Learn Italian together

Twenty-one letters, five guests from abroad, and the accents that change a word.

1. The five vowels and m, n, l, p, t
2. b, d, f, r, s, v, z and the hard c and g
3. h, q, the five foreign letters and the accents
4. Checkpoint: The Italian Alphabet
5. Reading, listening and 10 questions

Ciao, chiave, gelato, figlio, pesce – c and g that change, gli, gn, sc and the double consonants.

1. c and g: hard and soft, ch and gh
2. gli, gn, sc and the two s and z
3. Double consonants and word stress
4. Checkpoint: Sounds and First Words
5. Reading, listening and 10 questions

Ciao! Mi chiamo … – names, where you are from, tu and Lei.

1. Ciao! Mi chiamo …: greeting and saying your name
2. Di dove sei?: cities, nationalities and languages
3. Come stai? – tu and Lei
4. Checkpoint: Greetings and Introductions
5. Reading, listening and 10 questions

Sono, ho, ho fame – the two key verbs of Italian and how to say no.

1. Io sono, tu sei: the present of essere
2. Ho vent'anni: avere and age
3. Ho fame, ho sonno: avere idioms and describing people
4. Checkpoint: Essere and Avere
5. Reading, listening and 10 questions

Il libro, lo zaino, l'amica, gli amici – seven articles and how to choose them.

1. Il, lo, la, l': the definite article
2. I, gli, le: plurals
3. Un, uno, una, un': the indefinite article and adjectives
4. Checkpoint: Nouns, Gender and Articles
5. Reading, listening and 10 questions

Parlo, prendo, dormo, capisco – three verb groups and the questions you ask with them.

1. -are verbs: parlo, abiti, lavoriamo
2. -ere and -ire verbs: prendo, dormo
3. Capisco, finisci: -isc- verbs and question words
4. Checkpoint: The Present Tense: -are, -ere, -ire
5. Reading, listening and 10 questions

Ventitré, Sono le tre e mezza, il primo maggio – counting, the clock and the calendar.

1. From 0 to 100
2. Che ore sono? – telling the time
3. Days, months and dates
4. Checkpoint: Numbers, Time and Dates
5. Reading, listening and 10 questions

Mia madre, i miei genitori, la sua casa – the people around you and whose they are.

1. La famiglia: family members
2. Il mio, la mia, i miei: possessives
3. Com'è? – describing people
4. Checkpoint: Family and Possessives
5. Reading, listening and 10 questions

Vado al cinema, la stazione è in centro – places in town, a, in, di, da, su with the article, and getting around.

1. Scusi, dov'è la stazione? – places and directions
2. Al, nel, dal, sul: articulated prepositions
3. In autobus, a piedi: transport and tickets
4. Checkpoint: The City and Prepositions
5. Reading, listening and 10 questions

Un caffè e un cornetto, per favore – the Italian bar, the market and a meal in four courses.

1. At the bar: un caffè e un cornetto
2. Del pane, dei pomodori: “some” and quantities
3. At the restaurant: antipasto, primo, secondo
4. Checkpoint: Food, the Bar and the Restaurant
5. Reading, listening and 10 questions

Mi sveglio, vado, faccio – a day from morning to night.

1. Mi sveglio alle sette: reflexive verbs
2. Vado, vengo, faccio: irregular verbs I
3. Dico, bevo, so: irregular verbs II and how often
4. Checkpoint: Daily Routine and Irregular Verbs
5. Reading, listening and 10 questions

C'è un divano, ci sono due camere – rooms, furniture, where things are and looking for a flat.

1. C'è, ci sono: rooms and furniture
2. Sopra, sotto, accanto: where things are
3. Cerco casa: renting a flat and ordinal numbers
4. Checkpoint: The House: c'è and ci sono
5. Reading, listening and 10 questions

Mi piace leggere, vuoi venire?, ho visto un film – hobbies, invitations and a first past tense.

1. Mi piace, mi piacciono: hobbies
2. Vuoi venire?: volere, potere, dovere and invitations
3. Ho visto un film: first steps in the passato prossimo
4. Checkpoint: Free Time, Likes and the Weekend
5. Reading, listening and 10 questions

Ho mangiato, sono partita – avere or essere, and the participle that agrees.

