult for young people. And we also try to be an example for the young people who follow us.
MARA = Absolutely.
GIAN = We certainly haven’t stopped, you need to have a spirit of adaptation, when life puts you to the test anyway.
MARA = Look Gianluca, when I invite my guests, especially artists, musicians, even important ones, I always asked them, during the pandemic, during the lockdown, what they did, and the majority always told me that they continued to write, and moreover, they have also had the concentration, in these months, even so difficult, also of pain, of insecurity, of fear, in the end, but many have told me that they have been creative.
GIAN = They gave vent to creativity.
MARA = Exactly, they gave vent to creativity, exactly.
PIERO = We, too, created this album during the pandemic.
MARA = The album was born right there.
PIERO = Yes, because for us, the worst enemy has always been time, we have never had the time to concentrate or dedicate ourselves to taking care of all aspects of a project.
For this album, we worked a year and a half, the initial part via ZOOM (internet) with video calls. Then we went to the recording studio, zoomed in with the linked producers from Stockholm.
We wanted it at all costs.
GIAN = Then it is clear that we always try to see the positive side, because from 2009 to today, we have always been 7-8 months a year out (abroad), on tour or promotion of the record, in short, it is our life. But in these two years, the positive thing is that we have been more with our families, we have cultivated relationships, met love, maybe we have been more with our friends. So we rediscovered what was our “old life”.
MARA = Exactly.
GIAN = Because anyway it’s like jumping on two different tracks every now and then, Il Volo and then ….
MARA = And then I imagine that when you are away for months and months, abroad, traveling the world with the tour, in short, your family, but also your country, in the end you miss them.
IGNAZIO = We always say that these years have been the result of positive and negative things.
Personally I am a person who has a hard time falling asleep at night, because my head is constantly thinking, about everything there is to do, I store a lot of information. But I realized that sometimes stopping, even if difficult, stopping is good, also to understand what you want from life, what you are doing.
MARA = Reflect, a moment of calm.
PIERO = You live everything with frenzy.
MARA = Especially you.
PIERO = We never stop, only at Christmas. For us, Christmas, on the 24th evening, we have to go home, and it is as if time stopped.
MARA = And this is beautiful, can I tell you? Coming home on the 24th is beautiful.
IGNAZIO = then on the 26th we come to Rome! (Domenica In is recorded in Rome).
MARA = Let’s go on guys, now there is a beautiful piece always taken from Morricone, “Once Upon a Time in the West”.
PIERO = It is the song we sang in Sanremo, this year we were guests in Sanremo.
MARA = So now you will let the guests of “Zia Mara” hear it.
IGNAZIO = Sure.
(Il Volo sings “Once Upon a Time in the West”)
(TO BE CONTINUED)
Credit to owners of all photos and video.
Thank you Daniela for the translation which means I can be a part of this interview. Waiting eagerly for the continuation 🌻🌷x
Thanks Kate, I’m glad you like the translation, the second part is even better !!
Happy New Year, Daniela and Pat. Thank you for this wonderful translation and the videos. I love the interaction among Maura and the guys, they seem to be so relaxed which makes for a fantastic interview. You can also see just how much Maura loves them. I will be looking forward to Part Ii. Take care and stay safe. 🤗
Happy New Year, Mary Jane. Yes, Mara is very loving with our boys, on the other hand you have seen, she knows them from the beginning.
Happy New Year to you, Mary Jane! And you’re most welcome….it was a great interview!
Thank you for the hard work you put in to translating this!! Ignazio has such a beautiful, loving face!! They all do. I pray that the tour will not be canceled due to the surge in the virus. I will see them in March, in Durham, NC!❤
Definitely, Linda, it was a great talk.
Our young men were at the top. Let’s hope the new year allows all of their concerts.
Thank you again for your hard work in bringing them to us in this way.
It was interesting to see Gian so engaged because often he is mostly quiet.
To the Flight Crew and all who appreciate the Flight Crew, I wish you all a Happier New Year.
This interview made me suffer, because once again it was canceled and I had to do it again, but it was worth it.
Yes, Gail, Gian spoke with excellent words !!
Gian is mature beyond his age.
That’s right, Randall
Thank you, thank you, thank you, Daniela and Patti!!! What a wonderful story and video! If I wondered where my day goes, I certainly know now. Il Volo, Il Volo, Il Volo!!!
