To provide students with the basic linguistic tools needed to live in Italy. In particular, the expected objectives are:
Listening comprehension: to understand simple instructions and directions related to everyday situations (shops, means of transport, leisure, home, family) and to grasp the main information in short messages and announcements;
Speaking: to introduce oneself and others using simple expressions; to ask simple questions and provide answers regarding immediate needs or familiar topics; to take part in basic conversations on themes connected to daily life and personal matters;
Reading comprehension: to understand short texts, mostly informative in nature, written with very common vocabulary (signs, directions, instructions, menus);
Writing: to write simple sentences, short personal letters and emails to introduce oneself and ask for information, to fill in forms.
Course Prerequisites
To enroll in the course a good knowledge of English language and grammar is required.
Teaching Methods
Interactive lectures
Flipped classroom
Individual activities
Pair or small group activities
Homework/Assignments
Assessment Methods
Knowledge of the content will be assessed through a final written examination that will test both written and oral comprehension and production skills, as well as grammar skills.
Texts
NEW ITALIAN ESPRESSO - BEGINNER AND PRE-INTERMEDIATE UPDATED EDITION (TEXTBOOK)
NEW ITALIAN ESPRESSO - BEGINNER AND PRE-INTERMEDIATE UPDATED EDITION (WORKBOOK)
Contents
Grammar:
Numbers
Gender and number of regular nouns and of some irregular nouns
Gender and number of definite articles
Indefinite articles
Gender and number of adjectives
Interrogative adverbs and pronouns (where, from where, when, why, how, who, what?)
Adverbs of frequency
Demonstrative pronouns: questo (this)/ quello (that)
Direct object pronouns
Present indicative of regular verbs
Present indicative of the most common irregular verbs
Present indicative of reflexive and pronominal verbs
The verbs piacere (to like) and sapere (to know)
The modal verbs dovere (must/to have to), potere (can/to be able to), volere (to want)
Imperative (affirmative and negative form in the second person singular)
The construction ci + verbo essere (c’è, ci sono - there is, there are)
Past definite/perfect of regular verbs
Past definite/perfect of the most common irregular verbs
Past definite/perfect of reflexive and pronominal verbs
Introduction to simple and articulated prepositions
Fundamentals of spelling and phonetics
Vocabulary:
Greetings
Nationalities and origin
Age
Units of measure
Days of the week, months, seasons
Telling the time (the hours)
Professions and workplaces
Food and drinks
Clothing
Colors
Places in the city
Means of transport
Shops
Holidays/vacations and free time
The house/home
Communicative Functions:
Greeting (formally and informally)
Asking questions during the lesson
Introducing oneself
Talking about oneself and others
Talking about one's family
Asking a person for information (age, job, phone number, address, etc.)
Ordering at the bar and at the restaurant
Expressing preferences and tastes
Asking and telling the time
Describing a place
Describing a person
Narrating in the present
Talking about work and free time
Talking about daily activities
Asking for and giving directions
Inviting, accepting, or refusing an invitation
Giving advice
Shopping in a store
Narrating in the past
Writing a postcard/e-mail
Filling out a form with personal details
Course Language
Italian
More information
The programme and syllabus are to be considered indicative. Teaching activities will be based on the actual language level of the students, the development of their internal syllabus (in terms of speed of development and accuracy) and the characteristics of their learning models, seeking to harmonise the teacher's proposal with the predisposition of the class group as much as possible.