1. Avere or essere?
2. Fatto, detto, messo: irregular participles
3. Ieri, già, non ancora: telling what happened
4. Checkpoint: The Passato Prossimo
5. Reading, listening and 10 questions

Quando ero bambino …, mentre leggevo è squillato il telefono, sto per uscire – background, habits and events.

1. Da bambino giocavo: the imperfetto
2. Mentre leggevo, è squillato il telefono
3. Sto mangiando, sto per uscire
4. Checkpoint: The Imperfetto and the Past in Contrast
5. Reading, listening and 10 questions

Lo vedo, gli telefono, l'ho vista – how to replace what was already said.

1. Lo, la, li, le: direct object pronouns
2. Gli, le: indirect object pronouns
3. L'ho vista, gli ho scritto: pronouns in the passato prossimo
4. Checkpoint: Direct and Indirect Pronouns
5. Reading, listening and 10 questions

Ci vado domani, ne prendo due, ci vuole un'ora – two small words Italian uses everywhere.

1. Ci vado: ci for places
2. Ne prendo due: ne for quantities
3. Ci vuole, ci metto, ne parliamo: ci and ne in fixed uses
4. Checkpoint: Ci and Ne
5. Reading, listening and 10 questions

Domani pioverà, quando avrò tempo, saranno le otto – plans, forecasts and guesses.

1. Parlerò, prenderò, partirò: the regular future
2. Sarò, avrò, andrò: irregular futures and plans
3. Saranno le otto: the future of supposition
4. Checkpoint: The Future Tense
5. Reading, listening and 10 questions

Più alto di, meno caro che, bellissimo, migliore – comparing people, places and things.

1. Comparisons: più … di, meno … di, tanto … quanto
2. Il più alto, bellissimo: superlatives
3. Migliore, meglio, ottimo: irregular forms
4. Checkpoint: Comparison
5. Reading, listening and 10 questions

Senti!, dimmi, prenda una compressa – telling people what to do, from friends to the doctor.

1. Parla! Prendi! Finisci!: the tu, noi and voi imperative
2. Dimmi, fallo, non ti preoccupare: imperative with pronouns
3. Prenda, scusi, dica: the polite imperative at the doctor’s
4. Checkpoint: The Imperative, Instructions and Health
5. Reading, listening and 10 questions

Vorrei, potresti, dovresti, mi piacerebbe – polite requests, advice and dreams.

1. Vorrei, potresti …?: forms and polite requests
2. Dovresti dormire di più: giving advice
3. Mi piacerebbe …: wishes and dreams
4. Checkpoint: The Conditional: Requests, Advice and Wishes
5. Reading, listening and 10 questions

Un biglietto di andata e ritorno, una camera doppia, Ferragosto al mare – trains, hotels and holidays.

1. In stazione: trains and tickets
2. In albergo: booking a room
3. Le vacanze: telling a holiday story
4. Checkpoint: Travel and Holidays
5. Reading, listening and 10 questions

Penso che sia, voglio che tu venga, è meglio che – the mood of opinion, wish and doubt.

1. Penso che parli: forms of the congiuntivo presente
2. Sia, abbia, faccia: irregular forms, wishes and feelings
3. È meglio che …: impersonal expressions and indicative or subjunctive
4. Checkpoint: The Present Subjunctive
5. Reading, listening and 10 questions

Avevo già mangiato, avrei voluto, ha detto che sarebbe venuto – what had happened before and what never happened.

1. Avevo già finito: the trapassato prossimo
2. Avrei voluto: the condizionale passato
3. Ha detto che sarebbe venuto: the future in the past
4. Checkpoint: Earlier Pasts and the Past Conditional
5. Reading, listening and 10 questions

Me lo dai?, glielo dico, me ne vado – two pronouns together and the verbs that carry them.

1. Me lo, te la, ce li: two pronouns together
2. Glielo, gliela, gliene
3. Me ne vado, ce la faccio: pronominal verbs
4. Checkpoint: Combined Pronouns
5. Reading, listening and 10 questions

La ragazza con cui esco, il libro il cui autore, chi dorme non piglia pesci.

1. Relative pronouns: che and cui
2. Il quale, il cui: formal relatives
3. Chi, quello che, ciò che
4. Checkpoint: Relative Pronouns
5. Reading, listening and 10 questions

Se piove, resto a casa; se avessi tempo, viaggerei – hypotheses and the imperfect subjunctive.

