Advance your Italian while exploring literature, family, society, and everyday communication in this engaging evening course. You’ll learn how to talk about books, express opinions and preferences, give suggestions, justify your ideas, interpret statistics, and discuss advantages and disadvantages of different situations. Alongside the textbook activities, you will also read short stories and selected essays provided by the teacher.
Grammar topics include che + congiuntivo, sequence of tenses, the passive form, passato remoto, the historical present, comparatives and superlatives, fare + infinito, and the impersonal form ci si.
The course follows Units 5 and 6 of Nuovo Espresso 3, with interactive activities designed to boost your confidence and fluency in real-world conversations. On completion, you will be ready to progress onto Intermediate Italian pt2 (B1).
Course Outline
Course start date: Tuesday 20 January
Course end date: Tuesday 24 March
Time: 18:00 to 19:30
Location: Camden Collective
Price: £250
Topics
Talking about books and storytelling
Expressing interest, disinterest and preferences
Giving suggestions
Asking for reasons and giving explanations
Expressing opinions and judgements
Introducing a new topic with a question
Arguing, asking for confirmation and confirming information
Presenting reasons for a thesis
Commenting on statistics
Describing consequences of facts
Motivating and justifying a point
Discussing advantages and disadvantages of a situation
Themes related to family and how it changes over time, social behaviours and habits
Project: write a book review
Grammar
Che + subjunctive
Sequence of tenses (II)
Passive form with essere and venire
Passato remoto
Historical present
Sebbene, nonostante, malgrado, benché + congiuntivo
Anche se + indicativo
Comparatives and superlatives (irregular/particular forms)
Fare + infinito
Impersonal form of reflexive verbs (ci si)
Learning outcomes (what you will be able to do by the end of the course):
Recount the plot of a book or story in a clear and structured way
Express preferences, likes/dislikes and personal interest
Give suggestions and advice
Ask for explanations and clarify reasons
Express opinions and formulate judgements
Introduce new topics and guide a conversation
Build a coherent argument and respond to others’ arguments
Interpret and comment on statistics
Describe consequences and justify a position
Discuss pros and cons of a condition or situation
Info about the course and resources
This course is focused on spoken interaction and communication. Typical activities include pair work, group work, role plays and games. Your teacher will provide a range of activities to support your learning including presentations, hand-outs, and audio-visual material. After each session, you will be assigned homework which is highly recommended to consolidate learning.
About the textbook
Textbook:
Balì M & Giglio L (2015), Nuovo espresso 3: Libro dello studente e esercizi, Florence: Alma Edizioni.
Books you may find useful:
Ziglio L (2005) Espresso 3: Esercizi supplementari Florence: Alma Edizioni Adorni S – Primorac K (2011)
English grammar for students of Italian: The study guide for those learning Italian Ann Arbor, MI: Olivia and Hill Press
