ITALIAN LANGUAGE PROGRAM
Weekly Classes
New class: Learn from your desk
Saturday Classes
Italian for Travelers
Private tutoring, Special classes.
If you are NOT enrolling for a 101 class, please call or write for a placement test
Classes meet for 90 minutes. If there are 2–3 students, classes meet for one hour.
Enrollment is contingent upon advanced payment for course and materials.
Students may enroll mid-session or at times not listed on the schedule. Please inquire (215) 735 3250 or email for more information.
Please inquire about our private and semi-private classes and packages
Language Classes for Beginners and Elementary students
BEGINNER
Development of basic language skills. Introduction to fundamental grammatical structures with emphasis on speaking, listening, comprehension and elementary writing assignments. Conducted in Italian and English. No prerequisites.
Textbook: “New Italian Espresso" Alma Edizioni, $95 (for 100 and 200 levels). From 102 also "New Italian Espresso: Workbook 1" Alma Edizioni, $40
Beginner 101
At the end of the 10-class period, students will be able to:
greet people appropriately, use conventional expressions to ask about meaning, pronunciation and spelling, introduce oneself, inquire about someone’s health, provide others with basic information about oneself , order and pay in a cafe and in a restaurant, use courtesy expressions
GRAMMAR: present tense of essere, stare and first conjugation verbs, singular and plural nouns, definite and indefinite articles, adjective agreement, cardinal numbers
Beginner 102
At the end of the 10-class period, students will be able to:
talk about one’s profession and workplace, inquire about someone’s occupation, describe people’s daily actions, discuss free time and leisure activities, talk about people’s interests, express one’s likes and dislikes
GRAMMAR: present tense of second and third conjugation verbs, present tense of irregular –are verbs, use of “piacere”, adverbs of frequency, negation forms
Beginner 103
At the end of the 10-class period, students will be able to:
describe a city, follow and give directions, identify buildings, businesses and places where to shop, ask for information on accommodation, book a hotel room and make a complaint
GRAMMAR: present tense of irregular –ere/-ire verbs, c’è and ci sono, prepositions of place, modal verbs, compound prepositions
Beginner 104
At the end of the 10-class period, students will be able to:
talk about past events, describe one’s routine and daily life in detail, discuss lifestyles, describe one’s family, explain family habits and holidays
GRAMMAR: passato prossimo, reflexive verbs, possessive adjectives and pronouns
ELEMENTARY
Continued study of grammar and syntax with emphasis on more advanced structural principles. More extensive readings on cultural, social, and literary topics and viewing of videos form the basis for class discussions and written work. Conducted in Italian with some English.
Textbook: “New Italian Espresso" Alma Edizioni, $95 (for 100 and 200 levels)
Elementary 201
At the end of the 10-class period, students will be able to:
discuss one’s eating habits, talk about typical Italian dishes, understand recipe instructions, do grocery shopping, shop for clothes, describe one’s look, talk about future events
GRAMMAR: past tense of reflexive verbs, direct pronouns, partitive article, indefinite adjectives
Elementary 202
At the end of the 10-class period, students will be able to:
talk about future plans and events, shop for clothes, describe one’s look, discuss past situations that occurred repeatedly and talk about one’s childhood
GRAMMAR: direct and indirect pronouns, agreement between direct pronouns and past participles, future indicative, forms and use of the imperfect tense,
Elementary 203
Understand and provide detailed physical descriptions, discuss one’s personality, describe actions that are going on right now, make, accept or refuse an invitation, give home descriptions, go house hunting, give advice
GRAMMAR: superlative adjectives, progressive form, present gerund forms of regular and irregular verbs, ordinal numbers, comparatives, present conditional, ci
Elementary 204
At the end of the 10-class period, students will be able to:
comparing Italian and American social habits and traditions, understand travel blogs, understand and give orders recommendations and instructions, discuss the do’s and don’ts for tourists, underline cultural differences
GRAMMAR: informal and formal imperative forms, position of direct and indirect pronouns with the imperative mood, comprehensive review of grammatical rules
Development of basic language skills. Introduction to fundamental grammatical structures with emphasis on speaking, listening, comprehension and elementary writing assignments. Conducted in Italian and English. No prerequisites.
