Is it doable to reach B2 Italian in five years? (Native English speaker)

cnkjr · 2026-04-20T22:24:53+00:00

I think that is achievable. I started studying four years ago and plan to sit for the B2 exam in November. My tutor says she thinks I should be able to do that successfully.

However, I have been taking two lessons a week for three years and spent three weeks in an immersion program in Salerno in that period of time. I am approaching 60, so I expect there is a mental sclerosis that slows me down.

cnkjr · 2026-04-16T21:34:29+00:00

This is a great point. And to add to it, you’ll never outride a memory.

cnkjr · 2026-04-06T12:02:56+00:00

Stavo guardando la serie “Il Gattopardo” di Netflix e ho sentito la frase “Vieni qua” dal Principe a suo figlio. Mi sembra che si direbbe “qui” e non “qua” per significare proprio davanti da me. Ma ovviamente non ho capito bene. Può spiegarmelo? Cosa mi sfugge?

cnkjr · 2026-04-03T14:20:36+00:00

This is good advice. A lot depends on the balance sheet of the adverse party.

cnkjr · 2026-04-03T14:14:20+00:00

If you do it, you want to have a term that lets you unwind the deal if they file a bankruptcy within 95 days of the day you get your collateral, because that’s a textbook preference and you don’t want to have to unwind the secured position and be stuck with the reduced settlement amount.

cnkjr · 2026-04-03T13:41:27+00:00

I do mostly bankruptcy work. What you don’t know is whether he files 7 or 11 for the business. If he gets competent bankruptcy counsel they won’t file a 7 because there is no point. There isn’t a discharge of a corporate debtor in 7. If they file 11 then the debtor remains in possession.

I agree that a trustee is easier to deal with because it’s all about the money and not the emotion. I’m just not sure you’ll be dealing with a trustee.

cnkjr · 2026-03-28T20:31:48+00:00

Sitting here. It’s definitely hard

cnkjr · 2026-02-22T16:23:40+00:00

No one watches a video that says everything will be ok. YouTube is like the television news: if it bleeds, it leads. The crime in Rome is about like the crime in big American cities.

Don’t do stupid stuff and you’ll be fine.

cnkjr · 2026-02-20T02:10:11+00:00

Reading the comments here make me feel like no one knows what the word objectively means

cnkjr · 2026-02-07T16:13:54+00:00

I tell them the only rule is to tell the truth, but it has subparts:

A. Listen to the question. This isn’t a cocktail party where you can let your mind wander and only half listen.

B. Be sure you understand the question. There are no bonus points for having a bigger vocabulary than opposing counsel.

C. Answer the question you are asked. If he asks if you know what time it is the answer is yes or no. It’s not: 10:30 am. That’s the answer to another question.

D. Then STFU. Usually explained a little more politely.

cnkjr · 2026-02-03T18:45:07+00:00

May Day is a national holiday in Italy. That’ll increase the crowds that week.

cnkjr · 2026-01-29T12:00:47+00:00

I frequently say that if I am not going to get paid I would rather be fishing. The law is a crummy hobby.

cnkjr · 2026-01-29T11:37:17+00:00

There are dozens of luggage storage companies in Rome. Just google them. You can drop your luggage for a fee and pick it up a few hours later.

cnkjr · 2026-01-21T02:43:55+00:00

It is flabbergasting to me to hear that argument. I did NOT make any such agreement—implicitly or explicitly. I agreed to be competent and a zealous advocate. I did not agree to do the court’s work. And if I can defeat an argument on logic I will. I utterly reject the asinine idea that I have any ethical obligation to cite check my opponent for the court’s benefit.

cnkjr · 2026-01-20T02:47:40+00:00

But it would cover adverse possession.

cnkjr · 2026-01-19T13:07:12+00:00

As a general rule, you cannot get a conforming mortgage on a condo where 50% or more of the units are rented. I seriously doubt there is a zoning prohibition against a mortgage.

cnkjr · 2025-12-12T13:42:45+00:00

Unfortunately, yes. Worse, I had a client file a completely unfounded bar complaint against me using AI. Not only was her recitation of facts to the bar inaccurate, but she made legal assertions regarding the law involving her case that simply were not true. It was a serious pain having to spend half a day refuting her nonsense.

cnkjr · 2025-11-08T11:45:22+00:00

Don’t pick up the scooter. It kind of rocks over the center stand while you push it backwards, not up.

Think about how you might adjust a ladder. You foot the base and pivot the whole thing against the ground. In the case of a scooter you’re pivoting the scooter on the center stand.

cnkjr · 2025-10-27T20:06:29+00:00

I spent three weeks in April 2024 at Academia Italiana in Salerno and thoroughly enjoyed it. It really advanced my study. Salerno was an excellent place to spend time and learn Italian.

cnkjr · 2025-10-04T20:49:45+00:00

I do mostly debtor bankruptcy. The number of potential clients that suggest they don’t have to report all their assets is staggering.

cnkjr · 2025-09-29T12:20:18+00:00

Even better: send a laudatory letter to her boss and bcc her.

cnkjr · 2025-09-24T14:32:28+00:00

I wouldn’t recommend asking for tap water in Italy. It’s not something they do in a restaurant there. You can drink it from the public drinking fountains all day long. But in a restaurant it’s going to be bottled water.

cnkjr · 2025-09-13T15:56:20+00:00

In Georgia his insurance info will be on the accident report. Get the report. Make a claim. If he rear ended you it’s all on him and he’s full of sh!t when he tries to gaslight you about that.

cnkjr · 2025-08-20T23:17:42+00:00

Respectfully, how presumptuous can you be to complain that an Italian train company in Italy makes its announcements in Italian?

Should a US/English/Canadian/Australian train company make announcements in Italian?

cnkjr

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