EasyReaders.Org - Original materials for learning languages

Posted on December 31, 2020 by easyreadersorg — Leave a comment

My easy reader ebook picks at your level (& 20% coupon code)

Following on from Tuesday’s article ‘Step by step improvement with graded materials (& 20% off!)‘, and as part of our 2021 January Sale promotion, today 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!

N.b. to get 20% off everything in your shopping cart, don’t forget to copy/paste the coupon code, which is:

January-Sale-2021

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 vocablary and 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!

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!

Bene. Hope you found lots that will keep you reading in and listening to Italian in 2021!

The prices marked above are the usual, year-round prices but with the January Sale promotion (which ends on Tuesday 5th…) everything in our online shop (ebooks, online lesson credits) is 20% cheaper!

Copy and paste the coupon code January-Sale-2021 into your shopping cart, then scroll down to check the cart total has been reduced by 20%.

Shop | Catalog

Italian | French | Spanish | German | Other languages

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: January-Sale-2021 ).

Posted on December 29, 2020 by easyreadersorg — Leave a comment

Step by step improvement with graded materials (& 20% off!)

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!

Here are some links to get you started (don’t forget to check the level by looking at the free sample chapter…)

Or view everything, organised by type and level, on our Catalog page.

P.S.

Don’t forget the EasyReaders.Org 2021 January Sale this week!

Save a fifth on graded material (and online lessons) for learning Italian, Spanish, French, German (and certain other languages).

Everything in our online shop – one-to-one lessons with native-speaker teachers, ebooks for learning foreign languages, easy readers, parallel texts – is 20% cheaper until midnight on Tuesday 5th January 2021 but only if you remember to use this coupon code:

January-Sale-2021

Make your selection from the one-to-one online lesson options and/or from our range of ebooks, which have been especially written to keep you interested and making progress:

Italian | French | Spanish | German | Other languages

Apply coupon code January-Sale-2021 in your shopping cart to reduce the cart total by 20%!

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

Italian | French | Spanish | German | Other languages

P.P.S.

Here’s that coupon code again:

January-Sale-2021

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

Shop | Catalog

Posted on December 28, 2020 by easyreadersorg — Leave a comment

2021 January Sale! Save 20% on Online Lessons & Ebooks

The EasyReaders.Org 2021 January Sale has begun!

Save 20% on ebooks and online lessons for students of Italian, Spanish, French, German (and certain other languages).

Everything in our shop – online lessons with native-speaker teachers, ebooks for learning foreign languages, easy readers, parallel texts – is a fifth cheaper.

Which means you could, in effect, buy ten one-to-one lessons while paying for only eight.

That’s two extra lessons of speaking and listening practice, on us!

It’s as if, when you pop 5 ebooks into your shopping cart (reading and listening practice is essential), you’ll pay for just four of them!

Use this coupon code to save £££ on your order:

January-Sale-2021

First make your selection from the one-to-one online lesson options and/or from our range of ebooks, which have been especially written to keep you interested and so making progress:

Italian | French | Spanish | German | Other languages

Then go to your shopping cart and apply coupon code January-Sale-2021 to reduce the cart total by 20%.

The coupon code is good until midnight on Tuesday 5th January 2021.

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

Restrictions? Small print?

The coupon code can’t be used together with any other coupon code you may already have.

Besides that, no.

So do find some time this week to stock up on online lesson credits, easy readers, parallel texts and grammar workbooks – at an unbeatable price!

Italian | French | Spanish | German | Other languages

P.S.

Here’s that coupon code again:

January-Sale-2021

And here’s where you can use it: Catalog | Shop

The next sale won’t be until spring…

Posted on December 17, 2020 by easyreadersorg — Leave a comment

25% Off New Italian Easy Reader Ebook: Giallo a Capodanno

Yesterday we published a new, B2/C1-level, easy Italian reader ebook, ‘Giallo a Capodanno‘ (New Year’s Eve Mystery).

