Learn Italian for dog
il cane

il cane

... imagine a dog with a CANdy CANE, maybe playing cricket with Imran KHAN (m).

A dog with a cane and Imran Khan?

Our unique Memory Triggers mnemonically link the Italian word with English, to create a scenario by word association. Some are really weird, but often the weirder the more impact, and the easier it is to remember them.

The word in Italian for dog - il cane - looks like and sounds simliar to cane and Khan in English. We've made this into the little mind movie above.

Remember the picture, remember the word.

Masculine or Feminine? Learn the Gender

All nouns in Italian have a gender - masculine or feminine. The genders are grammatically very important, as they influence the endings of other words, such as adjectives.

Gender Triggers are incorporated into our Memory Triggers to help you remember the gender of nouns at the same time as learning the word.

Note the male characters in the cartoon above. Think of Imran Khan, think masculine!

In addition to the male characters, the Italian word is recorded by a native Italian male speaker. The English word and the Trigger are also recorded by male speakers. The words in the trigger which sound like the Italian are colour-coded blue.

These Gender Triggers save yourself a lot of time - when you recall the picture, you recall the gender - making learning masculine words like Italian for dog quick, easy and effective.

Similiarly for feminine nouns, the triggers show female main characters, native female speakers are recorded, and they're colour-coded red.

Sentences - the word in action.

By clicking on the picture in the 200 Words a Day! programme you will see and hear a sample sentence of the word in Italian for ear.

Native speakers have written and recorded all the sentences, so you can see the word working in a natural, everyday context. Hear the intonations, learn useful expressions, become exposed to normal, everyday speech.

The Sentence course also runs independently, with its own lessons, testing and revision schedules.

Great for extension practice.

Il cane è il miglior amico dell’uomo.
The dog is man’s best friend.

e-Flashcardz - photographic visuals

Select the e-Flashcardz option - no Memory Triggers but a visual alternative. Just like the traditional flashcards method, but interactive, with photographic visuals.

The e-Flashcardz complement the Memory Triggers, by giving you another, more rote way of learning. Particularly useful when you get to the testing and revision stages.

You can switch between the Memory Trigger and e-Flashcardz modes at any time.

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Grammar Lesson: Masculine Nouns

Basically ...

Nouns ending in -o are usually masculine.

ragazzo = boy

Nouns ending in -a are usually feminine.

ragazza = girl

Nouns ending in -e can be either male or female.

padre = father
madre = mother

But there are exceptions ...

Some nouns ending in -a can be masculine

• Often those ending in -ma
      problema = problem
      programma = programme
      clima = climate

• Names of people based on occupation ending in -ta
      poeta - poet
      pilota - pilot

• Those ending in -ista can refer to either masculine or feminine:
      artista = artist
      dentista = dentist
      ottimista = optimist

• Other endings which are usually masculine:
      -ore : sapore = flavour
      -one : sapone = soap
      -ale : giornale = newspaper
      -ile : cortile = playground

• Imported nouns often take the masculine gender
      sport = sport
      champagne = champagne
      avocado = avocado

So ... remember the Gender!

You can now appreciate the importance of learning the gender of nouns, but don't be daunted. Our unique and effective Gender Triggers will help you remember them easily.

The 200 Words a Day! methodology reinforces them at the same as learning the word, saving you valuable time and headaches later.

Native speakers learn these automatically. They are instinctive. With our programme you will quickly be able to recall the word with the gender, so they will become instinctive for you, too.

What's more it's a fun way to learn.

200 Words a Day! Learn Italian for Dog

*Cartoon by Patrick Harrington

200 Words a Day! and Exceltra 
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