What a beautiful lady Mara is! Not only her looks, but her personality, too. She and our special men had such a comfortable relationship, back and forth with, sometimes, all of them talking at once. So spontaneous.
I did the translation part first to get a gist of what would be said in the video interview, and will go back to the translation again and, probably, the video again.
When I first clicked on the video, the notation “Video No longer available” came up and I thought, Oh! No!!! But then the video appeared and what a relief.
Gian seems to be the primary spokesperson for the group now, and such a change from the very, very shy boy he was! Would love to listen to him speaking all day, even if I couldn’t understand a word he said!
Such a lucky lady to be able to hug each one of them whenever she felt the urge! I’m envious even at my really advanced age!
Can’t wait for the continuation! Thanks so much again, Daniela and Pat.
Dolores
Thank you very much Dolores, for appreciating this translation so much.
In the second part you will find many things even more profound and moving.
Mara put our men completely at ease and the result shows, they were completely relaxed and sincere, Ignazio also had moments as a “seducer” !!
The second part is ready, it will be published soon!
You are welcome, Dolores! I feel the same way about Gianluca. He could read the dictionary to me!
Wow Daniela, this is wonderful. Thank you so much for all your efforts. I had watched the video and managed to follow some of the interview, some Italian must be sinking into my brain!
Looking forward to the second part now. 😉
Hugs Roz 😉
Congratulations Roz, for experimenting with Italian. Now you can better understand and refine your knowledge. Part Two Coming Soon!
Thanks love, your encouragement is much appreciated. I must confess I am better with the written word than the spoken, especially when folks talk fast.
Some phrases I really struggle to speak, ‘per favore’ for instance. I think my tongue must be in the wrong place in my mouth, or perhaps my teeth are! Just been saying it aloud, and nope, it is actually my lips that are the problem. More difficult if they are dry.
Without thinking I found saying the numbers of my horse racing selections in Italian this afternoon. Very weird, I didn’t think I had got to those yet, other than a passing glance. 😉
Hugs Roz 😉
There is no such thing as an interview with IL Volo that is too long or boring-you bring us right to them. Anxiously awaiting the second installment. Wondering why Mara asked Ignazio if he is Brazilian and he answered yes? A bit puzzling. I sure hope I get to see my concert, but we have so much virus infestation (Omacron), although not as deadly as the other variant. Wishing you and Pat a Happy New Year and many more.
Happy New Year to you too, Mark! The Ignazio question, which has been corrected, asked if his girlfriend was Brazilian. Sometimes the translator doesn’t get the pronouns correct.
Sorry I misread the question of Ignazio, ” are you Brazilian” , of course he isn’t. Mara asked is she Brazilian. Don’t know how I confused that?
Yes, Mark, you were right, there was an error in the reproduction of the question, which was immediately corrected by Pat, but you read it the moment before the correction. I’m glad you enjoyed the interview.
Oh, Daniela, grazie mille,what a wonderful interview (but so sorry you had to do it twice!) I loved the adorable look Ignazio gave Mara when he was teasing her, and I loved your comment “what a seducer” (sigh).
The guys looked gorgeous and sounded fabulous on the vocals, and were all so articulate and charming during the back and forth of the interview. Thanks to Pat also for putting it all in a lovely package. Add me to the list of those eagerly awaiting part two.
The “seducer” comments remind me of a few years ago when they were in Chicago helping with the money raising breaks for the local public television station (which was presenting a concert).
They behaved more than charmingly and the women working for the station were really appreciating it, forgetting their lines, etc. The boys were so much younger than the women but they were set off balance by their flirting. It was funny.
Yes, Gail, despite their young age, these three have long known how to charm women !!
They are disarming 🙂
You’re welcome, Judi! I am working on the second part. 🙂
Judi, it’s my fault, if I re-did it, I use a program that if it is inadvertently deleted, it cannot be recovered. In the end I tried to do it again quickly, I knew you all were waiting.
The second part is ready, Pat will publish it soon.
Yes, Ignazio is a great seducer.
Thank you again for your wonderfulful translation I look forward to reading all of your letters Ibwish you a very happy new year and wishes for a better year for the boys and their families and all of the fans
Thanks for the good wishes Ernestine, which I refer to you too.
