🎤 Interview Episode Two – A Conversation with Chiara Brambilla
Teaching, Writing & Learning from Mistakes—Piano Piano
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In this episode, we sit down with Chiara Brambilla, the creator of the blog SOS Italian and author of the popular SOS grammar books. Chiara teaches Italian online and shares practical tools for learners of all levels—especially those navigating the challenges of intermediate Italian.
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Together, we explore:
✔️ How learning a language is a bit like raising a child (seriously!)
✔️ The difference between passato prossimo and passato remoto
✔️ When and why translations can actually help you learn
✔️ Tips for staying motivated and making visible progress at the B1–B2 level
✔️ A fun expression you can use the next time you feel out of place
📜 The full transcript is available at https://www.welearnitalianstepbystep.com
Chiara also shares a free downloadable exercise to practice the imperative with pronouns—perfect for learners who want to strengthen their grammar in context.
📥 Click here to download the exercise PDF (Imperative + Pronoun Practice)
If you’d like to explore more of Chiara’s work, check out:
- 🌐 Her website: sositalian.com
- 📚 Her books: SOS Italian Verbs and SOS Italian Pronominal Verbs
(both include exercises) - 💻 Her online grammar course (for A1–A2 learners):
SOS Italian Grammar in Action – Diamond Plan
🎧 Tune in and be encouraged by a teacher who’s helping learners all over the world grow—piano piano.
⏳ CHAPTERS
00:00 Intro
01:50 May we speak informally?
04:20 Supporting Italian Learners as a Fellow Learner
05:41 Online Teaching and the SOS Italian Blog
07:05 Becoming a mom – a new balance
08:31 Learning Like a Child – Natural Analogies
10:19 Behind the Scenes of Our Story
10:38 Two Tenses, Two Perspectives – Telling the Past in Italian
14:24 The Usefulness of Translations in Learning Materials
16:47 The Art of Choosing What (and When) to Teach
17:39 The Intermediate Level – Challenges and Strategies
19:53 Feeling Out of Place – One Idiom Worth Knowing
20:53 Where to Find Chiara Online
21:15 Exclusive Resources for Our Listeners
22:26 Thanks and Final Farewell
Find transcripts, study guides, and extra posts here.
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All content © 2025 Impariamo l’italiano piano piano – Un impegno quotidiano
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