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New ‘Easy Reader’ Movie Ebook, ‘Io la conoscevo bene’, -25%!

This week we’ve published a new Italian easy reader in our ‘eBook of the Classic Italian Movie’ series, ‘Io la conoscevo bene‘.

As always with our ‘classic movie’ ebooks, this one is written by an Italian teacher who is also an award-winning scriptwriter, so knows his stuff – they’re ideal for students of Italian who need reading/listening practice, but also for anyone interested in Italian cinema! Browse all eighteen titles in the series here and here.

The latest one is Io la conoscevo bene, level is B1, so intermediate. Until Sunday February 26th it’s reduced 25% from the usual ebook price of £7.99 to just £5.99.

You’ll find more details below, but as always, I suggest checking out the FREE sample chapter (.pdf) before you buy a copy. That way, you’ll know whether the level is suitable, and that the format works on the device you intend to use it on.

The FREE sample chapter (.pdf) also contains a link to the audio for the WHOLE STORY, which is available online for anyone who’d like to listen to it (though having the text, which is not free, obviously helps with that…)

Easy Italian reader ebook - Io la conoscevo bene - cover image

Antonio Pietrangeli’s 1965 movie, ‘Io la conoscevo bene’, features Stefania Sandrelli as beautiful Adriana, an aspiring movie star who’s looking for something more than just a career on the screen…

Giovanni Galavotti’s re-telling of the story of the film for learners of Italian makes a great introduction before watching the movie itself (ideally in Italian!) Or it can be used simply as supplementary reading/listening material, guaranteed to liven up any study program!

  • .pdf e-book (+ audio available free online)
  • .mobi (Kindle-compatible) and .epub (other ebook readers) available on request at no extra charge – just add a note to the order form or email us
  • 8 chapters to read and listen to
  • Comprehension questions to check your understanding
  • Italian/English glossary of ‘difficult’ terms for the level
  • Suitable for students at B1 level and above
  • Download your Free Sample Chapter (.pdf)

Buy Io la conoscevo bene just £5.99 | FREE sample chapter (.pdf) | eBook of the Movie (1) | eBook of the Movie (2) | eBook Catalog

How do I access my ebook?

When your order is ‘completed’ (normally immediately after your payment), a download link will be automatically emailed to you. It’s valid for 7 days and 3 download attempts so please save a copy of the .pdf ebook in a safe place. Other versions of the ebook, where available, cannot be downloaded but will be emailed to people who request them. There’s a space to do that on the order form – where it says Additional information, Order notes (optional). If you forget, or if you have problems downloading the .pdf, don’t worry! Email us at the address on the website and we’ll help. Also, why not check out our FAQ?

P.S.

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Tuesday’s bulletin of ‘easy’ Italian news (text + online audio) was published a few minutes ago. And that one is COMPLETELY FREE!

Subscribing, which is also FREE, means getting the thrice-weekly bulletins sent directly to your email inbox, each Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.

Subscribe here

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5 half-price Italian ‘easy reader’ ebooks from innocent 2019

A couple of weeks ago we did a half-price offer on four ebook titles we published in 2018, five years ago. It worked well, so today we’re repeating the exercise, but this time with five titles from innocent, pre-pandemic, 2019. Doesn’t that seem a long time ago??

Any of the following five ebooks will cost you just £3.99 until Sunday 19th February 2023. Be aware, the level of these is high, other than the first, which is intermediate. Check the free sample chapters before you buy!

Dante, gatto vagante (B1) Easy Italian readers - Dante, gatto vagante - cover image

Dante is a black and white cat who likes to roam his sestiere of Venice but proudly refuses to wear a collar. So when, one day, he fails to show up for his dinner, frantic owner Anna has no way to trace him. Where can he have got to?

  • .pdf e-book (+ audio available free online)
  • .mobi (Kindle-compatible) and .epub (other ebook readers) available on request at no extra charge – just add a note to the order form or email us
  • 8 chapters to read and listen to
  • Comprehension questions to check your understanding
  • Italian/English glossary of ‘difficult’ terms for the level
  • Suitable for students at any level
  • Download your Free Sample Chapter (.pdf)

N.b. If you like this story, you may also enjoy Dante’s further adventure: ‘Dante, un’altra marachella‘.

Buy Dante, gatto vagante just £3.99 | FREE sample chapter (.pdf) | Read reviews! | Catalog

Il vulcano (C1/2) Italian easy readers - Il vulcano - cover image

Il fenomeno delle migrazioni è un tema importate e complesso, che facilmente scalda gli animi.

Nel 2014 in Italia sono arrivati circa tredicimila minori stranieri non accompagnati: ragazzi e ragazze, o bambini e bambine, minorenni, senza la cittadinanza europea, senza la protezione e la tutela dei loro genitori.

