Italian for Beginners

This free online course is the first of six in the Italian for Beginners program. It will introduce you to the basic language, so that you are able to:

• order snacks and drinks in a café;
• greet people and introduce yourself and others;
• talk about where you live and where you come from;
• talk about the languages you speak;
• talk about what you do.

Start to speak, listen, read and write in Italian

During the four weeks of the course, you will learn some of the vocabulary and phrases you need to help you interact with people at a basic level.

You will start to develop the four language skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing through a range of activities, which will introduce the language in authentic settings, and audio resources, which will let you hear the language in action.

There are some activities where you will also practice your speaking skills, as it is important that you start speaking as soon as possible.

You will also learn some essential Italian grammar, including some basic verbs, such as essere (to be) and chiamarsi (to call). Finally, you will get some tips and advice on how to develop your study skills, so that you can become a successful language learner.

Take your Italian learning offline by purchasing two hours of downloadable audio files and transcripts made by the course creators at The Open University. These MP3s are a great way to practise your Italian listening and speaking wherever you are. They cover examples and exercises in the same topics as the course.

This course is aimed at people with no prior knowledge of Italian, who want to learn the basic language, and find out about Italy and its regions and culture. This course is taught through English.

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This free online course is the second of six in the Italian for Beginners program. It will introduce you to the language that you need to:

• introduce people;
• exchange contact information (address, telephone number, e-mail);
• use numbers;
• exchange information about people;
• talk about your family;
• describe people and the clothes they wear.

Talk about people and family in Italian

During the four weeks of the course, you will learn the vocabulary and phrases you need to talk about friends and family, and the present tense of some basic verbs, such as avere (to have). You will also learn how to ask questions in Italian. You will continue to develop your speaking, listening, reading and writing skills, through the activities and the audio resources.

You will find tips and advice on how to develop your study skills, as well as cultural information about people in Italy and about the Italian regions.

This course is aimed at people with little prior knowledge of Italian, who want to learn the basic language and find out about Italy and its regions and culture. The course assumes that you have already studied the first course in the Italian for Beginners program. This course is taught through English.

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This free online course is the third of six in the Italian for Beginners program. It will introduce you to language that you need to:

• ask and say the time;
• say what time things happen;
• talk about your daily routine;
• talk about working hours;
• talk about going to places;
• talk about leisure activities.

Describe your normal day in Italian

During the four weeks of the course, you will learn vocabulary and expressions to talk about what you do during a normal day, and learn the present tense of regular verbs ending in -ere and -ire, as well as some irregular verbs such as andare (to go) and uscire (to go out) and venire (to come). You will also talk about your leisure habits and things you do regularly, using reflexive verbs.

By now, you will find that you are getting more confident in your listening, and you will continue to work on your speaking, reading and writing skills too.

You will find out about meal times and eating habits in Italy, and about bike-friendly towns.

This course is aimed at people with little prior knowledge of Italian, who want to learn the basic language and find out about Italy and its regions and culture. The course assumes that you have already studied the previous two courses in the Italian for Beginners program. This course is taught through English.

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This free online course is the fourth of six in the Italian for Beginners program. It will introduce you to the language you need to :

• say what you like and dislike;
• talk about your likes, dislikes and interests;
• compare likes and dislikes;
• talk about preferences;
• give reasons.

Learn Italian to talk about your hobbies and interests

During the four weeks of the course, you will learn the vocabulary and expressions to talk about what you like doing in your leisure time.

You will learn how to talk about what you like and dislike, using the piacere (to like) and what you prefer, using preferire (to prefer).

By now, you will be halfway through the Italian for Beginners program, and you will be growing in confidence. You will be coming across longer texts in Italian, and you will read some of them for gist, so you understand what they are about even if you don’t understand all of the words.

You will learn about popular holiday destinations for Italians, about the Università per Stranieri in Perugia and about the Abruzzo region.

This course is aimed at people with little prior knowledge of Italian, who want to learn the basic language and find out about Italy and its regions and culture. The course assumes that you have already studied the previous three courses in the Italian for Beginners program. This course is taught through English.

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This free online course is the fifth of six in the Italian for Beginners program. It will introduce you to the language that you need to:

• talk about arrival and departure times;
• enquire about train times;
• buy a train ticket;
• ask for information;
• talk about journey times and distances.

Learn Italian to travel, ask about trains and buy tickets

During the four weeks of the course, you will learn the vocabulary and phrases you need to travel around Italy, such as getting information about train times, buying a ticket or asking how long the journey is.

You will learn to use si (yes) to say how things are done and learn the verbs dovere (to have to), potere (can) and volere (to want). You will continue to develop your language skills, and practice asking for information in Italian. And you will find out about local transport and the rail network and about the geography of Italy.

This course is aimed at people with little prior knowledge of Italian, who want to learn the basic language and find out about Italy and its regions and culture. The course assumes that you have already studied the previous four courses in the Italian for Beginners program. This course is taught through English.