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Locked down at home with nothing to do? Some suggestions.

Locked down at home with nothing much to do? That would explain why some of our websites have seen a spike in traffic this week.

OnlineItalianClub.com, for example, which offers masses of FREE materials for learning Italian, is breaking all previous records, with thousands of visitors each day from countries around the world!

And EasyItalianNews.com is also doing well, with over five thousand people signed up to receive FREE bulletins of ‘easy’ Italian news to read/listen to, three times each and every week.

Both of those are great options IF YOU’RE STUDYING ITALIAN, but did you know we also sell ebooks and online lessons for students of other languages?

We have ‘easy reader’ ebooks in French, Spanish and German, for example. Typically they’ll comprise eight short chapters, written for students at a particular level, from beginner up. You get the text, plus an accompanying online audio recording, so you can read and listen at the same time, or read first then listen, or even listen first then read to check your understanding.

A chapter a day should be manageable for most people, which makes these materials a very affordable option. But if you’ve got too much time on your hands, as many of us have right now, why not aim to read/listen to an ebook every day of your lockdown??

Four chapters in the morning, four in the afternoon, review the unknown words in the evening, and listen to the whole thing once more the next morning, to warm up, before starting the next ebook – which could be at the same, or at a slightly higher level.

That would be pretty full on! And I’d bet that, by the time we’re through this virus thing, your reading/listening skills would be so much better!

Or what about trying some of our ‘parallel text’ ebooks? These don’t have the audio, but they do have an English translation, so they’re more suited to the type of student that likes to understand every nuance and isn’t so bothered about building real-time comprehension skills.

How do they work? Well, suppose you’re studying Spanish: the parallel text gives you a chapter of original Spanish written for learners at your level, followed by the same text translated into English. The lines in each version are numbered so you can easily compare them (1. Hola Lola! Como estas? = 1. Hello Lola! How are you?)

Actually, I’m studying Spanish myself right now, or rather not studying it and just hoping that something magical happens and my brain will just absorb it without me having to make any effort!

I’m aware, of course, that we’re locked in the house, I have dozens of ebooks right here that I could be working on, and that this might be my best-ever opportunity to do so. But I keep finding excuses not to start, for example writing these emails!

That takes maybe half a day, though. Then, I’m just wasting time, time I could be spending doing something useful… Tut, tut! Must do better!

What I am managing to squeeze into my frantic schedule is a weekly online lesson with a nice Spanish teacher in Mexico. A half-hour of friendly chatter is both a workout for my Spanish and a welcome opportunity to interact with someone from outside our home. And at a surprisingly modest cost!

A pack of ten thirty-minute Spanish, French or Italian lessons comes to just £150, so £15 per lesson. But during our ‘Spring Sale promotion, assuming you remember to use the coupon code, that’s 20% discounted!

So just £120 for ten thirty-minute lessons, or £12 for a friendly chat in the language you’re learning with an experienced native-speaker teacher.

And given that all the shops are closed anyway…

Spring Sale 2020: Save 20%!

Don’t forget that EasyReaders.Org has its ‘Spring Sale’ this week, meaning that until midnight on Sunday you can save 20% on our whole range of ebooks for learning foreign languages, and/or on one-to-one lessons with our team of online teachers.

Use coupon code Spring-Sale-2020 to get your discount – carefully copy and paste it into the box in your shopping cart (where it says ‘Coupon code’), press the blue ‘Apply coupon’ button, then scroll down to check that the cart total has been discounted before proceeding to the payment stage.

  • Coupon code Spring-Sale-2020 will get you a 20% discount on everything, IF you remember to use it…
  • It’s valid until midnight on Sunday 29th March 2020
  • There’s no minimum or maxium spend, and you can use the coupon as often as you wish while the offer lasts
  • Coupon code Spring-Sale-2020 will even work on items that are already discounted, such as ebook multipacks and packs of online lesson credits
  • Pay via Amazon Pay (use your existing Amazon account payment method, if you have one), Paypal/credit card (Paypal processes credit card payments on our behalf – no need to open a Paypal account), or bank transfer to our UK bank account (don’t choose this option unless you have a UK bank account too)

Our catalog page shows all our ebook and lesson options in one place, language by language, organised by type, and in level order.

Browse our full range of lessons, easy readers, ‘ebooks of the film’, ‘parallel texts’, grammar workbooks, and so on. From the catalog page you can also check the prices, follow links to the product information pages, and download free sample chapters.

