While Christchurch is not the biggest city in New Zealand, you can find plenty of things to do there. If your hobbies are playing sports, going out into the countryside, reading, visiting museums, you won't be that bored living in Christchurch.
While you won't be able to find or do everything like you would in a large city or capital city such as Auckland or Wellington, you will be able learn languages. If your hobby is to learn languages or you have a passion for learning languages then you won't have much trouble finding a place to learn in Christchurch.
There are many beautiful languages out there that we can learn, of course in New Zealand we even have the maori language to learn from, but what about languages that originate from Asia or Europe?
Would you be able to learn those types of languages in Christchurch?
The answer is, of course!
If you are reading this blog and living in Christchurch or about to head to Christchurch you are probably wondering where exactly can you find places to learn Italian.
While Italy is located on the other side of the globe there are still plenty of reasons to learn this beautiful language. Why do people want to learn Italian?
- Live or study in Italy or Switzerland
- To feel close to their ancestry
- Career in translation or tourism
- Pleasure of learning a language
- Backpacking through Europe
Italian is a great language to learn and you can meet plenty of people thanks to the language that is spoken in both Italy and Switzerland.
It is always a great thing to learn foreign languages and Italian is one of the most popular languages to learn in the entire world.
So if you are from Christchurch and want to learn one of the most beautiful languages that you can speak check out the rest of this blog.
Advice for Studying Italian
Italian is a very different language to English. The rules for each language are different than for other languages, even if some languages have more similarities than others.
Perhaps you haven't realized it, but English and German actually have a lot of similarities. Both languages are Germanic so have a lot of similar vocabulary and similar grammar rules, even if the languages sound completely different.
It may be easier to learn German if you are a native English speaker than if you try to learn Italian. However we know learning Italian is more possible, and if your first language is English don't worry because there are still plenty of similarities and there are a lot of tips where you can learn Italian pretty easily.
Similar Vocabulary
As I've just mentioned, Italian and English have different backgrounds, one language is a Latin based language while the other is a Germanic based language.
However this doesn't mean that cognates don't exist between the two languages.
If you are wondering what cognates are, they are words that are extremely similar between two languages. They look the same, sound the same, and have the same meaning. Learning these can make your vocabulary learning job a whole lot easier.
That being said, you will need to look out for false friends.
False friends, when studying languages are words that look the same, sound the same, but have different meanings.
Some cognates that exist between Italian and English are:
- Calendario/Calendar
- Banca/ Bank
- Famoso/ Famous
- Studiare/ Study
- Birra/ Beer
Look Out for irregular verbs
For beginners that are native English speakers that are trying to learn a latin based language such as French, Spanish, or Italian, irregular verbs can quickly become really frustrating.
Unfortunately for many of you soon to be Italian learners will soon find out that the most common verbs in Italian are irregular. To be, to have, can, etc., all of these verbs are irregular and conjugate differently than many other verbs in Italian.
The good news is there is a way to conquer these irregular verbs. Practice.
Practice makes perfect, and that certainly is the case when it comes to irregular verbs, if you can master the more common ones you'll do just fine.
Practice your pronunciation
Since we are native English speakers we feel at times that English is a really easy language to learn. Maybe we don't understand that it can be really difficult to learn English, at least when it comes to pronouncing words.
One English word with a certain spelling can sound completely different than a word with another spelling, for example laughter and daughter.
For someone that is a native speaker of another language this can be frustrating.
Luckily learning Italian you won't have this problem.
All letters have a specific pronunciation. When you learn how to pronounce all the letters you will have a really easy time pronouncing the words.
Learn the different grammar rules
As mentioned a bit earlier, Italian has a lot of different grammar structures than English does. Apart from the irregular verbs you'll need to practice where to place adjectives and verbs.
There are also grammar points that don't feature much in English and it can get confusing.
The best way is practice.
Practice, practice, practice
The best way to learn any language quickly is to practice often and have no fear. Sometimes we may not want to speak out loud in another language because we worry we will make mistakes and sound silly.
Speaking more and more will help, especially if you can practice with experienced teachers, professors, and native speakers.
Studying Italian in Christchurch
There are several places where you can learn Italian if you are living in Christchurch. All three are great ways to learn and you can learn at from one of these places individually or you can use all three to your advantage, especially if you are trying to learn for an exam or quickly.
Of course if you are in secondary school, you may have the opportunity to learn in school, however if not there still will be some ways for you to learn outside of school. So let's have a look at the different options you have for studying Italian in Christchurch.
University of Canterbury
Studying a language at any university usually isn't a bad choice. Studying at university assures that you will have a quality professor teaching you whatever subject it is that you are trying to learn.
Studying at the University of Canterbury is a great university to learn at, and is considered one of the top universities in the whole of New Zealand.
The only drawback to the University of Canterbury is that it doesn't have a full undergraduate bachelor's degree like some other universities in New Zealand. However the University of Canterbury does have bachelor's studies in Linguistics.
Taking linguistics will give you the chance to study language and therefore learn a great deal about the Italian language as well as other romance and Latin based languages. Taking this can help you to become a translator as well as find a job that involves the use of different languages.
There of course is Italian 101 as well which is offered as a course of study. If you are totally new to the Italian language. If you choose to study linguistics it will be wise to take this course as well as courses of some other languages.
Learn Italian at a language academy
If you would like to take an intensive Italian course or a more relaxed course, you can choose to take one outside of secondary school or university. At a language academy you can find private lessons or group classes to prepare you for an exam or help you to learn Italian as a support for your uni studies or just because you want to learn because you simply want to learn Italian.
In Christchurch you can find one of these language academies that focuses on teaching Italian. While the Speak Spanish Language Institute has the Spanish language in it's title they do offer Italian classes and if you would like a place to learn in Christchurch this could be just the place for you.
Learn with a Private Tutor
Another option for you to learn Italian in Christchurch is to learn with the help of a private tutor. Studying with an experienced private tutor can be a great help as they can offer you even more individual help than language institutes and universities.
Superprof is an excellent platform when it comes to choosing private tutors who are reviewed and living in your area.
Read here for where to take Italian in Tauranga, Hamilton, Manukau City.
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