LATEST

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)

Survival Italian Language Course



🎓 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

 

No comments:

Powered by Blogger.