Check out the catalog page now, or view only the language or languages that you’re currently studying:

Italian | French | Spanish | German | other languages

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The 2020 Spring Sale Has Started: Get 20% Off Everything!

Just to let you know that the EasyReaders.Org ‘Spring Sale’ started yesterday!

Which means that for the next week or so you’ll be able to save 20% on our whole range of ebooks for learning foreign languages, and/or on one-to-one lessons with our team of online teachers.

The coupon code you need to get the discount is:

Spring-Sale-2020

To reduce the price of everything by 20% compared to the prices shown in the shop, carefully copy and paste coupon code Spring-Sale-2020 into the box in your shopping cart (where it says ‘Coupon code’), press the blue ‘Apply coupon’ button, then scroll down to check that the cart total has been discounted before proceeding to the payment stage.

  • Coupon code Spring-Sale-2020 gets you a 20% discount on everything!
  • It’s valid until midnight on Sunday 29th March 2020
  • There’s no minimum or maxium spend
  • Use the coupon as often as you wish while the offer lasts
  • It will even work on items which are already discounted, such as ebook multipacks and packs of online lesson credits
  • Payment options include Amazon Pay (use your existing Amazon account payment method, if you have one), Paypal/credit card (Paypal processes credit card payments on our behalf – you don’t have to open a Paypal account), or direct payment to our UK bank account (only choose this option if you have a UK bank account too)

If you need help, either choosing what might be most suitable for your level and situation, with the coupon code, or with payments, feel free to email me.

Ready to save £££, while turbocharging your study program?

Follow these links to choose materials and online lessons for the language or languages that you’re learning:

Italian | French | Spanish | German | All languages

Or go browse our catalog page, where you’ll see all our ebook and lesson options in one place, language by language, organised by type, and in level order.

From the our catalog page, it’s easy find our full range of lessons, easy readers, ‘ebooks of the film’, ‘parallel texts’, grammar workbooks, and so on, along with the prices, links to the product information page, and to the downloadable free sample chapters.

Visit the catalog page now, or browse only the language that you’re currently studying:

Italian | French | Spanish | German | other languages

P.S.

Here’s that coupon code again: Spring-Sale-2020

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50%-Off ‘Ebook of the Week’: Le italiane (B2-level)

Ciao from locked-down Italy, where despite the restrictions on doing just about everything (or at least, anything fun), we’re standing by ready to email out this week’s fantastic-value, half-price ‘eBook of the Week’!

And this time, given that Sunday was International Women’s Day, we have the B2 (upper-intermediate) level Le italiane, for you.

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!

Le italiane is perfect for students who have been studying Italian for a while and would like to focus on building their reading/listening skills, rather than on yet another grammar lesson…

Normally £7.99, Le italiane is half price this week, so just £3.99.

For £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)

N.b. Your e-book will be emailed to you within 24 hours of your purchase.

Le italiane | Free Sample Chapter | Catalog

P.S.

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

But best of all? It’s absolutely free!

Click here to take a look.

Subscribing to EasyItalianNews.com is also completely free. Just enter your email on this page and we’ll email you all three Easy Italian News bulletins every week, at zero cost and with no obligation to buy anything (unsubscribing is easy and quick, too.)

EasyItalianNews.com | Subscribe (for free!)

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25% Off New Italian Easy Reader Ebook: ‘Dante, un’altra marachella’

Easy Italian reader ebook - Dante, un’altra marachella - cover imagePublished this week is a new, B1/2-level, ‘easy’ Italian reader ebook, ‘Dante, un’altra marachella‘.

Dante, the black and white feline protagonist of ‘Dante, gatto vagante‘ is once more out and about, roaming the sestiere of Venice where he lives, his earlier misadventures having faded from memory. These days he always finds his way home, safe and sound, to the loving Anna and a delicious bowl of crunchy ‘croccantini’. So why would today be any different?

Like cats? Then you’ll love Dante! But don’t take our word for it – as always, there’s a Free Sample Chapter (.pdf), which will help you get an idea of the length, level and format of the ebook.

Also, at the top of Chapter 1 in the free sample chapter download (.pdf) there’s a link to the online audio – you can listen to the whole story, even if you don’t buy the ebook!

Of course, having the full text as well does offer a more-complete study experience. So, to encourage you to buy a copy, this first week only ‘Dante, un’altra marachella‘ 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/English glossary of ‘difficult’ terms
  • Suitable for students at intermediate level and above
  • LAUNCH OFFER (until 08/03/20) just £5.99!
  • Download your Free Sample Chapter (.pdf)

Your ebook will be emailed to you within 24 hours of purchase.

Dante, un’altra marachella‘ | Free Sample Chapter (.pdf) | Catalog

P.S.

Don’t forget to read/listen to Tuesday’s bulletin of ‘easy’ Italian news, will you? It’s FREE!

And/or subscribe, also FREE! We email subscribers each thrice-weekly, simplified Italian news bulletin (text plus online audio) as soon as it’s published!

Enter your email address on this page. Naturally, you can unsubscribe at any moment if you stop learning Italian or don’t find the free material helpful.

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50%-Off Ebook of the Week: Michelangelo e il Mosè (B2/C1)

Here’s another in our half-price ‘eBook of the Week’ series: Michelangelo e il Mosè.

At B2/C1 (upper-intermediate/advanced) level, it’s a stimulating read for anyone who’s been studying Italian for a while.

Italian easy readers - Michelangelo e il Mosè - cover image

Forty years from initial commissioning to completion, Michelangelo’s Moses “rests with one arm on the tables, and with the other holds his long glossy beard, the hairs, so difficult to render in sculpture, being so soft and downy that it seems as if the iron chisel must have become a brush.”

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Let’s join the famous sculptor and his assistant, Giuliano, right back at the beginning of the story…

Cave di Carrara, 1505

“Prego, fate passare!”

Al grido del capomastro, tutti si spostano. È un uomo enorme, le mani come badili e la pelle candida, frutto di anni al lavoro nella cava. In questo periodo, poi, è particolarmente nervoso, per la presenza di un ospite molto importante.

“Prego, maestro, ecco quanto promesso”, dice all’uomo che lo accompagna. L’uomo fa un passo avanti, lo sguardo irrequieto corre da un blocco di marmo all’altro. Sospira. Guarda con attenzione, sfiora le venature con le dita, poi si gira di colpo: “Giuliano! Vieni qui!”

Un giovane si avvicina di corsa e sorride: “Eccomi maestro!”

“Giuliano, segna questi primi due blocchi. Mi sembrano buoni per le statue minori.”

“Statue minori, maestro? Ma se sono enormi…”

“Giuliano, te lo ripeto ancora una volta: che io sia dannato se la tomba del nostro beneamato pontefice Giulio II non sarà l’opera più grandiosa mai veduta. O così, o non mi chiamo più Michelangelo!”

“Ma maestro…”

“Taci, non sciuparmi l’ispirazione. Guarda questo” e indica un blocco di marmo di quasi tre metri d’altezza “Ah, se solo potessi avere totale libertà! Il Colosso di Rodi sembrerebbe un gioco da fanciulli, le antiche meraviglie sarebbero dimenticate! Farei una cosa grandiosa!”

“Maestro” dice Giuliano srotolando una pergamena con il profilo di una enorme struttura, “il vostro progetto è già grandioso, come potreste…”

“Silenzio, sciagurato! Qui c’è in gioco il mio nome, non capisci? Il Papa non è persona da mezze misure, pretende l’eccellenza e io gliela darò. La gloria ci attende a Roma, caro mio, e vedrai che quella schiera di cosiddetti artisti morirà d’invidia. Primo tra tutti Bramante, lo voglio vedere strisciare per chiedere udienza!”

“Sì Maestro” annuisce Giuliano, tirando fuori i gessi colorati e iniziando a numerare i diversi blocchi che Michelangelo indica.

“Si torna a Roma, non vedo l’ora!” dice Michelangelo e sorride.

Normally £7.99, Michelangelo e il Mosè is half price, so just £3.99, until Sunday night.

For £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)

N.b. Your e-book will be emailed to you within 24 hours of your purchase.

Michelangelo e il Mosè | Free Sample Chapter | Catalog

P.S.

Today’s free bulletin of ‘easy’ Italian news is here.

Read/listen to it for free – click this link to begin.

Or subscribe, which is also completely free, and so get three Easy Italian News bulletins via email each and every week!

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Just 36 hours left to get your Free Online Italian Lesson!

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 some time (Sunday February 23rd).