Daniela and Pat, Thank you for this wonderful interview.
Mara’s warm and open personality allows the guys to be
more open as well. They answered more open and freely
than other interviews. can’t wait for Part 2.
You’re most welcome, Martha!
Yes, Martha, Mara has been able to put them at ease and the result has been seen.
Part 2 soon.
Daniela and Pat, thank you for this translation. I think this is my favorite of their current interviews. They and Mara were so open and easy going. I really enjoyed it.
You are welcome, Kay. I agree that they all interacted very naturally like life-long friends. It was good to see.
Glad you liked it, Kay, you’ll enjoy part two even more, I assure you.
I saw that interview and of course had no idea what was being said so I was overjoyed to read your wonderful translation. One again you made so many of us glad to be in such a loving and caring IL Volo group. Many thanks.
I’m glad Eleanor, I was able to explain and make you understand what was said, stay with us, there will still be many translations.
I watched the whole interview in Italian, loved to listen to the language, and understood just a few words here and there. Thank you Daniela and Pat for this translation ! Now when I watch the interview again, it will be so much more interesting. Translating is a lot work, and I really appreciate what you do. Can’t wait for Part 2 of the interview!
You’re welcome Maija+Zaeska! Daniela does a wonderful job translating!
Maija+Zaeska, thanks for the compliments, sooner or later I will also learn how to put subtitles directly into the video, I hope. For now you have to be content to read and watch the video.
Part 2 coming soon !!
Great idea Daniela, but that would be a tremendous amount of work for you to do. Blessings on you for the thought anyway. I reckon we all ought to learn Italian, lessons from you perhaps! Oh gosh no, that would be even more work for you. 😉
Hugs Roz
:):):)
Merci Daniela ,c’est toujours tres agréable de lire les traductions et de mieux comprendre les interviews ! Maintenant j’attends avec impatience la suite ! Quel beau et long travail merci encore !
Merci Paule, je regrette seulement que la traduction soit en anglais et que tu parles français.
La deuxième partie est encore plus longue et plus belle, elle arrive bientôt !
Daniela, I’m thinking that you should be a NATO translator–however, we would hate to lose you!! I studied French–I can read Paule’s comment and your reply easily, but it would take me a long time to compose a reply myself. And you even reply in Spanish often! Trying like so many to learn Italian, but it’s tougher now–I’m envious of your linguistic talents!
Maybe Daniela should start an Italian class for us. 😉
Hugs Roz
Here is something funny. I took three years of French in high school. I have been learning Italian ever since discovering IL VOLO five years ago. And now I am helping home school my two grandsons in LATIN for the past two years! Talking about being confused. I try to think of an Italian word and the French one pops into my head. The same with Latin…..after all they are all romance languages based on the Latin. I can read and listen better than speaking the languages. They say that the spoken word is the last thing to come easier to you when you are learning a language. All I can say is it has been fun and will continue to be! 😃
I certainly find it easier to read. I struggle with the listening unless it is said slowly. Most words I can manage to speak, providing I have grasped the listening bit. I still struggle with ‘per favore’ brain/mouth/tongue/teeth need to be in sync. I have a problem with the letter c in a word.
Hugs Roz
I had a similar problem when I was learning French in university. So it must be common for our brains to think:foreign language! and whatever isn’t English pops up. I had an oral final French exam and I kept substituting (in my head) Hebrew words for the French ones. I kept stopping when answering because I was thinking in the wrong language and finally the professor asked me what was wrong, and I told him. He got all excited that I knew Hebrew and the rest of the “exam” was the two of us speaking in English about foreign languages! He even gave me an A even though I hadn’t answered any of the questions about French literature that supposedly the exam was on.
That was certainly fortunate for you and your test, Penina!
I have to tell you that I know almost all of the guys’ songs and can sing them in Italian from memory! It was fun! I found the translations to each song online and listened to the songs while reading the words. That helped me with the pronunciation……..there are still some tricky words said very closely together that I don’t think I accurately say. But sometimes word endings are slurred together with the beginning of another word. Usually in a song the words are sung a bit slower than when someone is speaking them so that helps.
Beautiful idea, Roz !
Great Penina you were lucky !!
Judi, ce n’est pas tout “mon sac”, je suis aidée par la traductrice !!
Judi, it’s not all “my bag”, I’m helped by the translator !!
