Italian student, 26, with a PhD in Linguistics, teaches the Italian language privately.

Find out more about Alex

• Praat je deze taal vloeiend door je afkomst of omdat iemand jou deze taal heeft geleerd?

  I speak Italian very fluently, not only I am 100% Italian but I've studied Italian Literature and linguistics in my bachelor. In any case, I can adjust my difficulty in Italian to match your level and have an adequate conversation even if you are just a beginner!

• Citeer een levend, historisch of fictief persoon die, volgens jou, hét symbool is dat de desbetreffende cultuur vertegenwoordigt!

  There are many poets, writers and historical figures that have contributed to the Italian culture and language! If I must pick one of them, I would say D'Annunzio, an Umbrian poet of the XVIII and XIX century. Not only his poems are the one I read the most, but his ability to mold the language and create new words is inspiring!

• Is er in deze taal een woord, uitdrukking, traditie of typisch soort gedrag dat je bijzonder of leuk vindt?

  Many. But the more I live in the Netherlands, the more I notice that Italian has something that Dutch is missing: hand gestures. In Italian gestures are used not only to help your speech, but they can be used to replace words and even sentences. Are you curious? We can learn it.

• Waarom is het belangrijk om deze taal te spreken, of het nou vanuit een academisch, professioneel of meer persoonlijk oogpunt is?

  I've had many types of students so far: young people who want to learn it on vacation, older students who've spent many years already in Italy and who have bought houses there, but also teenagers who moved to Italy for study and wish to perfect it to fit better at school. I believe learning Italian is important for many reason, but probably the most important one is that not many Italians speak English and Italian IS needed if you want to truly enjoy Italy and its people.

• Wat is het lastigst aan deze taal waar het nemen van lessen bij kan helpen?

  Verbs. Take English or Dutch as examples. Nemen "to take" can have 3 or 4 other forms, ik neem, je neemt, ik heb genomen, ik nam. Good. Italian "prendere" has at least 100 different forms, depending on the person, the time, and many other factors. But do not worry. I have a lot of experience teaching it to my students! You will get there.

• Kun je ons een leuke anecdote vertellen die te maken heeft met jouw beroep of jouw eigen schooltijd?

  My proudest moment as a teacher was when one of my first students here in the Netherlands went to university in Italy after 3 years of lessons. She began when she was 15 years old girl with an Italian father. Sadly for her, he had never had the time to teach her his language, but thanks to me she became so proficient that now she is able to read Dante's poems, write papers and even follow Italian lectures in medical school. If this is not a success story, I don't know what it is!

• Help ons je een beetje beter te leren kennen door ons te vertellen over enkele reizen die je gemaakt hebt.

  I used to live with my parents on the shores of Lake Maggiore in Lombardy, then I moved to Milan for my bachelor degree. I lived briefly in Germany and in Austria and then finally I moved to Leiden to continue my university career.

• Wat maakt jou een Superprof, naast het feit dat je je kunt uitdrukken in verschillende talen?

  When I prepare the homework, I make sure that the exercises are tailored to my students' needs. When I notice that they are struggling with any given subject, be it grammar or oral production, I make sure to help them in the most effective way possible.