Bretta, You are wonderful! You have the patience of an angel. You are just like a loving mother trying to help her [students] learn to speak. .That is a very endearing quality. Your class is a lots of fun and luckily all of the students are nice.
— Eileen Fredrickson NYC Met Life |
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It has been a long time since I took a course with you but
I always meant to come back. As always I love your classes. You are so
insightful and give great acronym-like terms for remembering the language. Out of all the teachers that I have had, you
are the only one that made it so much fun that I remember even the littlest
things like "cavatappi," a word that I do not use much. ( I usually am never
the one to open the wine bottle). I'd like to start in the "Basics Review & More"" on Wednesday evenings...
— Gina Gallo New York City Executive Asssistant |
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"She is without a doubt the best language teacher I have had and by far one of the best teachers I have ever encountered."
— Marc Macaluso, New York City Creative Director, DataSynapse, Inc. |
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"An absolute genius when it comes to teaching Italian."
— Eileen Lottman New York City Author |
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"Don't let Bretta's charm or her comfortable sofa fool you; her course is rigorous. She offers challenging and effective instruction in the most pleasant setting imaginable."
— Fritzie Brown Arts Administrator, New York City |
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You had asked about my Italian teacher so here is her info:
Her name is Bretta Lundell. She is a retired opera singer who
lived in Italy for many years. She does small classes at various
levels - Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced.
We have so much fun it doesn't even feel like a class. Max class size is 8-10,
but my classes (Intermediate-Advanced) typically have only had 3-5 students.
Classes are held in a private home in the West Village.
My skills have greatly improved in the 12 months I have been studying with Bretta.
I can have conversations, follow most topics, and receive many compliments from my Italian friends on my quick progress. I highly recommend her!
Let me know if you have any questions.
— Sherry Keiser ACCENTURE, New York City IT Consultant- Financial Services |
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"You are very effective [as a teacher] and have managed to make
me feel comfortable enough to
learn a language and to enjoy the process at the same time."
— Edward Loughran New York City Founder and CEO, Wealth Information EXchange |
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The course was invaluable to me. It tied together so many loose ends, and gave me a real understanding of how to make Italian sound Italian. Your skills as a teacher and delightful personality were most inspiring, and I learned so
much about how to teach from you.
— Herb Rothgarber Brooklyn, NY Composer/ pianist |
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" So enthusiastic! We had so much fun and it really worked!
" Best course I have taken. Teacher energetic sympathetic to each student clear transmitting of information appropriate drills joyous intro to language. Clear teaching of special rhythm of Italian language and pronunciation [ and I was] therefore able to speak."
— Feedback from Immersion Course Participants Omega Institute, Rhinebeck, NY August 2006 |
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" "This instructor is a master teacher, the kind one spends a life-time searching for."
" "Teacher has superior knowledge of language. Teacher speaks beautifully."
"Bretta is full of life and wisdom, a totally enjoyable experience. Very animated and delightful."
— Feedback from Immersion Course participants Omega Institute, Rhinebeck, NY Summer Workshop, 2006 |
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There is a special energy in your class which I believe begins with you. You have a gift, not just for the art of teaching the language, but for taking 10-15 relative strangers and making them into dare I say friends or at a minimum acquaintances who know more technical info about each other than more spouses do in our city and who leave the room at the end of the night with smiles and feeling a little more confident about themselves and their abilities. It has been amazing to witness many of the ladies come out of their shell and speak loud and proud. It makes me smile just thinking of it. YOU are great and I hope that I again get the opportunity to have a seat at your table and learn from you.
— Heidi Broumand, Esq. Doyle & Broumand, LLP New York CIty |
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Prendere le lezioni d'italiano con Bretta e un'esperienza notevole. L'italiano e una lingua difficile che lei sa insegnare in una manniera elegante, rendendo ogni passo memorabile -- e piu importante, divertente! Si, lei e esigente, un vero stickler per la pronuncia....[ma]Fidatevi nel suo metodo, benche i passi in avanti che realizzate (quando fate i compiti e studiate i verbi!)sono davvero notevoli. Neppure il mio ragazzo (che e' di Milano) riesce a insegnarmi la lingua come Bretta. Non vedo l'ora di poter parlare correntemente... Grazie mille Bretta! ....................... TRANSLATION:
..............TAKING ITALIAN LESSONS WITH BRETTA HAS BEEN such a REMARKABLE EXPERIENCE. Italian is a difficult language that she teaches elegantly and effortlessly, making every step memorable and, more importantly, fun. Yes, she is a stickler for pronunciation. Yes, you will repeat things over and over again. Trust her method, though, for the progress that you make (when you do your homework and study your verbs!) is nothing short of remarkable. Even my boyfriend who is from Milan has not been able to teach the language like Bretta can. I look forward to moving closer and closer to fluency.... Grazie mille Bretta!