Questi minori vengono affidati a famiglie che vogliano e possano prendersene cura o a istituti protetti dove, grazie al sempre più importante aiuto dei volontari, i ragazzi possono trovare qualcuno che li segua nel loro percorso di crescita e che li aiuti a ricucire le loro ferite.

Quella che state per leggere qui di seguito è una storia vera.

The moving story of how the author, a language teacher, is asked to help a child who has crossed the dangerous Mediterranean Sea on a rubber boat with other migrants, having lost his mother somewhere along the route from his home country.

Now a new challenge awaits the boy – he speaks not a word of the Italian yet must soon start school. And, gradually, build a life in this new land.

  • .pdf e-book (+ audio available free online)
  • .mobi (Kindle-compatible) and .epub (other ebook readers) available on request at no extra charge – just add a note to the order form or email us
  • 8 chapters to read and listen to
  • Comprehension questions to check your understanding
  • Italian/English glossary of ‘difficult’ terms for the level
  • Suitable for students at advanced level
  • Download your Free Sample Chapter (.pdf)

Buy Il vulcano just £3.99 | FREE sample chapter (.pdf) | Read reviews! | Catalog

Il bar (B2/C1) Italian easy reader ebooks - Il bar - cover image

Il signor Mario gira la chiave nella serratura e solleva la serranda del Bar Ateneo. Il locale si trova davanti all’Università Statale nel centro di Milano. Il proprietario del vecchio bar, puntuale come ogni mattina, apre la porta di legno scricchiolante, indossa il grembiule e si aggiusta gli occhiali da miope sul nasone aquilino. Poi si dirige svelto a infornare i cornetti e a preparare la macchina del caffè.

Quando ha finalmente le mani libere, Mario si avvicina al calendario per eliminare la pagina del mese appena trascorso: febbraio. Ha una breve esitazione e prende tempo massaggiandosi i corti ricci grigiastri che, nonostante i suoi cinquantotto anni, resistono sul capoccione a forma d’uovo. Un respiro profondo per farsi coraggio dicendo a se stesso:

“Anche quest’anno è arrivato il primo marzo. Stiamo a vedere che diavolo succede”.

  • .pdf e-book (+ audio available free online)
  • .mobi (Kindle-compatible) and .epub (other ebook readers) available on request at no extra charge – just add a note to the order form or email us
  • 8 chapters to read and listen to
  • Comprehension questions to check your understanding
  • Italian/English glossary of ‘difficult’ terms for the level
  • Suitable for students at upper-intermediate level or above
  • Download your Free Sample Chapter (.pdf)

Buy Il bar just £3.99 | FREE sample chapter (.pdf) | Read reviews! | Catalog

Prometeo e la guerra dei titani (B2/C1) Italian easy readers - Prometeo e la guerra dei titani - cover image

Un altro giovedì di gennaio al liceo classico Parini di Milano. E’ passato da poco mezzogiorno e alla quarta ora la 5C ha greco: la lezione sembra essere infinita…

But wait! What’s that the teacher’s saying?

“Sapete che secondo il mito greco nella notte dei tempi si combatte una terribile guerra tra immortali? L’obiettivo della guerra è il dominio dell’intero universo.”

  • .pdf e-book (+ audio available free online)
  • .mobi (Kindle-compatible) and .epub (other ebook readers) available on request at no extra charge – just add a note to the order form or email us
  • 8 chapters to read and listen to
  • Comprehension questions to check your understanding
  • Italian/English glossary of ‘difficult’ terms for the level
  • Suitable for students at upper-intermediate level or above
  • Download your Free Sample Chapter (.pdf)

Buy Prometeo e la guerra dei titani just £3.99 | FREE sample chapter (.pdf) | Read reviews! | Catalog

Il mistero della quercia (B2/C1) Easy Italian readers - Il mistero della quercia - cover image

Why does a village traffic accident, which resulted in no injuries besides some damage to a roadside oak tree, have everyone so worried?

Luisa, who’s spending a month with her grandparents, will keep asking questions until someone tells her what’s going on!

What is ‘Il mistero della quercia’?

  • .pdf e-book (+ audio available free online)
  • .mobi (Kindle-compatible) and .epub (other ebook readers) available on request at no extra charge – just add a note to the order form or email us
  • 8 chapters to read and listen to
  • Comprehension questions to check your understanding
  • Italian/English glossary of ‘difficult’ terms for the level
  • Suitable for students at upper-intermediate level or above
  • Download your Free Sample Chapter (.pdf)

Buy Il mistero della quercia just £3.99 | FREE sample chapter (.pdf) | Read reviews! | Catalog

How do I access my ebooks?

