Meet Katy: The TV Producer who made Italian her new year's resolution (and actually kept it)

Katy is 35, a TV producer based in New York, and she's learning Italian. What started as a new year’s resolution has officially made it past February & become a daily learning habit.

Why Italian?

Italy is Katy’s go-to destination! Pizza, pasta & tiramisu - why would you need to go anywhere else? But it’s become like a second home for Katy. So when she decided she wanted a resolution that would genuinely enrich her life, Italian was the easy choice! And her goal? Real-world conversations with Italian natives.

Her favourite Sylvi feature

Her penpal, Clara 🫶 Katy doesn’t have loads of opportunities to speak Italian outside of lessons - so Clara fills that gap. The flexibility of the penpals is what won Katy over - interactive dialogue practice whenever & wherever she feels like it.

Her favourite Italian words

Katy is drawn to the words that don't translate neatly into English - the ones that capture something specific that English just hasn't bothered to name.

Sprezzatura: the art of making something difficult look effortless. And abbiocco: that warm, sleepy, blissful feeling that washes over you after a really good meal (especially after a big bowl of pasta).

The biggest win: overcoming the speaking barrier

Katy had a 25-minute conversation, entirely, in Italian. She admits it was a bit broken and with her tutor, BUT it was Italian nonetheless and she didn’t default into English once. A BIG milestone that’s seen her jump up the CEFR framework.

The biggest fail

On one of her earlier trips to Italy, Katy confidently announced she was excited - and used the word eccitata which in Italian, does not mean excited… Rather, it means aroused. The poor Nonna on the receiving end, nearly passed out. She now knows the correct word is emozionata, and she will never make that mistake again 😬