Textbook: “New Italian Espresso" Alma Edizioni, $95 (for 100 and 200 levels). From 102 also "New Italian Espresso: Workbook 1" Alma Edizioni, $40
Beginner 101
At the end of the 10-class period, students will be able to:
greet people appropriately, use conventional expressions to ask about meaning, pronunciation and spelling, introduce oneself, inquire about someone’s health, provide others with basic information about oneself , order and pay in a cafe and in a restaurant, use courtesy expressions
GRAMMAR: present tense of essere, stare and first conjugation verbs, singular and plural nouns, definite and indefinite articles, adjective agreement, cardinal numbers
Beginner 102
At the end of the 10-class period, students will be able to:
talk about one’s profession and workplace, inquire about someone’s occupation, describe people’s daily actions, discuss free time and leisure activities, talk about people’s interests, express one’s likes and dislikes
GRAMMAR: present tense of second and third conjugation verbs, present tense of irregular –are verbs, use of “piacere”, adverbs of frequency, negation forms
Beginner 103
At the end of the 10-class period, students will be able to:
describe a city, follow and give directions, identify buildings, businesses and places where to shop, ask for information on accommodation, book a hotel room and make a complaint
GRAMMAR: present tense of irregular –ere/-ire verbs, c’è and ci sono, prepositions of place, modal verbs, compound prepositions
Beginner 104
At the end of the 10-class period, students will be able to:
talk about past events, describe one’s routine and daily life in detail, discuss lifestyles, describe one’s family, explain family habits and holidays
GRAMMAR: passato prossimo, reflexive verbs, possessive adjectives and pronouns
ELEMENTARY
Continued study of grammar and syntax with emphasis on more advanced structural principles. More extensive readings on cultural, social, and literary topics and viewing of videos form the basis for class discussions and written work. Conducted in Italian with some English.
Textbook: “New Italian Espresso" Alma Edizioni, $95 (for 100 and 200 levels)
Elementary 201
At the end of the 10-class period, students will be able to:
discuss one’s eating habits, talk about typical Italian dishes, understand recipe instructions, do grocery shopping, shop for clothes, describe one’s look, talk about future events
GRAMMAR: past tense of reflexive verbs, direct pronouns, partitive article, indefinite adjectives
Elementary 202
At the end of the 10-class period, students will be able to:
talk about future plans and events, shop for clothes, describe one’s look, discuss past situations that occurred repeatedly and talk about one’s childhood
GRAMMAR: direct and indirect pronouns, agreement between direct pronouns and past participles, future indicative, forms and use of the imperfect tense,
Elementary 203
Understand and provide detailed physical descriptions, discuss one’s personality, describe actions that are going on right now, make, accept or refuse an invitation, give home descriptions, go house hunting, give advice
GRAMMAR: superlative adjectives, progressive form, present gerund forms of regular and irregular verbs, ordinal numbers, comparatives, present conditional, ci
Elementary 204
At the end of the 10-class period, students will be able to:
comparing Italian and American social habits and traditions, understand travel blogs, understand and give orders recommendations and instructions, discuss the do’s and don’ts for tourists, underline cultural differences
GRAMMAR: informal and formal imperative forms, position of direct and indirect pronouns with the imperative mood, comprehensive review of grammatical rules
Classi di lingua per studenti intermedi e avanzati
Our intermediate and advanced programs are aimed at enhancing the students’ knowledge and appreciation of various aspects of Italian culture, heritage, history and contemporary social issues. Both programs revolve around a series of progressively more complex interpretive activities of authentic Italian texts, both written and oral, such as literary masterpieces, contemporary novels, short stories, selected articles on topics of interests, theatrical performances, films, and videos. Reading and viewing activities will subsequently lead to various interpersonal and presentational tasks in class. Emphasis will be placed on expanding vocabulary, reviewing and improving complex grammatical structures. Course work includes oral and written assignments. Entirely conducted in Italian.
INTERMEDIATE
Textbook (required for all): "Una grammatica italiana per tutti (1 and 2)" Ed. Edilingua, $50. Different reading/audio books per class, from $20 to $30.
