Fluenz Italian is led by tutor Sonia Gil, who takes you step-by-step through the world's most beautiful language. And since a language is more than just words and images, the Sonia highlights the important elements of Italian culture that are necessary for deeper understanding. Those programs that offer no explanations can't add this central cultural dimension, nor can they help you learn the inner-workings of Italian.
We wanted to move beyond the cookie-cutter approach typical of computer language education: simplistic methods that boast a natural, passive way to learn Italian, and those that treat adults like kids by emphasizing the association of words and pictures. Instead, the Fluenz tutor guides you every step of the way, offering clear explanations of every new concept so that you never get lost.
Anyone who has ever tried to learn a language knows that it requires focus and practice. So when the big companies claim to offer an "easy" and "natural" solution, we know they're being disingenous. But by acknowledging the challenge, clearly explaining how Italian works, and providing helpful strategies and tips, the Fluenz tutor guides you steadily and confidently towards greater fluency.
Greatexplanations make a big difference because we don't learn like children anymore.
- Where we Stand
- Video Tour
There is no more effective way to fully understand Italian, its verb conjugations, masculine/feminine endings, and other central elements than from a tutor who explains these important subtleties. We drew from our own experiences studying Italian in Rome when designing this program. Each session features an extensive tutorial where Sonia covers all the new things being learned, guiding you through the difficult parts and moving more quickly through the easier ones.
Our unique approach is currently being used by elite units of the US Navy, senior personnel at the UN and UNICEF, executives of Fortune 500 companies, and students at Harvard Business School and other leading universities.
Fluenz Italian is organized around one-on-one tutoring sessions that each take up to two and a half hours to complete.
How Fluenz begins
Sonia begins each session with a brief introduction. This provides an understanding of how the new material will take you a step closer to fluency, while immersing you in the cultural context and the experiences of everyday Italian.
Introducing useful, everyday language
This is followed by a realistic conversation between native speakers that uses all the words and structures to be learned in the session. These conversations place you in the most common, everyday situations right from the very beginning.
To inspire, great tutors need to speak your language.That's where
"natural immersion" falls short.
Immersive one-on-one tutorial
Immediately after the conversation, the tutor presents a full tutorial explaining in detail and in English how every single new word and structure works. Beyond in-depth explanations, these tutorials offer strategies, tactics and personal experiences that give you valuable insights.
Workout to fluency
After each tutorial, the program turns to over a dozen different types of increasingly challenging workouts that cover reading, writing, speaking, and listening. These workouts reinforce and expand your communication at the same time.
Coaching you forward
At the end of the session, the Fluenz tutor returns to offer a conclusion, along with the kind of inspiration only a human teacher can provide.
Fluenz Italian was born out of the belief that there was a better way to learn the language. From our own educational experiences, we knew the pivotal role a great teacher could play in making challenging concepts clear. And we saw how innovations in media and interactive technologies could allow this great teacher to be placed in a one-on-one tutoring environment in hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of homes. Built around an amazing, one-on-one tutor, Fluenz Italian provides the kind of step-by-step guidance and deeper cultural understanding that lays the foundation for real fluency.
Italian is much more than wordsand images. Our
tutors will take you
on an unbelievable journey of discovery.
Audio CDs
Italian for your car or iPod
Fluenz Italian comes with Audio CDs that supplement the DVD-ROM sessions. Listen to them periodically as you make your way through the software to further internalize what you're learning. Refine your listening skills and perfect your pronunciation.
Fluenz Podcasts
Download to Learn on the Go
Continuing a tradition at the Fluenz Lab, Fluenz Italian offers exclusive podcasts made by the same team that created the interactive program. These downloadable podcasts supplement the training work offered by the audio CDs, while providing a more informal, relaxed window into the world of Italian and the actual learning of the language.
The Fluenz Navigator
Your Essential Phrase Book
Fluenz Italian also comes with the Fluenz Navigator, a useful quick-reference guide for travelers with all the most critical words and phrases for getting by abroad.
