CHOOSING YOUR LEVEL
In order to make sure students are enrolling to the most suitable levels, they will take a test during the week previous the beginning of the courses. The test will take places at the school at a convenient time for the students, or in case the student cannot come to the school, a telephone test can be arranged.

Description of all the levels

Beginners 1

After this 10 weeks' course you will be able to sustain a simple conversation in Italian. You will be able to:
- Introduce and talk about yourself
- Talk about what you like and what you don't like
- Book a table in a restaurant, order drinks and food
- Book a room in a Hotel and get by on holidays
- Count in Italian

and you will have learned the essential elements of grammar in order to proceed to the next level of beginners 2. In particular you will be familiar with

• Gender and number of Italian words

• articles and prepositions

• agreements between nouns and adjectives.

• present tense of regular verbs

• present tense of most commonly used irregular verbs and of reflexive verbs.

Text Book: Espresso 1 (first part)

Beginners 2
This course is designed for those who have followed the previous term in our school as beginners. It is also suitable for those who come from other schools and backgrounds so long as they have covered the topics listed in our beginners' course plan.
It's main objective, during the 10 weeks, is to revised and consolidate the language learnt in the previous term and to extend the students' conversational skills by enabling them to talk about their past.
We will aim at developing the conversation and widening the vocabulary enabling the students to:
- describe a place, a house, a city
- describe people both physically and psychologically
- talking about your family and friends

The main objective of  this level is to put the grammar structures already learnt in the previous term in the context of a more complex communication.
The only grammar topics which will be added during this course will be.

• Use of the most common irregular verbs

• Introduction to Past Tense

• Compound and relative pronouns

Text Book: Espresso 1 (second part) + handouts and listening provided by teacher

Elementary
The course's aim is to enable students to sustain a more articulate conversation and to clearly express themselves in practical daily life situations. During the 10 weeks' students will also gain a further insight into Italian society and culture.
After this 10 weeks' course you will be able to sustain a reasonably broad conversation in Italian
- talking about your past life
- describing your childhood
- describing more complex situation in the present and in the past

The main grammar structures covered at this level will be:

• Revision and consolidation of Past Tense

• Introduction of Imperfect Tense

• Different uses of Past Perfect and Imperfect and differences between the two tenses

• Use of most common idiomatic expressions

Text Book: Espresso 2 + listening and video provided by the teacher

Lower Intermediate
The course's aim is to enable students to sustain an articulate conversation, to clearly express themselves and to understand Italian native speakers. During the 10 weeks' students will also gain a further insight into Italian society and culture and every day language.
After completing this level you will be able to sustain an articulate conversation in Italian including:
- making a proposition
- making a hypothesis
- talking about your desires, wishes and intentions
- expressing your plans for the future

 You will also be able to read and comprehend  simple articles from  magazines or newspapers, to write simple letters or email in Italian.  The main grammar structures covered at this level will be:

• Revision and consolidation of Past Tense and Imperfect

• Introduction of Future and Conditional Tense

• Combined pronouns

• Use of more complex idiomatic expressions

• Use and comprehension of daily (street) Italian

Text Book: Espresso 2 + audio-video material provided by the teacher

Intermediate
After completing this level you will be able to also
- express your doubts and hopes about situation
- express your personal view on different matters
and you will be able to refine your practical conversational skills by using the most suitable tone and register for the situation. During this course, sources from real Italian will be used such as: Italian films, Italian Television Programme, Italian newspaper etc. The main grammar structures covered at this level will be:

• Subjunctive present

• Trapassato Prossimo (Past Perfect) ex: I had eaten etc..

• Relative pronouns

Text Book: Espresso 2 + audio-video material provided by the teacher

Upper Intermediate
After completing this level, you will be able to use your Italian for more than holidays and strictly personal purposes. You will be able to sustain a work conversation, in person and on the phone, to explain and talk about a complex situation and to write more elaborate letter or emails. You will also be able to read and comprehend  articles from magazines or newspapers and you will gain a further insight into Italian society and culture

Grammar covered: all the elements of previous levels plus relative pronouns, conditional tense and past subjunctive. Plus extended coverage of the most used idiomatic expression of every day life.

Text Book: Espresso 3 + various material provided by the teacher                   

Advanced
After completing this level you will be able to speak Italian fluently in any occasions and to understand native Italian in any kind of conversation. You will also be able to read and understand Italian newspaper or books.

This course you will include practice of conversation on different subjects taken from Italian media (TV, Cinema, Books, Newspaper), exercises on writing a short but comprehensive essay on chosen subjects and exercises on oral and written translation from English into Italian.

Text Book: various material provided by the teacher