301 – Intermediate I
Comprehension and interpretation of an audiobook (Price TBA, usually $20-25) read by a native speaker; whole class, pair discussions and/or presentational activities to follow
Grammar: in-depth review of the following grammatical structures: articles, nouns, adjectives, indicative mood of regular and irregular verbs, imperative forms
302 – Intermediate II
Comprehension and interpretation of an audiobook (Price TBA, usually $20-25) read by a native speaker; whole class, pair discussions and/or presentational activities to follow
Grammar: in-depth review of the following grammatical structures: subjunctive and conditional mood, common idiomatic expressions
303 – Intermediate III
Comprehension and interpretation of an Italian contemporary novel (Price TBA, usually $25-30) and/or a film/TV series; whole class, pair discussions and/or presentational activities to follow
Grammar: in-depth review of the following grammatical structures: subjunctive and conditional mood, idiomatic expressions
304 – 305 Intermediate IV and V
Comprehension and interpretation of an Italian contemporary novel (Price TBA, usually $25-30) and/or a film/TV series; whole class, pair discussions and/or presentational activities to follow
Grammar: in-depth review of the following grammatical structures: pronominal verbs, double-object pronouns, reported speech, hypothetical speech
ADVANCED
401 - 402 Advanced I and II
Comprehension and interpretation of an Italian contemporary novel (Price TBA, usually $25-30) and/or a film/TV series; whole class, pair discussions and/or presentational activities to follow
Grammar: review of the most complex structures on an as-needed basis, focus mostly on vocabulary expansion
INTERMEDIATE
Textbook (required for all): "Una grammatica italiana per tutti (1 and 2)" Ed. Edilingua, $50. Different reading/audio books per class, from $20 to $30.
301 – Intermediate I
Comprehension and interpretation of an audiobook (Price TBA, usually $20-25) read by a native speaker; whole class, pair discussions and/or presentational activities to follow
Grammar: in-depth review of the following grammatical structures: articles, nouns, adjectives, indicative mood of regular and irregular verbs, imperative forms
302 – Intermediate II
Comprehension and interpretation of an audiobook (Price TBA, usually $20-25) read by a native speaker; whole class, pair discussions and/or presentational activities to follow
Grammar: in-depth review of the following grammatical structures: subjunctive and conditional mood, common idiomatic expressions
303 – Intermediate III
Comprehension and interpretation of an Italian contemporary novel (Price TBA, usually $25-30) and/or a film/TV series; whole class, pair discussions and/or presentational activities to follow
Grammar: in-depth review of the following grammatical structures: subjunctive and conditional mood, idiomatic expressions
304 – 305 Intermediate IV and V
Comprehension and interpretation of an Italian contemporary novel (Price TBA, usually $25-30) and/or a film/TV series; whole class, pair discussions and/or presentational activities to follow
Grammar: in-depth review of the following grammatical structures: pronominal verbs, double-object pronouns, reported speech, hypothetical speech
ADVANCED
401 - 402 Advanced I and II
Comprehension and interpretation of an Italian contemporary novel (Price TBA, usually $25-30) and/or a film/TV series; whole class, pair discussions and/or presentational activities to follow
Grammar: review of the most complex structures on an as-needed basis, focus mostly on vocabulary expansion
If you are NOT enrolling for a 101 class, please call or write for a placement test
Classes meet for 90 minutes. If there are 2–3 students, classes meet for one hour.
Enrollment is contingent upon advanced payment for course and materials.
Students may enroll mid-session or at times not listed on the schedule. Please inquire (215) 735 3250 or email for more information.
Please inquire about our private and semi-private classes and packages
TUITION REFUNDS
To be eligible for a tuition refund, students must contact the AIS office at least 24 hours before the first class ($30 will be retained by AIS). After the first class, only a credit for the next session will be issued. No credit is issued after the end of the fourth week of classes. The Society reserves the right to cancel a class as circumstances demand; in this case unused tuition will be refunded.
Classes meet for 90 minutes. If there are 2–3 students, classes meet for one hour.
Enrollment is contingent upon advanced payment for course and materials.
Students may enroll mid-session or at times not listed on the schedule. Please inquire (215) 735 3250 or email for more information.
Please inquire about our private and semi-private classes and packages
TUITION REFUNDS
To be eligible for a tuition refund, students must contact the AIS office at least 24 hours before the first class ($30 will be retained by AIS). After the first class, only a credit for the next session will be issued. No credit is issued after the end of the fourth week of classes. The Society reserves the right to cancel a class as circumstances demand; in this case unused tuition will be refunded.