It’s New Year 1970 and Martina’s all dressed up for the party, determined to enjoy it! But her roommate, Alida is more cynical:

“Ascolta: siamo bloccati dalla neve in un collegio in cui viviamo tutto l’anno. Dei duecento alunni che frequentano la scuola, solo sette (sette, porca miseria!) hanno dei genitori che non li vogliono tra i piedi nemmeno durante le feste. E noi siamo tra questi sette. Quindi puoi anche vestirti come Marilyn Monroe… ma rimani una disgraziata!”

Alida would rather read detective thrillers than pretend to have fun with just six fellow students. But who knows? Perhaps something interesting will happen?

Find out more about this story in our online shop and/or check out the Free Sample Chapter (.pdf), to get an idea of the length, level and format of the ebook.

As always the first week, ‘Giallo a Capodanno‘ is 25% off – so just £5.99 rather than the usual ‘easy reader’ price of £7.99!

.pdf e-book (+ audio available free online)
.ePub and Mobi (Kindle-compatible) versions available at no extra cost (just ask)
8 chapters to read and listen to
Comprehension questions to check your understanding
English/Italian glossary of ‘difficult’ terms
Suitable for students at intermediate or advanced levels
LAUNCH OFFER (until 22/12/20) just £5.99!
Download your Free Sample Chapter (.pdf)

Once your order is completed, you will receive a download link for the full version of the ebook. The download link is valid for 7 days / 3 download attempts, so save the .pdf ebook in a safe place on your device!

Buy ‘Giallo a Capodanno‘, just £5.99! | Free Sample Chapter (.pdf) | Catalog

P.S.

Thursday’s bulletin of ‘easy’ Italian news has just been published, too. Read/listen to it online, for FREE, or subscribe and receive each thrice-weekly, simplified Italian news bulletin (online audio plus supporting text) via email, as soon as it is published, each Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. That’s FREE too!

Posted on December 8, 2020February 16, 2021 by easyreadersorg — Leave a comment

Half-priced ‘eBook of the Week’: ‘Natale a sorpresa’

This week’s seasonal 50%-Off ‘eBook of the Week’ offer is the B2 (upper-intermediate) -level Natale a sorpresa.

Matteo’s supposed to be writing a book – he has a deadline coming up – but he’s suffering terribly from writers’ block. All he can do is stare at a blank computer screen. He’s recently out of a relationship, which hasn’t helped…

Worse, it’s December and Christmas is coming! Normally Matteo spends the festive season with his family, but this year they’re visiting relatives in Australia. So it looks as if he’ll be celebrating alone.

Then he has an idea. He’ll call his best friend Filippo, who’ll surely be able to help! Perhaps they can spend Christmas at Filippo’s place in the mountains, or take a trip somewhere…

The level of this story is B2 (upper-intermediate) so it’s suitable for anyone who already has some experience reading in Italian, or for those who have studied the language for a while and now would like to start reading it.

Normally £7.99, Natale a sorpresa is half price this week, so just £3.99.

For that £3.99 you get:

.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)

Natale a sorpresa, just £3.99! | Free Sample Chapter | Catalog

How do I access my ebook?

When your order is ‘completed’, 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 those who request them.

P.S.

Tuesday’s free bulletin of ‘easy’ Italian news is ready for you to listen to and read.

Click here to begin improving your Italian reading and listening skills, for free!

Subscriptions to EasyItalianNews.com are also completely free. Enter your email on this page, and you’ll receive three Easy Italian News bulletins each and every week, with absolutely no obligation (unsubscribing is also quick and easy, if you ever stop learning Italian…)

Posted on November 24, 2020November 24, 2020 by easyreadersorg — Leave a comment

Half-priced ‘Ebook of the Week’: ‘La vita è bella’

This week’s 50%-Off ‘Ebook of the Week’ offer is the B1/B2 (intermediate/upper-intermediate) -level ‘eBook of the Classic Italian Movie’ La vita è bella.

‘La vita è bella’ broke many records: it’s the Italian film that has won the most Oscars, Benigni (who stars and directs) is the only male Italian actor to have won an Oscar for ‘Best Actor’, and it’s the highest-grossing Italian film ever!

