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Studying Italian in Milan: Pascal’s story
What drives you to study Italian in Milan? Love for the language, love for the Bel paese or romantic love? Pascal tells us how he combined all these passions by studying Italian in Milan.
Reading his story will also give you important advice on the secrets of the Italian language, for example, what to pay more attention to?
Find out now.
Our chat with Pascal
Tell us a little about yourself
Hello! My name is Pascal. I am 34 years old and I am Swiss. I live in Bern, the capital of Switzerland, but my German girlfriend works in Milan as a researcher for two or 3 years. She will then return to Switzerland. At the moment I work in from home and therefore I can also do it here in Milan!
When did you start studying Italian in Milan and how?
I started studying Italian at the end of 2019. My girlfriend started studying Italian at ELLCI. I was a bit jealous because I always wanted to learn this language because it is so beautiful! It is also one of the four official languages of Switzerland. Knowing it a little is, therefore, an advantage, for example at work.
Do you still live in Milan?
I don’t live in Milan, but I often come here to find my girlfriend. By train, it takes only 3 and a half hours. It is very comfortable and ecological.
How did you find yourself studying in ELLCI?
I remember the first lesson in ELLCI. I took the metro to Loreto and it felt like going to school as a kid. I was a little nervous, but I really wanted to start learning Italian. Finally!
I had no prior knowledge, but I had an advantage: my mother tongue is French… 😊 there are many similarities. But not only … There are also false friends (read also False friends in Italian: what are they?) and Italian has many more articles than French…
ELLCI’s and teachers are very good and organize very fun lessons! I took a group course and also some private lessons. Unfortunately, covid-19 stopped the course abruptly. After that, I continued to study on my own, although it was possible to do online courses.
During my holidays in May, I decided to spontaneously do a private course in person (finally !!) and ELLCI organized it very kindly.
What do you like most about Italy?
Italy is a country with so much potential! The food is tasty, the language is musical, the landscapes are fantastic, the historical heritage exciting, the Italians mostly so kind… but sometimes a little too emotional and “bureaucratic”?
To a Swiss, Italy sometimes seems a bit chaotic. Precisely what we are looking for for the holidays… but not necessarily for us to live in.