Instant Italian

This dynamic course will teach you how to express yourself comfortably in Italian. You'll learn practical, everyday words. You'll read, hear, and practice dialogues based on typical situations that you're likely to encounter if you plan to vacation in Italy. The dialogues and follow-up exercises of each lesson will teach you to communicate in Italian in a wide variety of settings. You'll be surprised by how quickly and easily you can learn many useful expressions in Italian! This course will make it simple to master your pronunciation of Italian. Essential words and phrases are written phonetically by using sounds that are familiar to you from English words. The audio feature lets you hear the words and phrases spoken aloud with just a click of your mouse. Short exercises are included with each lesson to help you reinforce what you've learned and gauge your progress, making it easy to pinpoint areas that you still need to review. The exercises also give you immediate feedback—you'll know whether you answered correctly as soon as you finish.

By the end of the second lesson, you will have already learned about the Italian language's impact on the world, the Italian alphabet, phonetics, and pronunciation, proper forms of address, expressions of courtesy, and how to make introductions. When you reach your final lesson, you will know how to ask for help, ask directions, navigate Italian shops, book a hotel room, order a meal, and much more! Cultural notes are included throughout the course to help you better understand Italians and their way of life. You' will learn what various gestures mean to Italians, which ones to use, and those you should avoid. This course will convince you that learning a language is both fun and rewarding.

6 Weeks / 24 Course Hrs

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Learning Method

Instructor-led

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Starting February 13 | March 13

Instant Italian

Reviews

So fun!! It was nice to be able to learn in a stress free environment on my own time and still be able to listen to the pronunciation of the words.

I thoroughly enjoyed this class and I learned a great deal. I had taken Italian in college and this was a great review. It gave me very practical information that I can use in everyday conversation. The grammar rules and tips were especially helpful. Also, the audio was excellent and really helped with my pronunciation.

I found the information in the class to be very useful and just the thing that I needed to be able to go to Italy and communicate in an understandable and basic way. Professor Bertoldi's explanations were very clear and the additional information available for each lesson was very helpful.

The course was very well organized! Each lesson was divided into chapters chunking the material into manageable amounts of information that was closely related. The professor provided interesting introductory material as well as helpful formats and thorough explanations. This was a refresher course for me but I still learned new material and gained more understanding of the language and its usage. I loved the additional material and web site suggestions and will continue to use them.

I thoroughly enjoyed the course. I thought it was interesting and very challenging. I learned a lot and had fun doing it.

The instructor was excellent. He was knowledgeable and friendly. The course material is relevant for travelers.

The course was an excellent introductory class. The content was thorough and it was prepared in a very easy-to-follow format. I hope there will be a "next level" course in Italian.

This was my first time taking a class online. Professor Bertoldi came across as a warm, kind, encouraging individual! I was so grateful! He gave me encouragement throughout his narration that kept me going...I could see myself repeating this class next year…just to hear it…and practice it just for fun! Thank you - buona fortuna!

This was a very good class for me. It filled in many of the holes that I've had in Italian, specifically with masculine vs. feminine verb and adjective forms. It also cleared up some questions that I had in pronunciation. I've been to Italy several times but I feel more confident in going again. Grazie Mille!

The fact that there is a hard eight week deadline was useful to me. Particularly with foreign language study many people, including myself, buy study material and then never get to it because there are too many other activities going on in life. The fact that there is a hard eight week deadline forced me to complete this course in a timely manner...If I bought a self-study package it would still be sitting unopened on my bookshelf.

