Instant Italian

About This Course

This dynamic course will teach you how to express yourself comfortably in Italian. You'll learn practical, everyday words and phrases that will make your stay in Italy more enjoyable. You'll read, hear, and practice dialogues based on typical situations that you're likely to encounter while staying 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 also makes 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 course 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'll have 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'll 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'll also 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. You'll be pleased at how quickly this course helps you build your skills, and prepares you for your next adventure in Italia.

About The Instructor

This course includes a knowledgeable and caring instructor who will guide you through your lessons, facilitate discussions, and answer your questions. The instructor for this course will be 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.

Syllabus

A new section of each course starts monthly. If enrolling in a series of two or more courses, please be sure to space the start date for each course at least two months apart.

Week 1

Wednesday - Lesson 01

In this first lesson, you'll discover that, despite the Italian peninsula's long and rich history, Italy is actually a relatively young nation—much younger than the United States, for example. You'll also learn that many Italian words have been adopted into English, including many that you might say or hear on a regular basis—and not just spaghetti, pizza, and biscotti. You'll also be pleased to learn that there are many cognates in Italian. Cognates are words that share the same origin with English words, which makes them very easy for you to recognize and master. By the time you finish this lesson, you'll also know how to greet others properly and introduce yourself in Italian.

Friday - Lesson 02

In our second lesson, we'll explore the Italian alphabet and phonetics. You'll learn all 21 letters of the Italian alphabet, along with the various sounds they make, whether alone or in combination with one or more other letters. In addition, you'll learn five letters that Italian borrows for writing and speaking words that originated in other languages. With the tools you'll gain in this lesson (and some practice), you'll be able to read and correctly pronounce virtually all words and phrases in Italian.

Week 2

Wednesday - Lesson 03

Today, we'll discuss why, unlike in English, the names of places and things have gender in Italian. That's right, all nouns—even inanimate objects—are either masculine or feminine. You'll also learn that to pluralize nouns in Italian, you don't add "s" or "es" at the end of the word. Instead, you'll simply change the final vowel. For example, "one spaghetti noodle" is "spaghetti-o," while "spaghetti noodles" is "spaghetti-i." You'll also discover eight ways to say the word "the" in Italian. By the end of this lesson, you'll have a good grasp on some fundamental parts of speech, making it that much easier to put them together and use them.

Friday - Lesson 04

In this lesson, you'll continue exploring some basic elements of the Italian language.

Week 3

Wednesday - Lesson 05

While visiting Italy's many spectacular sites, you'll want to be able to ask for assistance. In this lesson, you'll learn to ask and give directions to places, making it easier for you to navigate the country's many historic cities and towns. By the time you reach the end of this lesson, you'll know how to say "to the right," "to the left," and "straight ahead." You will also know how to ask whether a location is nearby or far away. In addition to all the practical navigating skills you'll gain in this lesson, you'll also increase your understanding of Italian culture by learning several ways Italians greet one another.

Friday - Lesson 06

Numbers are handy in many daily situations, and in this lesson, you'll learn the numbers 1 through 100. You'll explore ways you can put these numbers to practical use by asking and stating phone numbers, addresses, and bill totals. You'll even visit an Italian bar or caffè and learn to order breakfast. At the end of this lesson, you'll be able to discuss telephone numbers and addresses, ask and say how much things cost at the bar, and how and where to pay for them.

Week 4

Wednesday - Lesson 07

In this lesson, you'll explore the calendar, learning to ask about and express days and dates. You'll learn some helpful techniques that make remembering the days of the week and the months of the year much easier. We'll also go over two key verbs—"avere" and "fare." Both verbs are especially helpful when discussing the weather. By the end of Lesson 7, you'll be able to talk about days and dates, and to ask about and describe the weather.

Friday - Lesson 08

Today, you'll apply the numbers knowledge you gained in Lesson 6 and 7 to the clock and schedules. You'll learn to ask and tell the time, and to ask and express key time-relate terms, such as "when," "early," and "late." You'll continue learning about Italian culture, and find out how important labor strikes are in Italy. Because strikes often impact travel, you'll learn how to ask when they'll begin and when they'll end. All of these things should help put you more at ease while traveling. By the end of the lesson, you'll know how to tell time and read business schedules in Italian.

Week 5

Wednesday - Lesson 09

Do you plan to make some purchases while in Italy, or take a train, boat, or bus? We'll go over how to handle these situations in today's lesson. You'll learn the vocabulary and phrases you need to discuss items such as transportation tickets and their prices. You'll learn to use the always-handy expression "vorrei"¬¬—which means "I would like..."—to request information or items. By the end of this lesson, you'll know how ask about and purchase train, boat, or bus tickets, ask about prices and make purchases, and even rent a vehicle while in Italy.

Friday - Lesson 10

Even before you arrive in Italy, you'll probably need to discuss and book your accommodations, and we'll explore how to do just that in today's lesson. You'll learn to describe the kind of room you're looking for, and ask about availability. By combining new vocabulary with elements you've learned in previous lessons, you'll be able to ask very specific questions about your lodging. You'll know how to confirm whether your room has air conditioning and Internet service, and if the price includes breakfast. You'll practice making a phone call to a hotel to ensure you can book your accommodations long before you arrive at your destination.

Week 6

Wednesday - Lesson 11

In this lesson, we'll go over something really important: How to ask for help—"aiuto" [ah-YOO-toh]—in any situation. More specifically, you'll learn to describe health and medical concerns to a pharmacist or doctor. You'll practice an authentic dialogue with each to help put you at ease while you're in Italy. You'll also learn to ask others to help you by calling the police or an ambulance. By the time you finish this lesson, you'll be able to handle virtually any emergency situation in Italian.

Friday - Lesson 12

Italy's world-renowned cuisine is as important as its many historical monuments (some might say it's even more important!). In our final lesson, you'll 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. You'll practice using all the vocabulary you'll need to order food, whether it's a snack in un bar or an entire four-course meal in una trattoria. You'll learn how to ask about typical regional or local specialties, and how to say that you'd like to try a particular wine or dish. When you reach the end of this lesson, you'll be fully prepared to order a meal at any Italian eatery.

Requirements

The Windows Media Player (which comes included with most versions of Windows) or RealPlayer FREE, Internet access, e-mail, the Microsoft Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox Web browser, and the Adobe Flash and PDF plug-ins (two free and simple downloads you obtain at http://www.adobe.com/downloads by clicking Get Adobe Flash Player and Get Adobe Reader).