— Lisa Vranesich Surge Worldwide Healthcare Group Vice President, Sr.Account Director |
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"..When I started taking classes with Bretta, she asked where I might be in 3 years, and said why not speak Italian when you get there? I'm having the time of my life and in another month [in my fantasy] I am changing my name to Paolo Legni and moving to Rome!" --
— Paul Woods Former President, Gucci Group Timepieces, North America |
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Cara Bretta
Thank you very much for the Italian lessons in Sicily. Mi piace visitare in Sicilia! Che bello! Moltissimo!! I learned a lot of Italian and enjoyed touring Terrasini, Castellammare, Palermo, Segesta and Erice with you. My French teacher, Madame ____, is not half as good a teacher as you are! Hopefully, we'll see each other soon again. Your faithful student, xoxo
— Nora Kipnis, age 12 WEstchester County, NY |
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Cara Bretta,
Volevo ringraziarti per le belle lezioni in queste sei settimane sempre divertenti....Mi hai comunicato il tuo enthusiasmo per questa lingua..Sono molto contenta di aver fatto la tua conoscenza, una persona cosi gentile e interessante.
TRANSLATION: I wanted to thank you for the wonderful lessons over the past six weeks, always so much fun...You communicated to me your enthusiasm for this language..and I am so happy to have met you, a person as kind and interesting as you are.
— Athena Zographos New York City Architectural Designer |
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I would sit in class for 8 hours if I could. I have been enjoying our class immensely and
always look forward to it. It's the highlight of my week.
— Salvatore Carino Silvercup Studios, Queens Business mgr, THe SOPRANOS |
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Cara Bretta,
Voglio ringraziarti per sei settimane di lezioni divertissime ed utili. Scoprire nuovamente la lingua italiana dopo molti anni senza la gioia di studiarla era un esperienza deliziosa! Nelle tue lezioni non e' spaventoso provare a parlare (una nuova esperienza per me!) e tu sei una professoressa veramente esperta nel spiegare come devo pronunciare correttamente. Mi dispiace molto di non poter continuare con te nel prossimo anno. Sono certa che non potro' trovare una professoressa fantastica come te a Londra! Spero che quando torno a New York..potremo rivederci e chiacchierare ancora in italiano. Con saluti affettuosi, Ali
TRANSLATION:
"Dear Bretta,
I want to thank you for six weeks of extremely fun and useful Italian classes. To discover anew the italian language, after many years without the joy of studying it, was a delicious experience! In your classes, it is not terrifying to try to speak (a new experience for me!) and you are indeed an expert at explaining how to pronounce correctly..I am so sorry not to be able to continue with you next year. I am sure I will not be able to find a fantastic teacher like you in London! I hope that when I return to New York...we will be able to meet and gab in italian once more. Merry Christmas! With affectionate greetings, Ali"
— Alexandra Orme London, England Graduate Student |
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Anyone trying to learn a language should enroll in small, personal classes, where wine is served. For six months, I've taken Italian lessons with the fabulous Bretta Bracali Lundell and Ecco Domani's Pinot Grigio has become the wine we drink during class. How this happened, I'm not sure. I think originally a bottle was sent to me at the office, and I brought it to class. But what I am sure of is that (a) we all like it, (b) we all speak better after a glass of wine and (c) we now pour it (some nights more liberally than others) during our twice weekly classes.
— Rima Suqi Editor, BEST BETS, New York Magazine |
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My step-daughter Nora and I had a wonderful time in Terrasini and are still talking about the dinner at Marielena's gorgeous house in Mondello (the salamander's hanging above the table, the spontaneous arias, the bathroom
decor...), your way of saying oopsy in the car,
Nicola's boating expeditions, Cinzia's dog Stella; that certain slant of light in Erice. I tried singing the babylon song in the car with my family but they all have tin ears. I loved learning Italian and the "inside look" at Italy best of all.
— Alice Fasano New York |
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I wanted to tell you that my trip to Italy was a dream! Thanks for
your help. By the end of my two weeks I was able to get through just
about any ordinary situation without using English. It was one of the
great thrills of my life to communicate in another tongue. I am
seriously considering sticking with it.
— David Turner New York City |
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I want to thank you for a wonderful, enriching few months - you are an exceptional person and a terrific teacher. I have enjoyed our class so much - it's a wonderful group of people. I will miss you all.
Stephanie Patrucco
AVP/Corporate Sponsorship
Sesame Workshop
— Stephanie Patrucco AVP/Corporate Sponsorship, Sesame Workshop |
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I wanted to personally thank you for being the most wonderful language
teacher I have ever had!! You truly make it so fun and easy that Julie
and I went to Italy with the same confidence we had in your living
room. Although many Italians speak English, there were a few who did
not and having the knowledge you provided us was a true life saver. One
night, we went to the opera and had a horrible time finding a taxi
home. Julie and I held a full conversation with the polizia, explaining
our situation and when we finally found a cab, I told the driver "tu
sei un angelo per noi." I know that's not the best way to say "you are an
angel to us" but he understood and smiled. I don't know what we would
have done had we not taken your class. Thank you again for everything
and we both look forward to seeing you in class soon.
— Amie LaRosa New York City |
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Mia sorella (my sister ) and I are back from Roma! We cannot thank you enough for everything you taught us before we left. I have never in my life had more fun speaking another language like that! The Italians actually understood us and when they didn't they tried everything they could to help us! We cannot wait to get back to your classes so that we can really learn the language. Grazie Mille!
— Julia LaRosa Coordinator, Creative Services, Time Warner Cable |
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This is to THANK you for the delight of studying the very beginning of beautiful Italian with you.
I never dreamed trying to learn a new language could be so much fun. I arrived for the first class, terrified, telling myself "Nonsense, you're a grown up OLD woman of 72 (settanta due). Be brave..corragio!" (See, I'm learning). ..The evening flew by, with laughter and ridiculous mistakes, and we even learned a little with our beautiful, gracious, hostess-professoressa, Bretta. I hadn't realized how hard I'd been concentrating until I was on the way home .
How gentile e generosa you are! You never make us feel like fools, hai pazienza e umorismo. [using patience and humor]
I may not become fluent this time around, but I'm losing my fear of TRYING and appreciating more and more the beauty of the language.
Grazie mille Bretta, for making it divertente!! [Thanks a million for making it fun!!]
— Sally Kemp Actress |
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"Taking Italian lessons with Bretta is truly an enriching experience. ..Bretta insists that you speak in Italian, regardless of your errors. She speaks to you only in Italian - but translates when you are totally lost. Her insistence on pronouncing Italian the CORRECT way is one of the best aspects of these lessons..you learn to speak it the way the natives do."
— Maria Kuhn New York City Jewelry manufacturer |
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I’ve been studying with Bretta for only a short time (about 6 weeks), but I can tell you she is one of the best teachers I’ve ever encountered. I came in with just basic skills and started with a 5-week private intensive ..My progress is astounding, both in speaking and comprehension...Bretta’s passion and teaching style have clearly accelerated the process beyond my wildest dreams. Sono felicissima di studiare con questa brava professoressa! Bretta e' simpatica, gentile, molto intelligente – anche e’ una persona spiritosa. [I am very happy to be studying with this great teacher! Bretta is warm, friendly and very intelligent - and is highly entertaining as well.]
— Karen Bussen New York City Event Designer; www.karenbussen.com |
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I have had the most enjoyable time in your class, making me wish I had done this years ago. You have a wonderful teaching style and made us feel comfortable from the very first day. I think the beginner course is structured very well. I have learned a lot from it. One thing that was beneficial for me was interacting with the other students (the exercises in which you had us asking each other questions was both fun and a valuable learning experience).Thank you very much, this has been a wonderful experience for me.
— Raffaele Migliore New York City Research Chemist |
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"I never thought I could have this much fun and at the same time learn to speak a foreign language!"
— Corrie Monson, Marble Importer, NYC |
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It is through your patience, enthusiasm, "disinhibition" and tranquility that I am able to learn and to enjoy the learning process. You are a teacher whom I do not ever want to forget.
— Celia Purugganan, M.D. New York City Diplomate, American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology |
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The private classes are extremely useful and fun. Bretta has given me not only the tools to [attain] fluency but the confidence to know that I can achieve it.
— Maisha Phillips New York City Fashion Coordinator |