When your order is ‘completed’ (normally immediately after your payment), download links will be automatically emailed to you. They’re valid for 7 days and 3 download attempts so please save a copy of the .pdf ebooks in a safe place. Other versions of the ebooks, where available, cannot be downloaded but will be emailed to people who request them. There’s a space to do that on the order form – where it says Additional information, Order notes (optional). If you forget, or if you have problems downloading the .pdfs, don’t worry! Email us at the address on the website and we’ll help. Also, why not check out our FAQ?

P.S.

Logo of EasyItalianNews.comDon’t forget to read/listen to Tuesday’s bulletin of ‘easy’ Italian news.

Improved comprehension skills make other aspects of language learning (grammar, vocabulary, speaking etc.) easier.

The more you read and listen, the more you learn. And it’s FREE!

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New Easy Reader Ebook, ‘Tutti parlano di Marconi’, -25%!

This week at EasyReaders.org we’ve published a new ‘easy reader’ ebook, part of the ‘A day in the life of’ series of tales from the lives of famous ‘Italians’.

So far, these have included Galileo, Colombo, Raffaello, Vivaldi, Leonardo, Garibaldi, Michelangelo, Caravaggio, Verdi, and, um, Plinio. See them all here.

This time , though, it’s a more modern figure, the ‘father of radio’,  Nobel-prize winner Guglielmo Marconi. The story is called Tutti parlano di Marconi, because a hundred or so years ago, everyone was!

The level of this one is B1/B2, so intermediate. Until Sunday February 12th it’s reduced 25% from the usual ebook price – just £5.99. There are full details below, but as always, I suggest checking out the FREE sample chapter (.pdf) before you buy your copy.

That way, you’ll know whether the level is suitable and that the format works on the device you intend to use it on.

An original Italian easy reader by Francesca Colombo

Italian Easy Reader Ebook - Tutti parlano di Marconi - cover image

Guglielmo’s mother is explaining to the university physics professor that her son finds school boring, and is, in any case, busy with his hobbies, so she doesn’t insist he go. The professor nods politely – he’s used to wealthy families and their spoilt, lazy offspring…

The woman continues – her son is designing, what does he call it, ‘a battery’ – in the little laboratory they’ve built for him. The nodding stops. Perhaps the Marconi boy really doesn’t need to go to school? Bring him along to the university, the professor suggests. Why not tomorrow?

Improve your Italian reading and listening skills with this intermediate-level ‘easy reader’ ebook:

  • .pdf e-book (+ audio available free online)
  • .mobi (Kindle-compatible) and .epub (other ebook readers) available on request at no extra charge – just add a note to the order form or email us
  • 8 chapters to read and listen to
  • Comprehension questions to check your understanding
  • Italian/English glossary of ‘difficult’ terms for the level
  • Suitable for students at intermediate level or above
  • Download your Free Sample Chapter (.pdf)

Buy Tutti parlano di Marconi just £5.99 | FREE sample chapter (.pdf) | ‘Day in the life of…’ series | Catalog

How do I access my ebook?

When your order is ‘completed’ (normally, immediately after your payment), a download link will be automatically emailed to you. It’s valid for 7 days and 3 download attempts so please save a copy of the .pdf ebook in a safe place. Other versions of the ebook (.mobi/Kindle-compatible, .epub) cannot be downloaded but will be emailed to people who request them.

P.S.

Logo of EasyItalianNews.com

Don’t forget to read/listen to Tuesday’s FREE bulletin of ‘easy’ Italian news (text + online audio), which was published a few minutes ago.

Subscribers get each thrice-weekly bulletin sent directly to their email inboxes, which is also FREE.

Subscribe here

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4 half-price Italian ‘easy reader’ ebooks from distant 2018

This week for our half-price ebook offer, we’re revisiting four ebooks that we first published in distant 2018. Until Sunday 5th February 2023 any of the four will cost you just £3.99, instead of the usual ‘easy reader’ ebook price tag of £7.99.

Regular ebook buyers should please be aware that these all sold quite well when first published, and subsequently, so it’s possible you have one or more of them already. I can do refunds if mistakes are made, but better to check your ebook library before hitting the ‘buy’ button.

Yue a Bologna (A1) Easy Italian readers - Yue a Bologna - cover image

Yue, a talented young Japanese from a rural community in Hokkaido, wins a one-year scholarship to study opera at the ‘Conservatorio’ in Bologna, home to Europe’s oldest university. But the thought of leaving her parents and brother for a whole year disturbs her. And, before studying at the ‘Conservatorio’, she’ll first have to learn Italian…

Buy Yue a Bologna just £3.99 | FREE sample chapter (.pdf) | Read reviews! | Catalog

Le italiane (B2) Italian easy reaaders - Le italiane - cover image

A cool-headed resistance fighter, an Oscar-winning actor, a doctor, a singer, an Olympian, an astronaut, a TV presenter, and a victim of the mafia. What do they all have in common? Read and listen to the moving stories of these eight determined Italians to find out!

