Description

For all levels:NewbieFor anyone who’s absolutely new to Italian, these lessons will help you with basics. Newbie lessons are exclusively in English. They feature dialogues that are repeated three times and are followed by translations. An analysis follows, highlighting the key vocabulary and phrases from the dialogues, as well as discussing anything that can be confusing for new-comers to Italian. Verbs are in the present tense and vocabulary comes from situations that one is likely to encounter upon arrival in Italy.ElementaryElementary lessons introduce the listener to the past tense, as well as making use of verbs in the present tense. Listeners will also be exposed to ways in which they can describe feelings and preferences. The dialogues are longer than those at the Newbie level, and are followed by a more in-depth analysis of the grammar found in the dialogue. The hosts emphasize pronunciation and grammar.IntermediateFor listeners who have moved beyond the basics introduced in Newbie and treated in more depth in Elementary, Intermediate lessons offer the next step. In these lessons listeners find themselves exposed to stories that use the past, present, and future tenses. The hosts will speak a mix of Italian and English in these lessons, and listeners will have the opportunity to listen to extended dialogues and narratives.Upper IntermediateAt the Upper Intermediate level we’ll show you how to add conjecture and conditionality to your speech. By this level, you should be comfortable speaking in the past, present, and future, so you’re ready to practice the dreaded Italian subjunctive mood. We’ll be speaking primarily in Italian, and shifting back to English for the occasional vocabulary item.AdvancedAdvanced lessons focus on introducing specialized vocabulary, practicing problematic grammatical features, and lively Italian language discussion. Listeners will also be introduced to the remote past tense in Italian, enabling them to describe historical events and understand the nuances of literary Italian. The lessons are conducted entirely in Italian, including explanations of grammar and vocabulary. They also feature more use of idioms than lessons at the lower levels.Advanced MediaThe Advanced Media provides commentary and analysis on materials and media intended for a Italian-speaking audience. For each lesson, students should read the article (or other form of media) given in advance. The hosts will discuss the article in the show, focusing on difficult vocabulary, expressions, and nuances.