Survival Italian Language Course
Level 1: Survival Italian (Weeks 1–2)
Goal: Stay alive, eat pasta, and not get lost in
Rome.
🔤 Vocabulary &
Phrases
- Hello
/ Goodbye: Ciao / Arrivederci
- Please
/ Thank you / Excuse me: Per favore / Grazie / Mi scusi
- Yes /
No: Sì / No
- Numbers
1–100
- Common
foods, transport, hotel basics
🧠 Grammar
- Sentence
order: Subject-Verb-Object
- Present
tense of regular verbs (parlare, mangiare, andare)
- Articles:
il, la, lo, l’, un, una
- Gender
of nouns
🗣️ Speaking Practice
- Ordering
food (Un caffè, per favore!)
- Asking
for directions
- Introducing
yourself
- Hotel
check-in phrases
🍝 Cultural Tips
- Coffee
rules: Never order a cappuccino after 11am
- Italian
greetings (kiss-kiss on the cheek alert!)
- How
to politely get someone’s attention (hint: not by yelling)
🎓 Level 2: Functional
Italian for Study & Travel (Weeks 3–6)
Goal: Manage daily routines and simple academic
situations
🔤 Vocabulary &
Phrases
- School
& classroom: lezione, compiti, professore
- At the
store, pharmacy, and market
- Days
of the week, months, time
- Getting
around: autobus, treno, biglietto, fermata
🧠 Grammar
- Questions
(dove, quando, perché, quanto)
- Past
tense (passato prossimo)
- Prepositions
(in, a, su, con, per)
- Possessives
(mio, tuo, suo)
🗣️ Speaking Practice
- Talking
about your routine
- Shopping
& asking for prices
- Describing
places, people, and weather
- Talking
about your weekend or studies
🍕 Cultural Tips
- The
Italian “bella figura” (always look good)
- School
culture: Professors are not your pals
- Regional
dialects: Sicilian ≠ Milanese ≠ Roman
💼 Level 3: Social &
Business Italian Basics (Weeks 7–10)
Goal: Be polite and semi-professional without
sounding like a tourist
🔤 Vocabulary &
Phrases
- Business
intros: piacere di conoscerla
- Work-related
terms: ufficio, appuntamento, email
- Discussing
roles & schedules
- Small
talk and formal greetings
🧠 Grammar
- Formal
“you” (Lei) and polite verbs
- Future
tense
- Modal
verbs (potere, volere, dovere)
- Reflexive
verbs (chiamarsi, svegliarsi)
🗣️ Speaking Practice
- Professional
self-introduction
- Booking/rescheduling
meetings
- Talking
about your job or studies
- Email
and phone call etiquette
🍷 Cultural Tips
- Business
lunches can last forever
- Punctuality…
flexible, unless it’s a job interview
- How
to address people formally (Signore, Dottoressa, etc.)
📚 Level 4: Intermediate
Communication (Weeks 11–14)
Goal: Understand conversations, join discussions, and
express ideas
🔤 Vocabulary &
Phrases
- Emotions
& opinions
- News,
travel, and lifestyle topics
- Describing
problems and offering solutions
- Cultural
events and holidays
🧠 Grammar
- Imperfetto
vs. Passato Prossimo
- Comparatives
and superlatives
- Conjunctions
(perché, ma, quindi)
- Conditional
mood (vorrei, sarebbe)
🗣️ Speaking Practice
- Expressing
likes/dislikes, hopes, and regrets
- Describing
travel experiences
- Debating
simple topics (pizza: Napoli or Roma?)
- Giving
advice
🎭 Cultural Tips
- Italian
holidays (Ferragosto = ghost town)
- How
Italians really feel about rules
- Avoiding
politics, religion, and soccer fights
🌍 Level 5: Practical
Fluency & Cultural Savvy (Weeks 15–20)
Goal: Blend in like a local with a strong espresso
game
🔤 Vocabulary &
Phrases
- Professional
and academic vocabulary
- Expressions
and idioms (In bocca al lupo!)
- Formal
complaints and troubleshooting
- Negotiation,
conflict resolution
🧠 Grammar
- Subjunctive
mood (che sia, che vada)
- Gerunds
and passive voice
- Reported
speech
- Advanced
verb forms (trapassato, futuro anteriore)
🗣️ Speaking Practice
- Handling
interviews or presentations
- Giving
directions or assistance
- Navigating
bureaucracy (permesso di soggiorno, anyone?)
- Making
local friends
🍷 Cultural Tips
- Social
cues (don’t rush the goodbye—it takes a while)
- When
to kiss on the cheek vs. handshake
- Reading
between the lines: Italian indirectness decoded
📚 RECOMMENDED RESOURCES
- Apps:
Babbel, Drops, DuoLingo, Memrise
- Books:
“Italian Grammar Drills,” “Practice Makes Perfect: Italian,” “Living
Language Italian”
- YouTube: GlobalGuideMedia Italian, LearnAmo, ItalianPod101, Luca Lampariello
- TV:
L’Amica Geniale, Suburra, Don Matteo
- Language
Exchange: Tandem, HelloTalk, or join an Aperitivo night abroad
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