It is NOT often used by older people as Gary says. You could live for many years among older people and never hear it. Jessica has the best answer.

Scusa "by kype"... ho voluto dire "by skype"... questo sito non permette le correzioni. :( e scusa se ho comesso altri errori. Ciao.

Ciao Gabriele, ecco alcune piccole correzioni. Vedrai le differenze: Hi guys! I am here to help people who would like to learn Italian. I am free to talk (by kype [better is "via skype"], to read essays, articles, news, or to start a discussion about them, and so forth. I would like to find a native English speaker to exchange my Italian for his/her English in the same way. Add me to your skype contacts or add me to your friends list here. See you soon. :) Va bene?

Here is an online textbook with 20 lessons: http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/modlang/carasi/site/lessons/lesson01/pageone.html This is the best online dictionary: www.wordreference.com it also has a terrific Italian forum. You need to join (free) to post, but not to look at it. Here is the BBC site: http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/italian/ That will keep you busy for a year or more. It also has short videos that you can download. This site has all the grammar you can think of: http://www.mmdtkw.org/ItalGram.html And a song for you between studies; youtube and google video is full of Italian music: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8869996028229322591&q=fabrizio+de+andre&total=967&start=20&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=3

Casey: Pimsleur is free if you live in the United States. Just go to your public library. If they don't have it, ask them to do an inter-library loan (that costs a dollar in my town; it may be higher in yours). In Australia it's in the Sidney public library and you can probably do an inter-library loan there also. Josh: it's not imariamo.com but impariamo.com.

Penso che il passato remoto, ecetto per il verbo "essere", non sia usato quando si parla. Così non hai bisogna di impararlo per parlare, solamente leggere. Lo vedo nelle canzone e storie. Non mi preoccupo molto con il passato remoto perchè è più importante per me di parlare l'italiano.

Of course, each English-speaking country has it's own customary way of using English. If you are giving the speech in America (you didn't say), unless you really want to sound like you don't know how to use the language, then don't start with "Good day!", "Hello everyone!", "HI", or "Hello." Harregarre is correct: "Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen."