Ateneo - UPO

Italian language course for foreign students

The recommended textbook is: Patota-Romanelli, "Percorso Italia", Garzanti linguistica, 7^ ristampa, anno 2021. The textbook is not mandatory.

The course aims to improve the following communication skills:
- to deal with most situations likely to arise whilst staying in Italy (at the university and in several public contexts);
- to describe experiences and events;
- to express opinions, wishes, hopes, ambitions and plans.

The level of Italian required is the equivalent of level A1/A2 established by the Common European Framework of References for Languages. At the beginning of the course there will be a placement test.

The course adopts the communicative approach and aims to improve the four communication skills (listening, reading, speaking and writing).
It is possible to attend the course via Google meet.

For further info: gianfranco.giromini@uniupo.it

Exercises "in itinere" (grammar, listening, speaking and writing). The final examination consists of a written test.

COMMUNICATIVE FUNCTIONS:
describing habits, feelings and states of mind in the past; narrating past facts; making a comparison and expressing the highest degree of a quality; making suggestions; making assumptions; expressing wishes; expressing a physical pain; expressing unease or difficulty; drawing attention; expressing an opinion, a hope, a feeling, a prohibition, a will, a doubt, a purpose; giving instructions, orders, exhortations; making impersonal statements; writing a curriculum vitae and a cover letter; presenting oneself at a job interview.
GRAMMAR:
"passato prossimo" and "imperfetto"; conditional; future simple; present indicative used instead of the future simple; use of the future to express a supposition;
comparative and superlative adjectives and adverbs: the second term of comparison; irregular comparatives and superlatives; "trapassato prossimo":
relative pronouns; present and past subjunctive after verbs that express opinion, will etc., "essere" + adjective/adverb and impersonal verbs; "di" + infinitive with the same subject; the main subordinate conjunctions followed by the subjunctive: "affinché", "perché", "prima che" ecc.; informal and formal imperative; imperative with pronouns;
combined pronouns;
impersonal structures.
VOCABULARY:
travels and holidays; the university in Italy; the business world; clothing and accessories; sporting activities; the body parts; the health; the family; states of mind and feeelings; cooking, food and nutrition.

At the end of the course students are expected to acquire the following competences and communication skills:
- to understand the main points of clear standard sppech on familiar matters; to understand the main point of many radio or TV programmes on current affairs or topics of personal or professional interest when the delivery is relatively slow and clear;
- to understand texts that consist mainly of high frequency everyday or study-related language; to understand the description of events, feelings and wishes;
- to talk about experiences and events, dreams, hopes and ambitions; to give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans; to narrate a story;
- to write simple texts on topics which are familiar or of personal interes; to write personal letters; to write a CV and a cover letter.