Start your beginner Italian learning journey with our Beginner Italian: A1.1 Course, suitable for complete beginners with no prior experience of Italian. This course introduces essential communication skills and provides a strong foundation in basic grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation, making it ideal for learners wanting to learn the Italian language for travel, work, or personal enrichment in a supportive, interactive learning environment.

You will learn to introduce yourself and others, share personal information such as your name, nationality, and profession, and start simple conversations in both formal and informal contexts. Grammar and vocabulary are taught in context, covering the present tense of essere, chiamarsi, avere, stare, and common -are verbs, along with articles, adjectives of nationality, and prepositions. Phonetics is integrated throughout, with practice in vowel pronunciation, intonation, and typical Italian consonant combinations to help you sound natural and confident from the very beginning.

DELIVERY MODE

Delivery mode for individual classes will vary from term to term, but will be listed as the following:

• Face-to-Face: WEA Sydney
• Online: Microsoft Teams

TEXTBOOK

• Nuovo Espresso PLUS 1 - A1 (Alma Edizioni: 2025), ISBN: 9788861828414

Supplier: Abbey's Language Book Centre
Please note that textbook cost is not included in the course fee. In the event of a course being cancelled, WEA Sydney cannot be held responsible for the purchase of any textbooks. Language courses will be confirmed or cancelled at least 7 days prior to their starting date.

COURSE OUTLINE

Communication

• Introducing yourself - Share your name, origin, phone number
• Participate in class discussions - Starting a conversation
• Introducing and thanking someone
• Asking and answering personal questions (language skills, profession, and age)
• Expressing regret about something

Grammar

• Subject pronouns io, tu, Lei - Formal and informal usage
• Alphabet - Singular nouns
• Present tense singular of essere, chiamarsi
• + verbs in -are, fare, avere, stare
• Definite articles il and la - Indefinite articles un, un’ and una
• Adverbs bene/male - Questo/questa - Negation- Some interrogatives
• Adjectives of nationality - Professions - Prepositions a, in-

Phonetics

• Intonation in questions
• Vowels sound
• “S / Ca Ga / Cia Gia / Che Ghe” Sounds

Vocabulary

• Saying hello and goodbye (formal/informal)
• Numbers, nationalities, professions, workplaces
• Numbers 0-100
• The alphabet
• Languages and activities in a language class
• Leisure activities
• Gender in nationalities and professions

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

1. Introduce themselves and interact in simple everyday situations, including greeting and thanking others, sharing personal information such as name, nationality, profession, and age, and participating in short conversations.
2. Use basic Italian grammar and vocabulary with confidence, including subject pronouns, the present tense of essere, chiamarsi, and common verbs (avere, stare, fare), definite and indefinite articles, adjectives of nationality, and essential prepositions.
3. Develop clear and accurate pronunciation, practicing vowel sounds, question intonation, and Italian consonant patterns such as s, ca/ga, cia/gia, and che/ghe.