Buy Le italiane just £3.99 | FREE sample chapter (.pdf) | Read reviews! | Catalog

Valeria, Michele e le maschere (B2)Easy Italian readers - Valeria, Michele e le maschere - cover image

Valeria has been single for months now. She meets men but after going out a few times they seem reluctant to commit, or even return her messages! She wonders whether the dating app, Tinder, might be worth a try? Michele spends his Saturday evenings alone, playing computer games. If only he wasn’t so shy, he’d meet more people. And then, maybe find a girlfriend? Perhaps the solution is online… Read and listen to find out!

Buy Valeria, Michele e le maschere just £3.99 | FREE sample chapter (.pdf) | Read reviews! | Catalog

La Via Francigena (C2)Easy Italian readers - La Via Francigena - cover image

“Venti giorni di cammino, di fatica, di entusiasmo e di scoperta. Venti giorni di avventura lungo una delle vie più importanti d’Europa, percorsa, negli ultimi mille anni, da principi, imperatori, cardinali, pellegrini, viandanti, giovani, vecchi, bambini, donne, uomini e animali. Una via che racchiude in sé la storia del nostro Paese, una storia fatta di accoglienza, generosità, passione e paesaggi mozzafiato: la Via Francigena.” Join Italian teacher and author, Roberto Gamberini as he follows this famous route of pilgrimage from Lucca in Tuscany to Rome in Lazio.

Buy La Via Francigena just £3.99 | FREE sample chapter (.pdf) | Read reviews! | Catalog

How do I access my ebooks?

When your order is ‘completed’ (normally, immediately after your payment), a download link will be automatically emailed to you. It’s valid for 7 days and 3 download attempts so please save a copy of the .pdf ebook in a safe place. Other versions of the ebook (.mobi/Kindle-compatible, .epub) cannot be downloaded but will be emailed to people who request them.

P.S.

Logo of EasyItalianNews.com

Don’t forget to read/listen to Tuesday’s FREE bulletin of ‘easy’ Italian news (text + online audio), which was published this morning.

Subscribers get each thrice-weekly bulletin sent directly to their email inboxes, also for FREE.

EasyItalianNews.com is FREE for anyone to use (and subscribe to, if they choose) because it’s funded by donations from students who know it is helping them improve their Italian reading and listening skills…

Support EasyItalianNews.com!

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New Opera Easy Reader Ebook, ‘Aida’, -25% This Week!

In the fall we began publishing a new series of ‘easy reader’ ebooks based on famous Italian operas.

The first was a simplified text + audio version of Nabucco, one of composer Verdi’s most famous operas. Next we did Puccini’s romantic classic, Turandot, then another Puccini weepy, La Bohème, returning to Verdi for the final two publications of 2022, Rigoletto and La traviata.

Now the festive period is behind us, we restart, with yet more Verdi, the spectacular Aida, and as always, this first week it’s 25% discounted (offer ends Sunday 29th January 2023).

Easy Italian reader ebooks - Aida - cover image

Giuseppe Verdi’s musical exploration of love, jealousy, patriotism and divided-loyalties is here simplifed for learners of Italian (with quotes from the actual libretto!)

Aida, daughter of Amonasro, King of Ethiopia, was captured and is now slave to the Egyptian princess, Amneris, who is unaware of her true identity. Both women are princesses, and both have feelings for handsome soldier Radamès. When Aida’s father leads an Ethiopian military expedition against Egypt, Radames takes command of the defence…

Written to celebrate the opening of the Suez canal, Aida was first performed in 1871 and has been a favorite of opera goers ever since!

Why not begin with our ‘easy reader’ ebook before seeking out a recording of the opera on Youtube? It’ll help! Or just use this original Italian reading/listening practice material to add a little variety to your study program.

Liven up your language studies with this interesting skills practice material, while learning about Italian culture at the same time!

  • .pdf e-book (+ audio available free online)
  • .mobi (Kindle-compatible) and .epub (other ebook readers) available on request at no extra charge – just add a note to the order form or email us
  • 7 chapters (based on the act structure of the opera) to read and listen to
  • Comprehension questions to check your understanding
  • Italian/English glossary of ‘difficult’ terms for the level
  • Suitable for students at pre-intermediate level or above
  • Download your Free Sample Chapter (.pdf)

This being the first week, Aida is 25% discounted, so just £5.99 rather than the usual ‘easy reader’ ebook price of £7.99.

Do check out the FREE sample chapter (.pdf) before you buy a copy, though. That way, you’ll know whether the level is suitable and that the format works on the device you intend to use it on.

Buy Aida just £5.99 | FREE sample chapter (.pdf) | Opera ebooks | Catalog

How do I access my ebook?

