Experienced Italian teacher available for 1:1 and group tutoring: Beginner - Holiday Vocab - GCSE.

Find out more about Martina

• Do you speak this language fluently because of your origins or because a teacher inspired you to learn?

  Italian: That's right! I was born in Bologna and I am 100% Italian. We always spoke Italian in the family home and I used to attend Italian lessons on top of my regular schooling.
  French: When I was growing up, my dad was studying French and that motivated me to study with Alliance Francaise. Because of the similarities with Italian, I picked it up quickly and decided to study it at university too! I had fantastic French teachers that always fuelled my curiosity in this language.

• Can you name a living, historical or fictional character that you think is the emblematic representative of the language's culture?

  I am passionate about having living role-models that reflect contemporary culture.
  So for Italian, it has to be the band Penguini Tattici Nucleari, and for French, the inimitable artist Stromae.

• Is there a typical word, phrase, tradition or behaviour in the language that you particularly like?

  I love words!
  Italian: Batuffolo (a cotton ball, but also an excellent name for a fluffy cat)
  French: kiffer (slang for 'to like')

• Why does speaking this language matter to you?

  Both of these languages matter to me because they are historically important, but they also remain key languages to be able to communicate with a wider audience. By speaking Italian and French, in addition to English, I have been able to communicate with people of all backgrounds from all over the world, and that has developed me as a person, as well as made me more useful to others.

• What is the main difficulty in learning this language and what can help the process of learning?

  Italian - single vs double consonants, it's hard for English speakers to hear the difference, for example between capello & cappello.
  French - silent letters and really tricky spelling, it's hard for English speakers to learn spellings like chateaux or huile.

• Provide a valuable anecdote related to your language learning or your days at school.

  I learned French as a foreign language, and I distinctly remember the joy, when visiting France with my family, of being able to speak to the locals and get us what we needed at restaurants and hotels. I felt that the locals respected me more and wanted to make more of an effort with me, because they could see I had made an effort to learn their language. I think this is true for any country you travel in, it is always seen as a sign of respect that you tried to learn even just a few basics.

• How has travel or a specific trip helped you to increase your skill and knowledge of the language?

  Italy: I travel to Italy at least once a year, usually more, and during that time it's a full immersion in my extended family's culture - typical northern Italian - but I also use the opportunity to visit other locations such as Verona or Rome. This allows me to experience Italian language and culture as both an insider and an outsider.
  France: I have travelled to France many times, always booking to stay in an AirBnb or similar arrangement so I can communicate with a local and speak only in French. I also like to avoid touristy restaurants and look for places where there are no English-speaking staff or translated menus, so I can practice my French further.

• What makes you a Superprof in language?

  What makes me a Superprof is my longstanding teaching experience as well as my lived experience of travelling to Italy and France and using the language authentically. As one of my students often says when I'm working with him, "it's like you've planned it all out and you really know what you're doing." To me, teaching goes beyond the classroom. At this time of year, you can find me writing Christmas cards to my students in the language they are studying with me. I constantly look for new resources - books, websites etc - to supplement my teaching in the most innovative and authentic way.