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 students' communication skills in everyday contexts: at the university, in personal situations (with relatives and friends) and in public situations (offices, shops, services).

At the beginning of the course there will be a placement test. The course is designed for students with an elementary knowledge of the Italian language (A1 level or at least a little knowledge of vocabulary and grammar fundamentals). However, beginners are welcome.

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:
asking personal information and answering; talking about jobs and studies;
expressing likes and dislikes;
describing habits and routines;
talking about the weather;
describing past experiences and storytelling;
talking about the family; expressing joy or disappointment; making future plans; describing people's appearance and personality; describing places;
agreeing and disagreeing; making invitations; accepting and declining invitations; buying tickets and asking information on train schedule, departures and arrivals; expressing habitual actions in the past; asking an opinion and answering; going shopping; giving advices.
GRAMMAR:
question words: "dove", "come", "perché", "quando" etc.;
"tu" and "Lei" (the polite form);
present indicative: the regular verbs and the most common irregular verbs;
modal verbs; reflexive verbs; definite article, noun and adjective agreement;
prepositions;
direct pronouns;
"stare" + gerund (present progressive);
"molto", "abbastanza", "poco", "per niente";
"passato prossimo";
anticipation of direct object and past participle agreement;
possessive adjectives;
future simple;
the main connectors;
indirect pronouns;
imperfect indicative;
demonstrative adjectives and pronouns;
informal imperative;
the pronouns "ci" and "ne";
the comparative ("più bello", "meno bello") and the absolute superlative ("bellissimo", "molto bello").
VOCABULARY:
habits and everyday actions; jobs and workplaces; university life; the Italian school and university system; the weather; the family; expressions to talk about the past; people's appearance and personality; foods and eating habits; shops; means of transport, travels and holidays.

At the end of the course students are expected to acquire the following competences and communication skills:
- to understand an oral text (monologue or dialogue) related to areas of most immediate priority (e.g. basic personal and family information, shopping, local geography, employment) provided speech is clearly and slowly articulated;
- to understand short, simple messages, announcements, instructions; to understand short, simple written texts on everyday matters, university life and free time;
- to manage simple routine exchanges; to ask and answer questions and exchange ideas and information on familiar topics in everyday situations; - to give a simple description or presentation of people and places;
- to tell personal experiences; to talk about habits of the past;
- to talk about tastes and preferences using simple expressions;
- to write about everyday aspects of their environment (people, places, a job or study experience.); to write short, basic descriptions of events and personal experiences.