Class Overview
Get started learning Italian! Practice simple conversation and learn basic grammar and vocabulary in a low-pressure and supportive atmosphere.
This class is conducted 90% in Italian, but it's geared to students with little background in languages. Time is reserved for questions in English. Learn basic listening and speaking skills in the Italian language. Develop correct pronunciation and begin to build your Italian vocabulary. Learn the basics of Italian grammar and syntax.
Enjoy learning basic phrases in Italian and useful everyday activities, such as telling time, meeting new people, and asking basic personal questions. Learn how to count to 10,000. To get started in Italian, build your foundation by learning the present tense of major verbs, as well as several of the most important irregular verbs.
Italian students usually have the opportunity to attend an Italian opera by Seattle Opera as a class at some point during the year, depending on the Opera's production calendar. Students enjoy discounted tickets with seats near the front, and a lively hosted Seattle Opera "mixer" before the opera begins.
Learning Objectives
- Basic grammar related to verbs, nouns and adjectives, definite and indefinite articles, and several idiomatic phrases such as telling time, meeting new people, and asking basic personal questions
- Vocabulary with 300-500 vocabulary items
- Correct pronunciation of Italian vowels, consonants, diphthongs, and other special attention pronunciation issues
- Confidence in listening to and conversing in simple everyday Italian
- Comfort in being able to function independently in an all-Italian context
Recommended Textbook
- Essential Italian Grammar, ISBN: 9780486207797
- If you choose to purchase a text, we recommend searching online for the best pricing. The SCC bookstore does not stock textbooks for Continuing Education classes
Who Might Enjoy This Class?
- Anyone interested in learning the Italian language with little to no prior experience, in a fairly immersive language enrvironment
- People who studied Italian language in the past and want to review the basics before continuing to the next level
- People with ancestral roots in Italy who would like to better understand the language and culture of their relatives
- Anyone planning on traveling to Italy in the future who would like to have some language skills during their visit