Today the lesson is about Lombardy. Anna is well-prepared, but her maestra seems to be affected by la nebbia (the fog). Is it the Milanese climate? Or could it be something else?

Nobody in the class volunteers to talk about the Molise region, but by chance, Anna gets called on. And we get to learn all about this small region.

Today, Anna is playing with fire because she has to describe the very region her teacher is from. Anna knows her subject pretty well, but so does her teacher. Who will triumph?

Lorenzo Baglioni, a Tuscan pop star, sings a tune on il congiuntivo (the subjunctive). He remarks that the subjunctive is particularly useful for lovers. Note that the Italian subjunctive, out of context, can have various different solutions in English, and sometimes doesn't correspond at all.

The popular TV series Commissioner Manara takes place in Tuscany, so in this video, Marika explains some of the peculiarities of Tuscan speech. She also gives some important tips about using articles when referring to family members.

There are a couple of words in particular that Italians like to repeat over and over again to forcefully encourage an action. Marika talks about these and other repeated words in the Commissioner Manara series.

Some idiomatic expressions need some explanation and Marika is here to do just that, this time using examples from the popular TV series, Commissario Manara. You'll be speaking Italian like a native in no time.

Marika explains some of the idiomatic expressions used in the TV series, Commissario Manara. These expressions are ones Italians use every day in dealing with other people, so you won't want to miss this.

Idiomatic expressions are often difficult to translate or to find in a dictionary. Marika helps us out, using clips from La Ladra already present in Yabla's library.

Here are some more idiomatic expressions from La Ladra. They involve music, horses, and sweets.

Chiudere il cerchio, mancare all'appello, mettercela tutta, and non c'è verso di are the four idomatic expression Marika explains in this video. Let's find out what they mean. The third expression is actually un verbo pronominale.

With examples from La Ladra, Marika explains some common but hard-to-translate, colloquial Italian expressions: pizzicare qualcuno, fare le corna and essere nei pasticci.

Daniela started out dubbing films. Now she works as a voice-over artist, narrating documentaries. Marika and Daniela talk about common errors in pronunciation and how much of a difference they can make!

Marika and Daniela are chatting in Rome, with the Colosseum in the distance. The focus of their chat is the word chiedere (to ask) in its different conjugations.

Marika and Daniela discuss their problems with friends and neighbors, and go on to plan their vacation. At the same time, they discreetly conjugate the verb chiedere (to ask) in the past perfect, future, and conditional.