Previous Experience and Knowledge Needed?
This course follows on from the Beginners course. Learners should have completed approximately 60 hours tuition.
To help develop fluency in the language, this Improvers course will focus primarily on speaking and listening skills but will also include practice in reading and writing. Learners will have plenty of opportunities to practise Italian through class activities as well as learning more about the culture and history of Italy. The book studied will be: NUOVO ESPRESSO 2 -libro dello studente e esercizi.
Learning Outcomes:
Throughout the year, the course will cover different topics each term:
For term 1 the learning objectives are:
Speaking:
Engaging in conversations, asking and answering questions about familiar topics, expressing likes/dislikes, opinions and feelings.
Reading Comprehension:
Understanding short, texts on familiar topics and identifying key information in leaflets and reports.
Writing:
Writing simple descriptions of events.
Vocabulary:
Learning or expanding vocabulary related to everyday life, shopping, early childhood memories and describing events in the past, as well as describing people both physically and in terms of personality, giving advice or expressing wishes, animals and pets.
Grammar
Learning new grammatical structures.
Stare +gerundio (present continuous tense)
Relative. Pronouns (che and cui)
Various adverbs (not yet, no more)
Formal imperative (using Lei)
Difference between sapere and conoscere (to know)
The use of “ci” in idiomatic expressions (volerci, metterci , starci etc)
More in depth work on the differences between imperfect and perfect tense
Understanding the verb piacere and other ways of expressing to like something.
Topic work
How to invite people, accepting or refusing an invitation
Good manners and bad manners. What is “La bella figura”
How to behave (and not to behave) in public places
Travelling, holidays, places to see, describing a past holiday
Idiomatic expressions
Cultural Understanding:
Gaining insights into Italian culture and customs.
Extra costs on the course for example textbook, materials or equipment
The tutor will discuss the text book in the first class.
For the first session you will need to bring:
Please bring a pen and some paper with you.
On completion of this course, what might your next steps be?
Learners will be able to proceed to the Italian Improvers second term in January 2026.
Adult Learn and Train offer courses through-out the year.
Try similar courses or maybe look at learning something completely new.
You will find provision on some Saturday and Sundays, you will also find courses available in the day and evening at different venues in Cambridge. Courses vary in length from one-off sessions to 10 weeks or more.