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Introduction to Italian

Learn basic Italian and explore Italian culture, with this free online Italian course.

140,548 enrolled on this course

Learn Italian: two students talking on a hill in Siena
  • Duration

    6 weeks
  • Weekly study

    3 hours

Do you love Italy? Do you love Italian art, cinema and fashion? Have you been dreaming of visiting cities like Venice, Rome and Florence? Do you absolutely love Italian food? Have you always wanted to learn Italian and get to know Italian culture? If the answers are yes then this free online course is perfect for you.

Learn how to speak basic Italian

Over six weeks you will develop the skills to interact in common conversational situations. You will learn, for instance:

  • how to introduce yourself
  • how to answer to simple questions
  • how to ask for information
  • how to talk about your interests, food and clothes.

You’ll develop your listening and speaking skills week by week through watching short videos. These videos will show you common communicative situations and introduce sentences frequently used in spoken Italian as well as vocabulary and grammar patterns.

This course draws on the educator’s’ expertise in teaching Italian as a second language at the University for Foreigners of Siena.

Understand Italian culture

On this course you will also explore the culture of Italy – helping you to understand its people, its places and its lifestyle.

Download video: standard or HD

Skip to 1 minute and 0 seconds Ciao, Italy is beautiful, isn’t it? My name is Francesca and I am going to guide you during your journey through your discovery of the Italian language. With me, there will be two teachers, Marco and Sabrina who will help you understand the language better. In these six weeks, you will also meet Mike, Anna and Lisa the three main characters in the video you will watch. Mike, Anna and Lisa are studying at the University for Foreigners of Siena a center specialized in Italian culture and, of course, in the teaching of Italian.

Skip to 1 minute and 34 seconds Every year, hundreds of students of all ages, from all over the world come to Siena to study Italian, where they also have the opportunity to start friendships with Italian students too. Well, what else? We are waiting for you. Join us! Ciao!

What topics will you cover?

  • How to introduce yourself and/or oneself
  • How to say your age, job and nationality
  • How to say information about your family
  • How to ask for/give directions and to indicate something
  • How to contact someone in different situations
  • How to ask whether something else is needed
  • How to apologise and to answer
  • How to describe your habits and the place where you live
  • How to propose a social activity
  • How to discuss prices

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 common communicative situations
  • Engage in simple communication in Italian
  • Develop the skills to understand and use everyday expressions in Italian
  • Develop the skills to introduce oneself and others in Italian

Who is the course for?

The course is for people who have little or no prior knowledge of Italian and who are interested in discovering Italian language and culture.

Who will you learn with?

Andrea Villarini is a Professor of Modern Language Teaching at the University for Foreigners of Siena. He is currently Head of the Research Institute for Teaching Language with Technological Support

Who developed the course?

Università per Stranieri di Siena (UniStraSi)

The University for Foreigners of Siena (UniStraSi) is a public university specialized in the teaching of Italian and other languages and in research on language and culture.

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

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