When your order is ‘completed’ (normally, immediately after your payment), a download link will be automatically emailed to you. It’s valid for 7 days and 3 download attempts so please save a copy of the .pdf ebook in a safe place. Other versions of the ebook (.mobi/Kindle-compatible, .epub) cannot be downloaded but will be emailed to people who request them.

Remember, download your copy by Sunday 29th January and you’ll save 25%, compared to the usual ‘easy reader’ price of £7.99, so pay just £5.99!

P.S.

Logo of EasyItalianNews.com

Don’t forget to read/listen to Tuesday’s FREE bulletin of ‘easy’ Italian news (text + online audio), which was just published.

Subscribers get each thrice-weekly bulletin sent directly to their email inboxes, which is also FREE.

EasyItalianNews.com is free for anyone to use (and subscribe to, if they choose) because it’s funded by donations from students who know it is helping them improve their Italian reading and listening skills.

Support EasyItalianNews.com!

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2 Half-Price Classic Italian Movie Ebooks & 20% coupon code

This week, EasyReaders.org has two half-price eBook offers, both from our Classic Italian Movies series.

Fantozzi (B2)

Italian easy reaaders - Fantozzi - cover image

Ragionier Fantozzi, Ugo is an Italian everyman, though not a very happy one!

Ugo is ambivalent, to say the least, about his job and his family. He dares to hope for more from both his professional and personal lives, though never seems surprised when his ambitions are thwarted!

The 1971 book was a million-seller. And mention the 1975 film, on which our ‘easy reader’ is based, to any Italian to get them happily talking you through their favourite scenes.

For a rather different insight into Italian life and attitudes, don’t miss the unforgettable cultural meme that is Fantozzi!

  • .pdf e-book (+ audio available free online)
  • .mobi (Kindle-compatible) and .epub (other ebook readers) available on request at no extra charge – just add a note to the order form or email us
  • 9 chapters to read and listen to
  • Comprehension questions to check your understanding
  • Italian/English glossary of ‘difficult’ terms for the level
  • Suitable for students at intermediate level and above
  • Download your Free Sample Chapter (.pdf)

Buy Fantozzi (B2) just £3.99!

Il secondo tragico Fantozzi (B2)

Italian easy readers - Il secondo tragico Fantozzi - cover image

Ragionier Fantozzi, Ugo is the Italian everyman: abused by his employer, unhappy at home, and so occasionally tempted to rebel – in the hope of a better future…

“Of course! Everyone knows Fantozzi”, declared this copywriter’s Italian wife, on entering the kitchen to find out what he was laughing out loud about.

The 1971 book was a million-seller and was followed by several unforgettable movies, from which this second volume of mishaps has been selected (find the other here: Fantozzi)

  • .pdf e-book (+ audio available free online)
  • .mobi (Kindle-compatible) and .epub (other ebook readers) available on request at no extra charge – just add a note to the order form or email us
  • 8 chapters to read and listen to
  • Comprehension questions to check your understanding
  • Italian/English glossary of ‘difficult’ terms for the level
  • Suitable for students at intermediate level and above
  • Download your Free Sample Chapter (.pdf)

 Buy Il secondo tragico Fantozzi (B2),  just £3.99!

Besides the two half-price ebooks, also this week there’s a 20% coupon code, valid for all the other ebooks in the Classic Italian Movies series, fifteen titles in total! The coupon code is: 20%OffMovieEasyReaders

Copy/paste it carefully into your cart, press the ‘Apply coupon’ button, and it should reduce the cart total by deducting 20% from the price of any applicable items, which are all the ebooks in the movie series, except the nine-ebook bundle (which is already discounted 50%) and the two half-price eBook of the Week offers.

Fantozzi | Il secondo tragico Fantozzi | Classic Italian Movie ebooks | Catalog

How do I access my ebook?

When your order is ‘completed’ (normally immediately after your payment), a download link will be automatically emailed to you. It’s valid for 7 days and 3 download attempts so please save a copy of the .pdf ebook in a safe place. Other versions of the ebook, where available, cannot be downloaded but will be emailed to people who request them. There’s a space to do that on the order form – where it says Additional information, Order notes (optional). If you forget, or if you have problems downloading the .pdf, don’t worry! Email us at the address on the website and we’ll help. Also, why not check out our FAQ?

P.S.

Don’t forget to use coupon code 20%OffMovieEasyReaders if you decide to buy any of the Classic Italian Movie ebooks

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Don’t forget – the 2023 January Sale on ebooks ends tonight!

Don’t forget – the 2023 January Sale ends tonight, January 6th 2023.

Coupon code January-Sale-2023 is still valid on EVERYTHING in our online store, EasyReaders.org, which specialises in ebooks for learning foreign languages, in particular Italian, but also French, Spanish, German, and some other languages.

Browse the Catalog now! There you’ll find FREE sample chapters for just about everything, so you can get an idea of the level and format of the material, and decide what may work best to keep you learning in 2023.

