• The Open University

Italian for Beginners 1: Meeting, Greeting and Eating

Learn how to order food and drink, greet people, and introduce yourself, in this first Italian for Beginners course.

82,253 enrolled on this course

A busy Italian street, perfect for meeting and greeting people

Italian for Beginners 1: Meeting, Greeting and Eating

82,253 enrolled on this course

  • 4 weeks

  • 4 hours per week

  • Digital certificate when eligible

  • Introductory level

Find out more about how to join this course

  • Duration

    4 weeks
  • Weekly study

    4 hours
  • 100% online

    How it works
  • Unlimited subscription

    $244.99 for a whole yearLearn more

This online course is the first of six courses. It will introduce you to the basic language, so that you are able to:

  • order snacks and drinks in a café;
  • greet people and introduce yourself and others;
  • talk about where you live and where you come from;
  • talk about the languages you speak;
  • talk about what you do.

Start to speak, listen, read and write in Italian

During the four weeks of the course, you will learn some of the vocabulary and phrases you need to help you interact with people at a basic level.

You will start to develop the four language skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing through a range of activities, which will introduce the language in authentic settings, and audio resources, which will let you hear the language in action.

There are some activities where you will also practice your speaking skills, as it is important that you start speaking as soon as possible.

You will also learn some essential Italian grammar, including some basic verbs, such as essere (to be) and chiamarsi (to call). Finally, you will get some tips and advice on how to develop your study skills, so that you can become a successful language learner.

Take your Italian learning offline by purchasing two hours of downloadable audio files and transcripts made by the course creators at The Open University. These MP3s are a great way to practise your Italian listening and speaking wherever you are. They cover examples and exercises in the same topics as the course.

Syllabus

  • Week 1

    Ordering drinks and snacks

    • Photo of a woman waving in greeting, flanked by two men

      Welcome to Italian for Beginners 1: Greetings, names and introductions

      Let’s get started, but first meet your fellow learners.

    • Photo of a croissant and a cup of coffee, on a café table.

      Drinks and snacks

      Find out the names for some common drinks and snacks, and the grammatical forms you need to understand in order to talk about them.

    • Photo of an elegant, traditional-style caffé counter with veneer panelling below, marble floor and gilt-decorated arches above.

      Ordering drinks and snacks

      In this activity you will learn and practise the language needed to place an order in a bar or café, and you will find out more about the Italian bar.

    • Photo of almond cakes (le paste di mandorla)

      Definite articles

      Learn more about Italian bars and coffee houses and how to use definite articles.

    • Photo of a hand writing with pen on paper

      Over to you

      Learning another language requires personal effort. Here you can find some guidance to get the most out of what you learned this week.

  • Week 2

    Greetings and introductions

    • Photo of a hand waving hello.

      Greetings

      In this activity you will look at how Italian speakers greet each other.

    • Emoticon of a happy smiling face.

      Asking people how they are

      Learn how to ask people how they are and how to respond appropriately

    • Photo of a younger man in a suit greeting a professionally-dressed woman, introduced by an older man in a suit.

      Addressing people

      In this activity you will learn how people are addressed in Italian and the conventions surrounding forms of address.

    • Photo of a young man introducing a young woman to a second young man.

      Introducing yourself

      In this activity you will learn how to say your name and how to spell it. You will learn the Italian alphabet and practise some pronunciation points.

    • A self-portrait of the artist Artemisia Gentileschi (1597-c.1651).

      Pronouncing c and g

      In this activity you will learn how C and G are pronounced in different letter combinations, and about some famous Italians of the past.

    • A graphic montage of the letters of the alphabet.

      The Italian alphabet

      In order to spell names and surnames, you need to know the Italian alphabet.

    • Photo of a hand writing with pen on paper.

      Over to you

      Learning another language requires personal effort. Here you can find some guidance to get the most out of what you learned this week.

  • Week 3

    Nationalities and languages

    • A graphic montage of many square buttons, each decorated with a different national flag.

      Saying where you are from

      In this activity you will learn how to say where you are from and how to use adjectives of nationality.

    • Photo of a family group out of doors, showing five women, a man, and a small girl being carried by one of the women.

      Talking about yourself and other people

      In this activity you will learn how to use subject pronouns.