It really was!
Finding the song translations on line is a good idea. Sometimes you can put in a few words that you understand and Google will find the song for you.
It seems like the pronunciations of Italian words are more standard than in English which must hard for anyone who is speaking a language based completely in Latin. English is partly from Latin but is also influenced by the Germanic languages.
Yes Gail, the Italian songs help a lot, Pat is right, but I still laugh thinking about when I met one of you my American friends and she sang the verse of the song the way she heard the pronunciation, but it wasn’t really the meaning of the song. Here there is a proverb that says: “executioner” and “pontiff” (executioner – pontiff) which in Italian have a very similar pronunciation, they are not really the same thing !!
I’ve been working on Una Lacrima Furtiva. Ignazio does it so well I’m not interested in hearing Pavarotti’s version.
One thing that caught me was “Mamma” in a song where it sounded strange. When i found out it was “m’ama” it made sense.
I must try that idea myself. One of the things I am doing at the moment is choosing words that have some relevance to something I am interested in, or doing. I then pop them into Google, they come up with the Italian, then I practice them and any phrases that goes with them.
I was a wee bit cross with myself this morning when I went to the post office. I had it all worked out in my head what I was going to try out on the lady behind the counter. Blow me, the words totally failed me, couldn’t even manage a good morning. The same thing happened in the Co-op, and again in the fluffit/woofit (animal shelter) shop. Honestly, what am I like. Sono un idiota.
Roz
I think my problem this morning was the German kept getting in the way. German and Italian seem to be so far apart as to be on a different planet!
Roz
I get tongue-tied too, Roz, when I try to put together a sentence in Italian. I have been learning simple phrases since before I traveled to Rome, but I don’t speak anything fluently. I could actually communicate with the driver who took us to our hotel. We had a great time. I think he liked the fact that I was at least trying. There is a free software called DuoLingo you can install on your phone or tablet. I used it for a while until I found out my local library gives us free access to Mango, another language learning program. It’s wonderful! The problem with trying to learn languages is that you need someone to talk to so you can get some practice. I was supposed to see the guys in Las Vegas last year and had a little something memorized to say to them in Italian. We all know how that turned out…….I was so disappointed. But I will continue practicing! 😀
I have found the Italian Word of the Day website to be pretty good, though I don’t find the translation as crisp as I would like. To be fair to them they do have different speeds, that helps no end. When I am really stuck I put the word or phrase into Google Translate. I haven’t twigged on a way of slowing that down, but between the two I come up with something I can understand.
Although it is a word of the day, they use phrases connected with the word. The longer phrases have audio, the shorter ones I use with Google Translate. At the moment I am keen to know how to pronounce words rather than learning what they mean. The letter K doesn’t appear to be part of the Italian language, though I could be wrong. So I am working out how and where the letter C works.
If in doubt with phrases I don’t use the entire phrase, but use several sections, learn those, then when I join them up again what I say isn’t quite as rubbish as it was originally. Blessings on Google Translate! 😉
I find the lyrics helpful in Italian too to learn the words, so I can sing along. below is the link I use, it is great because you can set it up to have two languages side by side. It also helps me understand the words in English
https://lyricstranslate.com/en/il-volo-lyrics.html
Colour, this is great info. I’ve been doing it the hard way.
I’m curious about where you are because of your different spelling of color.
That’s the British spelling. I think all Commonwealth countries use it.
Certainly we use it in Canada.
I’ve been doing the same thing as Pat – copying the words of the songs in Italian and English, placing them side by side, then listenong to the songs and following the text in Italian. I’ve learned many vocabulary words that way, but not much every-day conversation. Still a long wsy to go before I can actually speak Italian, although I can sing parts of many songs !
Good for you, Maija! It seems that I can pick out nouns in Italian conversation, but the verbs are more difficult because of all the conjugations! 🙄
ija, I did the same for the English songs.
Bedankt Daniela voor de vertaling van dit en ook andere interviews.
En ook om toch meer te weten van de groep Il Volo, Ik woon in België en veel hoor je nog niet van hun hier. Mijn wens is een s om ze te zien optreden al is het dat ik naar Italië moet komen. Maar eerst wat Italiaans leren, daar ben ik nu mee bezig!
Nog hartelijk bedankt voor de mooie teksten en foto’s
Michèle