1. Se piove, resto a casa: real conditions
2. Se fossi, se avessi: the congiuntivo imperfetto
3. Se avessi tempo, viaggerei: possible conditions
4. Checkpoint: If – Real and Possible Conditions
5. Reading, listening and 10 questions

In Italia si mangia bene, si vendono case, il Colosseo è stato costruito – who does it, and when it does not matter.

1. Si mangia bene: the impersonal si
2. Si vendono case: the si passivante
3. È stato costruito, viene servito: the passive
4. Checkpoint: the passive and the impersonal si
5. Reading, listening and 10 questions

Secondo me, penso che abbia ragione, benché sia tardi – arguing with the subjunctive.

1. Secondo me …: giving and challenging opinions
2. Penso che abbia capito: the congiuntivo passato
3. Benché, affinché, prima che: conjunctions with the congiuntivo
4. Checkpoint: opinions, doubts and debate
5. Reading, listening and 10 questions

Dice che è stanca, ha detto che sarebbe venuto, mi ha chiesto se volevo – passing on what was said.

1. Dice che …: reporting in the present
2. Ha detto che era stanco: the tense shift
3. Mi ha detto di aspettare: reported commands and questions
4. Checkpoint: Reported Speech
5. Reading, listening and 10 questions

Il curriculum, il colloquio, Resto in attesa di un Suo riscontro – finding work and writing formally.

1. Cercasi: job ads and the CV
2. Il colloquio: the job interview
3. Pronto, chi parla? – formal phone calls and e-mails
4. Checkpoint: Work and Formal Contact
5. Reading, listening and 10 questions

Pensavo che fosse, non sapevo che fossi già partito, come se niente fosse – the past tenses of the congiuntivo.

1. Pensavo che fosse: the congiuntivo imperfetto after a past verb
2. Non sapevo che fosse partito: the congiuntivo trapassato
3. Come se, chiunque, dovunque: always with the congiuntivo
4. Checkpoint: The Imperfect and Pluperfect Subjunctive
5. Reading, listening and 10 questions

Se l'avessi saputo, sarei venuto – the unreal past, mixed conditions and other ways to say if.

1. Se l'avessi saputo, sarei venuto: if about the past
2. Se avessi studiato, ora parlerei: mixed conditions
3. Se lo sapevo, venivo: the hypothesis in speech
4. Checkpoint: Hypothesis in the Past
5. Reading, listening and 10 questions

Fu, ebbe, nacque, disse – the tense of history, fairy tales and literature.

1. Parlò, credette, partì: regular forms
2. Fu, ebbe, fece: irregular forms
3. When Italians use it: history, stories and the regions
4. Checkpoint: The Passato Remoto
5. Reading, listening and 10 questions

Dice che verrà, disse che sarebbe venuto, pensavo che fosse venuto – making the tenses agree.

1. Concordanza with the indicativo
2. Concordanza with the congiuntivo
3. Discorso indiretto in full
4. Checkpoint: The Sequence of Tenses
5. Reading, listening and 10 questions

Studiando, finita la cena, dopo aver letto – shorter sentences with the non-finite forms.

1. Studiando si impara: the gerundio
2. Finita la cena: the participle
3. Dopo aver letto, il mangiare: the infinitive
4. Checkpoint: Gerund, Participle and Infinitive
5. Reading, listening and 10 questions

Siccome, nonostante, pertanto, in modo che – linking ideas in a clear argument.

1. Poiché, siccome, dato che: cause
2. Anche se, benché, tuttavia: concession
3. Quindi, così … che, in modo che: consequence and purpose
4. Checkpoint: Connectives: Cause, Concession, Consequence
5. Reading, listening and 10 questions

La tesi, l'aumento dei prezzi, è vero che … tuttavia – building and writing an argument.

1. Thesis, arguments, conclusion
2. L'aumento, la chiusura: nominalisation
3. È vero che …, tuttavia: conceding and refuting
4. Checkpoint: Argument and Nominal Style
5. Reading, listening and 10 questions

Famiglia, Nord e Sud, emigrazione, territorio – the debates of contemporary Italy.