For example,’Easy reader’ ebooks, which are simplified texts and accompanying online audio, at 12 different levels!

Or ‘parallel text’ ebooks (simplified texts + translations) at different levels – the language you’re learning along with a line-by-line translation into English.

Depending on the way you prefer to learn, either could be ideal for supplementing a more traditional language course, or just for self-study.

These materials normally cost £7.99, but until midnight tonight you can use coupon code January-Sale-2023 to reduce that by 20%, to just £6.39.

Stock up on the study materials you need today, before the 2023 January Sale ends. The next similar promotion won’t be until the end of March…

EasyReaders.org

Don’t forget, the coupon code to save 20% on the published prices is January-Sale-2023.

Paste it carefully into the box in your cart, where it says, Coupon Code.

Then presss the ‘Apply Coupon’ button. Finally scroll down to check that your order total has been discounted by 20%, before proceeding – it’s the order total that is discounted, not the item price which you see on your screen, though that amounts to the same thing.

Ebooks for learning Italian/French/Spanish/German

P.S.

Coupon code January-Sale-2023 is also good for a 20% discount at our online lessons store, NativeSpeakerTeachers.com, but only until midnight on January 6th 2023!

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2023 January Sale: ‘easy reader’ ebook picks at your level!

Last Tuesday we announced that our 2023 January Sale had begun. Find out more here.

So today, as part of this promotion, I’m going to give you my top ebook picks for beginner, intermediate, and advanced-learners of Italian – I hope there’ll be something here that grabs you!

When I say ‘my top picks’, what I mean is the ebooks that I have enjoyed the most (I read them all, multiple times, during the editing and publishing process).

My criteria is just that: enjoyment. Why?

Because as a language-learner myself, I find that if there’s a story that engages me (whether it’s a news article, or fiction, like our ‘easy readers’), I’ll keep turning the page.

And if I can’t (metaphorically) put an ebook down, my reading comprehension skills improve, and with them my knowledge of vocabulary, and my confidence with the grammar of the language I’m learning.

As any teacher (or student) knows, boredom is the enemy! So a writer that knows how to craft a text so that it pulls you in and won’t let go, even if it’s ‘just’ language-study material, is indeed a useful ally!

Don’t forget, the 2023 January Sale is on! To get 20% off everything in your shopping cart, copy/paste the coupon code, which is:

January-Sale-2023

Bene, let’s get to it. I’m on the Catalog page of our online shop, starting a little way down, where it says ‘Italian Easy Readers’ (if you’re learning another language, you’ll need to scroll down the Catalog page and make your own selections, sorry!)

So we have seventeen easy reader ebooks for A1 and A2 students, six at A1 (the lowest level), eight at the ‘half-level’ A1/2, and three at A2 (the harder ones). If you’re not sure which level is right for you, use the Free Sample links and take a look. You should be able to get the gist of the story with only occasional use of a dictionary.

N.b. This article was written a couple of years ago. Since then we’ve published other ebooks, so the selection at your level is probably even more ample than described below. Our Catalog page is always up-to-date, so includes the most recent titles, and free sample chapters!

So honestly? I enjoyed all seventeen. but I’ve been strict with myself and whittled the total down to just two at each level, concentrating on the ones I liked the MOST – the stories that made me actually care about the characters, and about what happened to them next!

(These are extracts from our Catalog page, so you can also see the price, the available formats, and a link to the free sample chapter for each title…)

A1 Italian easy readers: Colpo di forbici - cover image

Colpo di forbici (A1) £7.99 Download FREE sample (.pdf, .epub, .mobi/Kindle)
Rosa la cuoca disastrosa (A1) £7.99 Download FREE sample (.pdf, .epub, .mobi/Kindle)

A1/2 Italian easy readers - L'ascensore - cover image

Il giocoliere (A1/2) £7.99 Download FREE sample (.pdf, .epub, .mobi/Kindle)
L’ascensore (A1/2) £7.99 Download FREE sample (.pdf, .epub, .mobi/Kindle)

A2 Cover image: Cielo libero

Cielo libero (A2) £7.99 Download FREE sample (.pdf, .epub, .mobi/Kindle)
L’amore ai tempi del supermercato (A2) £7.99 Download FREE sample (.pdf, .epub, .mobi/Kindle)

What if those were too easy for you? Nessun problema. For ‘intermediate’ learners we have loads and loads of materials – twenty-two separate titles!

