Skip to content
fluentbyear
🇮🇹 Italian · Fluency Level 2

PART 1 · LESSON 1 OF 30 · 30 MINUTES Free

Nonna Begins

Take Nonna's evening call and hear her story begin the way every Italian story begins: c'era una volta, in the days of the war.

Audio instruction: English

Report a problem with this lesson

Lesson 1 · Nonna Begins

Italian · 30 minutes

Press play. The words appear here as you hear them.

Just listen.

Let your ears lead. Show the words whenever you like.
0:0029:50
Tap a line to hear it again.Space to play · ← → skip · F fullscreen

THE STORY

Laura's kitchen in Fontelupo at nine in the evening, the phone on the table, Nonna Teresa calling from Boston.

Hear it againConversation · 0:35

The conversation couldn’t be loaded. Check your connection and press play again.

Flashcards

The words and phrases of this lesson, one card each. Best after you’ve listened.

Create your account.

Create a free account and confirm your email to keep the cards you like and the decks you make.

Already have an account? Sign in

Build the sentence

Hear a sentence from the lesson, then put its words in order.

Words and phrases

The lesson is for your ears. Open this afterwards, to see what you learned.
Pronto, Laura? Sei sola? Allora ascolta.PROHN-toh, LOW-rah, say SOH-lah, ahl-LOH-rah ahs-KOHL-tahHello, Laura? Are you alone? Then listen. To a woman, a friend.
Sono sola, Nonna. Ti ascolto.SOH-noh SOH-lah, NOHN-nah, tee ahs-KOHL-tohI'm alone, Nonna. I'm listening to you. A woman speaking, to a friend.
Una storia vera.OO-nah STOH-ryah VEH-rahA true story.
C'era una volta una bambina di dieci anni.CHEH-rah OO-nah VOHL-tah OO-nah bahm-BEE-nah dee DYEH-chee AHN-neeOnce upon a time there was a girl of ten.
Eri tu, quella bambina?EH-ree too, KWEHL-lah bahm-BEE-nahWas it you, that girl? To a friend.
Ero io. Ai tempi della guerra, a Fontelupo.EH-roh EE-oh, eye TEHM-pee DEHL-lah GWEHR-rah, ah fohn-teh-LOO-pohIt was me. In the days of the war, in Fontelupo.
Aspetta, prendo carta e penna.ahs-PEHT-tah, PREHN-doh KAR-tah eh PEHN-nahWait, I'll get paper and pen. To a friend.
Scrivi pure. Io racconto, tu ascolti.SKREE-vee POO-reh, EE-oh rahk-KOHN-toh, too ahs-KOHL-teeWrite away. I tell, you listen. To a friend.
Va bene. Racconta, Nonna. Dall'inizio.vah BEH-neh, rahk-KOHN-tah, NOHN-nah, dahl-lee-NEE-tsyohAll right. Tell it, Nonna. From the beginning. To a friend.