Details + Objectives
Course Code: iit

What You Will Learn

Learn the history of the Italian language
Discover the Italian alphabet and pronunciation rules
Learn how Italian articles, nouns, verbs, and adjectives work in singular and plural forms
Learn everyday expressions that will help you get directions and find locations
Learn the days of the week, months, dates, seasons, and discuss the weather
Learn to tell time, ask the time, and understand transportation and schedules
Learn how to ask questions about shopping and renting
Learn to comfortably get hotel accommodations and purchase bus, train, and boat tickets
Learn how to get help in emergencies and discuss health issues with a doctor or pharmacist
Learn to order meals and feel comfortable with the what is in the dishes and how they are served

How the course is taught

Instructor-led course
6 weeks in duration
Courses begin each month
2 lessons released each week
24 course hours

How you will benefit

Be able to express yourself comfortably in Italian
Learn practical, everyday words and phrases that will make your stay in Italy more enjoyable
Build skills and prepare you for your next adventure in Italy

Outline

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Week 1

In this first lesson, you will discover that Italy is actually a relatively young nation. You will learn that many Italian words have been adopted into English and share the same origin with English words, which makes them very easy for you to recognize and master. Then you will explore the Italian alphabet and phonetics. You will learn all 21 letters of the Italian alphabet and the sounds they make. You will learn the five letters that Italian borrows for writing and speaking words that originated in other languages. With the tools you gain in this lesson, you will be able to read and correctly pronounce virtually all words and phrases in Italian.

Week 2

Discover why the names of places and things have gender in Italian. You will learn how to pluralize nouns in Italian. You will discover eight ways to say the work the in Italian. Then you will continue exploring some basic elements of the Italian language.

Week 3

This lesson will teach you to ask and give directions. You will learn how to ask whether a location is nearby or far away. You will practice the navigating skills you have learned and increase your understanding of Italian culture by learning several ways Italians greet one another. Then you will learn the numbers 1 through 100 and explore ways you can put these numbers to practical use.

Week 4

Explore the calendar, learning to ask about and express days and dates. You will learn some helpful techniques that make remembering the days of the week and the months of the year much easier. You will go over two verbs that will be especially helpful when discussing the weather. Then you will apply the numbers knowledge you have gained to the clock and to schedules. You will continue learning about the Italian culture, which should help put you more at ease while traveling.

Week 5

In this lesson you will learn how to handle situations when making purchases or taking any form of transportation. You will learn how to ask about and purchase train, boat, or bus tickets, ask about prices and make purchases, and even rent a vehicle while in Italy. Then you will learn how to discuss and book accommodations. You will practice making a phone call to a hotel.

Week 6

In this final lesson, you will learn how to ask for help. You will discover how to describe health and medical concerns. You will practice an authentic dialogue to put you at ease with emergency situations. Then you will become well versed in the various types of eateries in Italy, the types of meals you can expect to find in them, and how meals are typically served. By the end of this lesson, you will be fully prepared to order a meal at any Italian eatery.

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Instructors & Support

Robert Bertoldi

Robert Bertoldi has been mastering Italian for the past 25 years, and teaching college-level Italian in the classroom since 1987. He holds a Master of Arts in Italian literature, and has taught the language at several universities, colleges, and private language institutions. Bertoldi's proficiency in Italian has earned him university scholarships and a resident academic position in Italy. His enthusiastic teaching style has earned him the praise of hundreds of students, including fellow language instructors.

Requirements

Prerequisites / Requirements

Prerequisites:

There are no prerequisites to take this course.

Requirements:

Hardware Requirements:

This course can be taken on either a PC or Mac device.

Software Requirements:

PC: Windows XP or later.
Mac: OS X Snow Leopard 10.6 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
Windows Media Player or similar software.
Adobe Flash Player. Click here to download the Flash Player.
Adobe Acrobat Reader. Click here to download the Acrobat Reader.
Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.

Other:

Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.

Instructional Materials

The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.

FAQs

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When can I get started?

A new session of each course opens each month, allowing you to enroll whenever your busy schedule permits.

How does it work?

Once a course session starts, two lessons will be released each week for the six-week duration of your course. You will have access to all previously released lessons until the course ends.

How long do I have to complete each lesson?

The interactive discussion area for each lesson automatically closes two weeks after each lesson is released, so you’re encouraged to complete each lesson within two weeks of its release.

What if I need an extension?

The final exam will be released on the same day as the last lesson. Once the final exam has been released, you will have two weeks plus 10 days (24 days total) to complete the final and finish any remaining lessons in your course. No further extensions can be provided beyond these 10 days.

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