The hard part was choosing between them, but again, I’ve been strict and narrowed it down to two stories at each half level…

A2/B1 Italian easy readers - 2 giugno 1946 - cover image

2 giugno 1946 (A2/B1) £7.99 Download FREE sample (.pdf, .epub, .mobi/Kindle)
Il campo di papaveri (A2/B1) £7.99 Download FREE sample (.pdf, .epub, .mobi/Kindle)

B1 Easy Italian readers - Dante, gatto vagante - cover image

Caccia all’autografo (B1) £7.99 Download FREE sample (.pdf, .epub, .mobi/Kindle)
Dante, gatto vagante (B1) £7.99 Download FREE sample (.pdf, .epub, .mobi/Kindle)

B1/B2 Cover image: Segreti e polpette

L’imperatore e i giochi (B1/2) £7.99 Download FREE sample (.pdf, .epub, .mobi/Kindle)
Segreti e polpette (B1/2) £7.99 Download FREE sample (.pdf, .epub, .mobi/Kindle)

B2 Italian easy reaaders - Le italiane - cover image

Natale a sorpresa (B2) £7.99 Download FREE sample (.pdf, .epub, .mobi/Kindle)
Le italiane (B2) £7.99 Download FREE sample (.pdf, .epub, .mobi/Kindle)

Hope there was something there that called out “Read me!”

But if you looked at the sample chapters and they were STILL to simple for you, firstly, well done for reading Italian for such confidence, and secondly, brace yourself now for the hard stuff!

B2/C1 Italian easy readers - Prometeo e la guerra dei titani - cover image

Prometeo e la guerra dei titani (B2/C1) £7.99 Download FREE sample (.pdf, .epub, .mobi)
Il bar (B2/C1) £7.99 Download FREE sample (.pdf, .epub, .mobi)

C1 Italian easy reader ebooks - I racconti della vestale - cover image

La commediante (C1) £7.99 Download FREE sample (.pdf, .epub, .mobi)
I racconti della vestale (C1) £7.99 Download FREE sample (.pdf, .epub, .mobi)

C1/C2 Italian easy readers - Il vulcano - cover image

Anselmo e l’omicidio di Giovanni Borgia (C1/2) £7.99 Download FREE sample (.pdf, .epub, .mobi/Kindle)
Il vulcano (C1/2) £7.99 Download FREE sample (.pdf, .epub, .mobi/Kindle)

C2 Easy Italian readers - La Via Francigena - cover image

La Via Francigena (C2) £7.99 Download FREE sample (.pdf, .epub, .mobi/Kindle)
La carriera – dietro le quinte del Palio di Siena (C2) £7.99 Download FREE sample (.pdf, .epub, .mobi/Kindle)

Bene. Hope you found lots that will keep you reading in and listening to Italian in 2023!

The prices marked above are the usual, year-round prices but with the 2023 January Sale promotion (which ends on Friday 6th January 2023) everything in our TWO online stores (EasyReaders.org for ebooks, NativeSpeakerTeachers.com for online lesson credits) is 20% cheaper!

Copy and paste the coupon code January-Sale-2023 into your shopping cart in either store, then scroll down to check the cart total has been reduced by 20%.

Make your selections today!

EasyReaders.org (ebooks) | NativeSpeakerTeachers.com (online lessons)

P.S.

Check out the ‘easy reader’ ebook MULTIPACKS, which get you a three-for-two deal, or better.

AND the 20% discount!

Assuming you remember to use the coupon code, that is…

January-Sale-2023

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2023 January Sale: 20% Off Graded Language Study Materials!

Everyone learning a foreign language is familiar with the concept of ‘level’.

Some materials are just too hard for where you’re currently at, others might seem just right, whereas the texts you worked on months ago will now, hopefully, feel easy.

We all know that it can be difficult (impossible!) to understand films and so on in the languages we’re learning, or to read an authentic article, say from a newspaper, which is written for educated native-speaker readers.

And yet, clearly, listening to the language as it is really used, and reading articles written in it, are important long-term goals, even if they seem unachievable for the moment.

Plus, it seems likely that the more we read and listen, the more meaningful our studies will be, the more new words we’ll pick up, and the more we’ll feel familiar with the grammar and structures of the languages we’re learning.

Reading and listening to the language you’re studying are unarguably good ways to speed your progress, and in any case, training yourself to listen and to read effectively in the new language is obviously going to be necessary at some point.

But authentic materials are HARD! Often too hard.

The solution to this quandry?

‘Graded’ texts, that is to say materials written by language teachers for learners like you, and designated as suitable for those who have reached or are above a particular level.

The CEFR level system uses six level bands, which are (from easiest to hardest): A1, A2, B1, B2, C1 and C2.

Assume that students at the C levels should be reading and listening to authentic (real-life) texts and audio without too much difficulty. The graded materials at those levels, then, will approximate texts written for native-speakers.

People at the intermediate stage (the B levels) are not yet ready for ‘real’ or ‘nearly real’ listening and reading, but still need to build their skills in anticipation. So the graded materials will be an in-between step, aimed at challenging students to develop their skills further.