La vita è bella is ideal for anyone who has been studying Italian for a while but would now like to focus on building their reading/listening skills, rather than on yet another grammar lesson. And of course, being the ebook version of this famous Italian movie, it’s perfect for anyone who has watched or plans to watch the film itself but needs some support in order to do so.

Normally £7.99, La vita è bella is half price this week, so just £3.99.

For that £3.99 you get:

.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 or above
Download your Free Sample Chapter (.pdf)

La vita è bella, just £3.99! | Free Sample Chapter | Other ‘classic Italian movie’ ebooks | Catalog

How do I access my ebook?

When your order is ‘completed’ (allow up to 24 hours), 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.

Tuesday’s free bulletin of ‘easy’ Italian news is now ready for you to listen to and read, absolutely free!

Click here to boost your Italian reading and listening skills, for FREE!

Subscriptions to EasyItalianNews.com are completely free, also. Just enter your email on this page to receive three Easy Italian News bulletins each and every week, FOR FREE and with no obligation (unsubscribing is quick and easy, too.)

Posted on November 17, 2020November 17, 2020 by easyreadersorg — Leave a comment

25% Off New Italian Easy Reader Ebook: Chi è per me Cecilia

Yesterday we published a new, C1/2-level, easy Italian reader ebook, ‘Chi è per me Cecilia‘ though in fact ‘easy’ it isn’t!

“Grandioso! Licenziato dopo due mesi… E adesso che faccio?!” pensai. Il primo impulso era stato quello di prendere il cellulare. Avevo scorso la rubrica fino alla lettera “C”, poi mi ero fermato a fissare lo schermo. Infine avevo sospirato e lo avevo riposto in tasca. Preso dallo sconforto, mi guardai intorno e chiesi, questa volta ad alta voce: “Che diamine posso fare?”

Milanese twenty-something Matteo loses his first real job after just a few months, and despairs he’ll ever find another. His parents don’t understand how bad his prospects seem, and he hasn’t spoken to his best friend, Cecilia, for several months. Should he call her? But can true friendship between a man and a woman really exist?

Find out more about this story in our online shop and/or check out the Free Sample Chapter (.pdf), to get an idea of the length, level and format of the ebook.

At the top of Chapter 1 in the free sample chapter download (.pdf) there’s a link to the online audio. The audio version of the entire story is available to listen to, FREE, even if you don’t buy the ebook, though, obviously, having the full text will make it easier.

As always, this first week only ‘Chi è per me Cecilia‘ is 25% off – so just £5.99 rather than the usual ‘easy reader’ price of £7.99!

.pdf e-book (+ audio available free online)
.ePub and Mobi (Kindle-compatible) versions available at no extra cost (just ask)
8 chapters to read and listen to
Comprehension questions to check your understanding
Italian/Italian glossary of ‘difficult’ terms
Suitable for students at upper-intermediate or advanced levels
LAUNCH OFFER (until 22/11/20) just £5.99!
Download your Free Sample Chapter (.pdf)

Buy ‘Chi è per me Cecilia‘, just £5.99! | Free Sample Chapter (.pdf) | Catalog

P.S.

Don’t forget Tuesday’s bulletin of ‘easy’ Italian news, which is now ready for you to read/listen to online, FREE!

Subscribing to EasyItalianNews.com is also FREE – subscribers receive each thrice-weekly, simplified Italian news bulletin (online audio plus supporting text) via email, as soon as they are published, each Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday!

Just enter your email address on this page and get learning!

Posted on November 7, 2020 by easyreadersorg — Leave a comment

‘FREE Online Italian Lesson’ Offer: Just 36 hours left!

Here’s a final reminder to snap up your free online Italian lesson, if you haven’t already done so.

There are only about 36 hours remaining of our Free Trial Online Italian Lesson offer, which ends tomorrow night (Sunday November 8th 2020).

There won’t be another chance to try a FREE one-to-one online Italian lesson until February 2021.

This week we’ve already given away over a hundred and fifty FREE online Italian lessons, worth £20 each.

But we still have the capacity and budget for a few more, so if you’d like to try an online lesson (via Skype) with a native-speaker Italian teacher, click this link.