1. Families and generations
2. North and South, emigration and immigration
3. The land: environment and heritage
4. Checkpoint: Italian Society and Identity
5. Reading, listening and 10 questions

Tu, Lei, Voi, dottore – choosing the right voice for every listener.

1. Tu, Lei, Voi and titles
2. Parlato e scritto: the features of spoken Italian
3. Same request, four registers
4. Checkpoint: Register and Forms of Address
5. Reading, listening and 10 questions

Il sottoscritto, in data odierna, si fa presente che – reading the burocratese and writing clearly.

1. Il burocratese: the language of offices
2. La domanda, il reclamo: formal letters
3. Scrivere chiaro: plain Italian
4. Checkpoint: Formal Writing and Bureaucratic Italian
5. Reading, listening and 10 questions

Gattino, librone, ricominciare, portafoglio – how Italian builds new words.

1. Gattino, librone, tempaccio: altered nouns
2. Prefissi e suffissi: building new words
3. Portafoglio, capostazione: compound nouns and their plurals
4. Checkpoint: Word Formation
5. Reading, listening and 10 questions

In bocca al lupo, essere al verde, prendere una decisione – speaking like a native.

1. Costare un occhio della testa: idioms of the body
2. In bocca al lupo, cadere a fagiolo: idioms with animals and food
3. Prendere una decisione: collocations and proverbs
4. Checkpoint: Idioms and Collocations
5. Reading, listening and 10 questions

Dev'essere, avrebbe detto, mica, magari – degrees of certainty and the small words that shade meaning.

1. Dev'essere, può darsi che: degrees of certainty
2. Avrebbe detto: the conditional of reported news and softening
3. Mica, pure, anzi, figurati: discourse particles
4. Checkpoint: Modality and Nuance
5. Reading, listening and 10 questions

Il libro l'ho letto, è lui che ha chiamato – word order, reference and punctuation.

1. Il libro l'ho letto: dislocation
2. È lui che ha chiamato: cleft sentences and focus
3. Quest'ultimo, il suddetto: reference and ellipsis
4. Checkpoint: Cohesion and Marked Word Order
5. Reading, listening and 10 questions

Metafora, anafora, Per concludere … – speaking and writing to persuade.

1. Metafora, anafora, climax: figures of speech
2. Oggi vi parlerò di …: giving a presentation
3. Mi permetta di interromperla: debating
4. Checkpoint: Rhetoric, Presenting and Debating
5. Reading, listening and 10 questions

Nel mezzo del cammin di nostra vita – the fourteenth century that made literary Italian.

1. Dante and the Commedia
2. Petrarca and the Canzoniere
3. Boccaccio and the Decameron
4. Checkpoint: The Three Crowns: Dante, Petrarca, Boccaccio
5. Reading, listening and 10 questions

Quel ramo del lago di Como – the novel and the theatre of modern Italy.

1. Manzoni and I promessi sposi
2. Verga and verismo
3. Pirandello: masks and humour
4. Checkpoint: Modern Classics
5. Reading, listening and 10 questions

From Latin to the volgari, from Bembo to Manzoni, from dialect to television.

1. From Latin to the volgari
2. The questione della lingua
3. From Unification to today
4. Checkpoint: The History of Italian
5. Reading, listening and 10 questions

Anguria or cocomero? Napoletano, siciliano, veneto – one Italy, many ways to speak.

1. Regional Italian
2. The dialects: languages, not mistakes
3. Minority languages and Italian in the world
4. Checkpoint: Regional Italian and the Dialects
5. Reading, listening and 10 questions

Libreria is not a library – false friends, the untranslatable and the art of dubbing.

1. False friends
2. Untranslatables: words that carry a culture
3. Traduttore, traditore: translating and interpreting
4. Checkpoint: Translation and Interpretation
5. Reading, listening and 10 questions

Fa freddo qui …, magari un'altra volta, sì, come no! – what Italians mean beyond what they say.

1. Fa freddo qui: implicature and indirect requests
2. Magari un'altra volta: politeness and face
3. Sì, come no!: irony and intonation
4. Checkpoint: Pragmatics and the Implicit
5. Reading, listening and 10 questions

Reading, writing and speaking like an educated Italian – the last mile.

1. Reading at full speed
2. Writing with style
3. Speaking with nuance
4. Checkpoint: The Summit: Style and Mastery
5. Reading, listening and 10 questions