The easiest materials (at A1 and A2 levels) are designed to be unintimidating, which means short chapters and simple or simpler grammar and vocabulary. Their purpose is to encourage learners to get into the HABIT of reading and listening to the language they’re learning as early on in the process as possible.

The more reading & listening you do early on, the easier everything that follows will be. You’ll already be used to, for example, guessing meaning from context in a text, or getting the gist of the spoken language even when you can’t pick out every word.

Graded materials are useful at every language-learning level, but their real power can be seen when they are incorporated as an integral part of our studies right from Day 1 with a new language.

The difference between a learner who regularly reads and listens to graded materials, and one who never or rarely spends time on anything other than grammar and vocabulary exercises, is plain to see, if for no other reason than that a student who has no fear of reading and listening (because she is using materials that have been specifically written for her level, remember) comes across as being more confident and more autonomous.

How to find graded materials for your level? Our Catalog page lists materials by type and in level order, which should help.

But importantly, there’s always a free sample chapter, which you should absolutely look at before deciding to buy a particular title.

Have a look at the first few lines, the first paragraph, the first page, even the whole of the first chapter. Can you manage to figure out what’s going on in the story without too much effort, without constantly reaching for the dictionary?

If not, step down a level, try another free sample chapter, keep looking until you find something that you’re comfortable with. Don’t forget to check out the free online audio, if there is one. Usually the link is at the top of the first chapter…

Then, if the story grabs you, go ahead and buy a copy! Read a chapter a day, perhaps. There are usually eight short chapters, so in not much more than a week, you’ll be done.

At which point, you could check out other titles at the same level, or look at free sample chapters for the next level (or half-level) up, to see if you’re ready for something a little more challenging.

Aim to establish a reading/listening HABIT. Move up to the next level only when you’re comfortable, no need to rush,

Gradually, month by month, your reading/listening skills will improve, as will your knowledge of the grammar and vocabulary of the language you’re learning.

With graded materials, such as ‘easy readers’ and ‘parallel texts’, you’ll master the language you’re studying step-by-step, almost without realising it!

P.S.

Don’t forget the 2023 January Sale is running this week, and next!

Save a fifth on graded material for learning Italian, Spanish, French, and German.

Everything in our online store, EasyReaders.org, is 20% cheaper until midnight on Friday 6th January 2023.

But only if you remember to use this coupon code:

January-Sale-2023

Make your selection from our range of ebooks, which have been especially written to keep you interested and making progress.

Apply coupon code January-Sale-2023 in your shopping cart to reduce the cart total by 20%!

Stock up on online easy readers, parallel texts and grammar workbooks – at an unbeatable price!

EasyReaders.org

Here’s that coupon code again:

January-Sale-2023

Don’t forget to use it when you order, to save 20% on the price of everything in your cart!

P.P.S.

Our sister store, NativeSpeakerTeachers.com, is also running a January Sale promotion – on one-to-one Italian/French/Spanish/German lessons, online with native speaker teachers.

They’re just the thing if you need conversation practice, help with grammar, or just some guidance on how or what to study.

Coupon code January-Sale-2023 will work there, too, so saving you 20% on the advertised prices of one-to-one online lessons.

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2023 January Sale! Save 20% on Ebooks for Language Learners!

The EasyReaders.org 2023 January Sale has begun!

Which means that students of Italian, Spanish, French or German can save 20% on ebooks to supplement or guide their language learning.

Everything in our ebooks store, EasyReaders.org, is a fifth cheaper (if you remember to use the coupon code January-Sale-2023 ).

Check out, for instance, the Italian easy readers, parallel texts, and self-study workbooks.

Ebooks for students of French, Spanish and German can be found in our Catalog, where everything is organised by language, type, and level!

Pop 5 ebooks into your shopping cart (reading and listening practice is essential), yet pay for just four of them!

Use the following coupon code to save 20% on your orders, for as long as the promotion lasts, with no minimum or maximum spend:

January-Sale-2023

First make your selection from our range of ebooks, which have been especially written to keep you interested and so making progress!

Then go to your shopping cart and apply coupon code January-Sale-2023 to reduce the cart total by 20%.

Scroll down to verify that the cart total has been reduced by 20% BEFORE proceeding with your payment…

The coupon code is good until midnight on Friday 6th January 2023.

You can use it as often as you wish until then, with no minimum or maximum spend.

Restrictions? Small print?

Coupon code January-Sale-2023 can’t be used together with any other coupon code you may already have.

Besides that, no.

The next sale won’t be until the week before Easter, so a long way off!

Do find some time to stock up on the easy readers, parallel texts and grammar workbooks you’ll need to improve the language you’re learning in 2023 –  at an unbeatable price!

Browse our Catalog now!

P.S.

Coupon code January-Sale-2023 is also good for a 20% discount on one-to-one lessons purchased from our sister store, NativeSpeakerTeachers.com.