• The Open University

Italian for Beginners 2: My Friends and Family

Learn how to introduce people, exchange information about them and talk about your family.

52,656 enrolled on this course

Italian for Beginners 2
  • Duration

    4 weeks
  • Weekly study

    4 hours

This free online course is the second of six in the Italian for Beginners program. It will introduce you to the language that you need to:

  • introduce people;
  • exchange contact information (address, telephone number, e-mail);
  • use numbers;
  • exchange information about people;
  • talk about your family;
  • describe people and the clothes they wear.

Talk about people and family in Italian

During the four weeks of the course, you will learn the vocabulary and phrases you need to talk about friends and family, and the present tense of some basic verbs, such as avere (to have). You will also learn how to ask questions in Italian. You will continue to develop your speaking, listening, reading and writing skills, through the activities and the audio resources.

You will find tips and advice on how to develop your study skills, as well as cultural information about people in Italy and about the Italian regions.

What topics will you cover?

  • Introduce people;
  • Exchange contact information (address, telephone number, e-mail);
  • Use numbers;
  • Exchange information about people;
  • Talk about your family;
  • Describe people and the clothes they wear.

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

  • Develop skills in basic Italian for interacting in communicative situations
  • Engage in simple communication in Italian
  • Apply the language introduced to exchange information about people and contact details, make introductions and use numbers
  • Apply the language introduced to talk about your family and describe people and the clothes they wear

Who is the course for?

This course is aimed at people with little prior knowledge of Italian, who want to learn the basic language and find out about Italy and its regions and culture. The course assumes that you have already studied the first course in the Italian for Beginners program. This course is taught through English.

Who will you learn with?

I am a Lecturer in Italian at The Open University. I am Italian but live in the UK. I love learning new languages, reading novels, walking in the country, listening to music and yoga.

OU associate lecturer and materials writer. I have written materials on business communication, Academic English and Italian.

Lecturer in Italian at the Open University, author of Italian course books. I'm Scottish but learnt Italian in Italy when young. I love singing, dancing and travelling around Italy.

Who developed the course?

The Open University

As the UK’s largest university, The Open University (OU) supports thousands of students to achieve their goals and ambitions via supported distance learning, helping to fit learning around professional and personal life commitments.

  • Established

    1969
  • Location

    Milton Keynes, UK
  • World ranking

    Top 510Source: Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2020

Learning on FutureLearn

Your learning, your rules

  • Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
  • Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
  • Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores

Join a global classroom

  • Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
  • Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
  • Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others

Map your progress

  • As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
  • Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
  • Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate

Want to know more about learning on FutureLearn? Using FutureLearn

Join the conversation on social media

You can use the hashtag #FLItalian to talk about this course on social media.