There’s no need to buy one to get one free, and you don’t have to provide credit card or payment details. Anyone who wants to try an online Italian lesson, gets one for free!

Of course, the idea is that some of you will buy additional lesson credits and continue to learn this way. Others won’t, but that’s fine – hopefully those people will say nice things about us to people they know who are learning Italian.

This offer is for new students only. The Free Trial Italian Lesson offer is limited to one free online lesson per person.

Grab your free trial Italian lesson

When we receive your order, our teaching management assistant will email you to find out what your needs and preferences are and WHEN you’d like to do your free lesson.

The Free Trial Online Italian Lesson offer ends on Sunday 8th November 2020
You don’t have to DO the lesson this week, just ‘book’ it
Over a hundred and fifty people have already signed up for a trial lesson, but there are a few slots still available
This offer is for NEW STUDENTS ONLY
If you booked a free trial last time but didn’t take it – try again!
But if you’ve already done a free trial in the past, sorry but this isn’t for you
Once you’ve completed your lesson, you’ll be sent a 15% discount coupon

View online lesson prices here.

Click here to book your free trial Italian lesson.

And don’t forget Saturday’s Easy Italian News!

Click the link to read and listen to a simplified news bulletin, in Italian, for FREE!

Posted on November 5, 2020 by easyreadersorg — Leave a comment

A reminder about the ‘FREE Online Italian Lesson’ offer!

Here’s a quick reminder: this week at EasyReaders.Org we’re giving away 150 FREE ONLINE ITALIAN LESSONS (the offer is for new students only.)

There are the only two opportunities each year to try an online lesson (via Skype) with one of our native-speaker Italian teachers – for FREE!

You don’t have to buy anything or provide credit card details – all we need is your email address so our teaching management assistant can contact you to organise your lesson.

This promotion is for new students only.

Here’s the link you need to book your free trial Italian lesson.

N.b. The offer ends on Sunday night, though that’s the deadline for responding to the offer, not for actually doing the lesson. Lessons will be organised in the order that people contact us.

The Free Trial Online Italian Lesson offer ends on Sunday 08/11/20
You don’t have to DO the lesson this week, just ‘book’ it
This offer is for NEW STUDENTS ONLY
If you booked a free trial last time but didn’t take it – try again!
But if you’ve already done a free trial in the past, sorry but this isn’t for you
After your lesson, you’ll get a 15% discount coupon valid for your first purchase of online Italian lessons

Compare online lesson prices | Book your free trial Italian lesson

P.S.

Have you listened to / read today’s free bulletin of simplified news at EasyItalianNews.com?

If you subscribe (it’s free), you won’t need to remember to visit the website each Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Instead, you’ll receive each 8-10 minute audio, with supporting text, directly in your email inbox!

Posted on November 3, 2020 by easyreadersorg — Leave a comment

This Week 150 FREE Online Italian Lessons!

It’s November, so time for our semi-annual ‘Free Trial Italian Lesson’ offer!

This week at EasyReaders.Org we’ll be giving away 150 FREE ONLINE ITALIAN LESSONS (the offer is for new students only.)

This is a promotion we do twice a year when things are otherwise quiet – the last one was in February 2020 and the next one will be in February 2021.

Twice a year we aim to give away a hundred and fifty free online Italian lessons, normally priced at £20 each.

Try an online lesson (via Skype) with one of our native-speaker Italian teachers, at a cost of exactly ZERO.

You don’t have to buy a lesson to get one free, we won’t even ask for your card details – all we need to organise your lesson is your email address, so our teaching management assistant can contact you to organise your lesson.

It’s a genuinely-free offer!

N.B. This promotion is for new students only. The free trial lesson offer is limited to one per person.

To claim your free trial Italian lesson, follow this link.

Once you’ve completed your online order form, our teaching management assistant will contact you to find out what your needs and preferences are and, importantly, WHEN you’d like to do your free lesson.

It could take a day or two for her to write to you, so be patient.

And there’s no rush to do the free trial lesson, which doesn’t have to be this week – the offer ends on Sunday night, but that’s just a promotional deadline, not a limit for actually doing the lesson.