There won’t be another chance to try a FREE one-to-one online Italian lesson until November 2020.

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

But we still have space for a few more trial students.

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 others 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.

Book your free trial Italian lesson

When we receive your order, our teaching manager 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 23rd February 2020
  • You don’t have to DO the lesson this week, just ‘book’ it
  • A hundred or so people have already signed up for a trial lesson, 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!

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‘Free Online Italian Lesson’ offer – a reminder!

A quick reminder: this week at EasyReaders.Org we’re giving away 100 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 manager, Lucia, 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 but 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 23/02/20
  • 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 https://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!

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100 FREE Online Italian Lessons This Week!

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

This week at EasyReaders.Org we’ll be giving away 100 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 November 2019 and the next one will be in November 2020.

Twice a year we aim to give away a hundred 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 manager, Lucia, 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 manager, Lucia 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 Lucia 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.

  • The Free Trial Online Italian Lesson offer ends on Sunday, 23/02/20
  • No need to actually DO the lesson this week, just ‘book’ it
  • Remember: this offer is for NEW STUDENTS ONLY
  • If you booked a free trial last time but didn’t take it – do try again!
  • But if you’ve already done a free trial in the past, sorry…
  • After completing your lesson, you’ll be sent a 15% discount coupon

Online lesson prices | Book your free trial Italian lesson

P.S.

Don’t forget to listen to the thrice-weekly bulletins of ‘easy’ Italian news from our sister site https://easyitaliannews.com/.

Subscribers receive each 8-10 minute audio, with supporting text, directly to their email inboxes – for FREE!

Over five thousand people have already subscribed! Click this link to join them.

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50%-Off Ebook of the Week: Yue a Bologna (A1)

This week at EasyReaders.org we have another in our series of half-price ‘eBooks of the Week’, Yue a Bologna.

At A1 (beginner/elementary) level, it’s suitable even for those who have recently started learning Italian!

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…

… which, as we all know, is no easy task!

Normally £7.99, Yue a Bologna is half price, so just £3.99, until Sunday night, when the offer ends.

For £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 from beginner up!
  • Download your Free Sample Chapter (.pdf)

N.b. Your e-book will be emailed to you within 24 hours of your purchase.

Yue a Bologna | Free Sample Chapter | Catalog

P.S.

Also, don’t forget to listen to today’s bulletin of ‘easy’ Italian news from EasyItalianNews.com.

That’s completely free – just click this link to start reading/listening, in Italian!

Better still, you can subscribe, also completely free, and so receive thrice-weekly Easy Italian News bulletins directly in your email inbox.

Over five thousand people already have!

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25% Off New Italian Easy Reader Ebook: ‘Zio Ciro e la pizza’

This week we’ve published a new, B1-level, ‘easy’ Italian reader ebook, ‘Zio Ciro e la pizza‘.

Against her conservative father’s wishes, a nineteen-year-old Italian-American, buys a plane ticket to Napoli, in Italy. The plan is to discover the city her family originated from, and to get to know zio Ciro, the black sheep of the family!

Join Angela as she helps her Neapolitan uncle prepare pizzas for a special lunch, while learning the fascinating history of Napoli’s most famous dish!

As always, there’s a Free Sample Chapter (.pdf), which will help you 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) you’ll find a link to the audio – the whole story is available to listen to online, even if you don’t buy the ebook!

That said, having the full text as well as the audio does offer a more-complete study experience. So, to incentivise you to buy a copy, this first week only ‘Zio Ciro e la pizza‘ is 25% off the usual ‘easy reader’ price – that’s just £5.99, rather than £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/English glossary of ‘difficult’ terms
  • Suitable for students at intermediate level and above
  • LAUNCH OFFER (until 09/02/20) just £5.99!
  • Download your Free Sample Chapter (.pdf)

Your ebook will be emailed to you within 24 hours of purchase.

Zio Ciro e la pizza‘ | Free Sample Chapter (.pdf) | Catalog

P.S.

And here’s the usual reminder to listen, for free, to today’s bulletin of ‘easy’ Italian news.

And/or subscribe, which is also free. That way we’ll email you each thrice-weekly, simplified Italian news bulletin (text plus online audio) the instant it’s published!

Just enter your email address on this page. Of course, it’s easy to unsubscribe at any moment if you stop learning Italian or don’t find the free material helpful.

Buona lettura, buon ascolto!