    • Photo of Piazza Duomo, a square in Siracusa, Sicily.

      Talking about where you live

      In this activity you will learn how to say where you live and ask where other people live.

    • Photo montage of differently coloured slips of paper, each saying "Thank you" in a different language.

      Saying what languages you speak

      In this activity you will learn to talk about the languages you speak and will find out about the languages and dialects spoken in Italy. You will also learn a little about the Italian regions.

    • Photo of a hand writing with pen on paper.

      Over to you

      Learning another language requires personal effort. Here you can find some guidance to get the most out of what you learned this week. A range of additional audios are available for purchase, to help you consolidate the words and

  • Week 4

    Occupations, jobs and workplaces

    • Photo of a hairdresser at work.

      Jobs and professions

      In this activity you will learn the words for several occupations.

    • Photo of a cook making pizzas.

      Talking about your occupation

      In this activity you will find out how to say what you do for a living.

    • Photo of three men aboard a small fishing boat, moored alongside other similar boats.

      Using verbs ending in -are

      You will now learn how to use verbs in –are to say what you and other people do and where they live.

    • Photo of a hand writing with pen on paper.

      Over to you

      Learning another language requires personal effort. Here you can find some guidance to get the most out of what you learned this week.

When would you like to start?

Start straight away and join a global classroom of learners. If the course hasn’t started yet you’ll see the future date listed below.

  • Available now

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

  • Develop skills in basic Italian for interacting in common communicative situations
  • Engage in simple communication in Italian
  • Apply the language introduced in order to greet people, talk about where you live and what you do
  • Apply the language introduced to talk about languages you speak and order drinks and snacks

Who is the course for?

This course is aimed at people with no prior knowledge of Italian, who want to learn the basic language, and find out about Italy and its regions and culture. This course is taught through English.

Who will you learn with?

Anna Proudfoot

Lecturer in Italian at the Open University, author of Italian course books. I'm Scottish but learnt Italian in Italy when young. I love singing, dancing and travelling around Italy.

Anna Motzo

I am a Lecturer in Italian at The Open University. I am Italian but live in the UK. I love learning new languages, reading novels, walking in the country, listening to music and yoga.

Anna  Calvi

OU associate lecturer and materials writer. I have written materials on business communication, Academic English and Italian.

Who developed the course?

The Open University

The Open University

As the UK’s largest university, The Open University (OU) supports thousands of students to achieve their goals and ambitions via supported distance learning, helping to fit learning around professional and personal life commitments.

  • Established

    1969
  • Location

    Milton Keynes, UK
  • World ranking

    Top 510Source: Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2020

Ways to learn

Buy this course

Subscribe & save

Limited access

Choose the best way to learn for you!

$79/one-off payment

$244.99 for a whole year

Automatically renews

Free

Fulfill your current learning needDevelop skills to further your careerSample the course materials
Access to this courseticktick

Access expires 5 Mar 2025

Access to 1,000+ coursescrosstickcross
Learn at your own paceticktickcross
Discuss your learning in commentstickticktick
Tests to check your learningticktickcross
Certificate when you're eligiblePrinted and digitalDigital onlycross
Continue & Upgrade

Cancel for free anytime

Ways to learn

Choose the best way to learn for you!

Subscribe & save

$244.99 for a whole year

Automatically renews

Develop skills to further your career

  • Access to this course
  • Access to 1,000+ courses
  • Learn at your own pace
  • Discuss your learning in comments
  • Tests to boost your learning
  • Digital certificate when you're eligible

Cancel for free anytime

Buy this course

$79/one-off payment

Fulfill your current learning need

  • Access to this course
  • Learn at your own pace
  • Discuss your learning in comments
  • Tests to boost your learning
  • Printed and digital certificate when you’re eligible

Limited access

Free

Sample the course materials

  • Access expires 5 Mar 2025

Find out more about certificates, Unlimited or buying a course (Upgrades)

Sale price available until 3 March 2025 at 23:59 (UTC). T&Cs apply.

Find out more about certificates, Unlimited or buying a course (Upgrades)

Sale price available until 3 March 2025 at 23:59 (UTC). T&Cs apply.

Learning on FutureLearn

Your learning, your rules

  • Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
  • Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
  • Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores

Join a global classroom

  • Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
  • Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
  • Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others

Map your progress

  • As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
  • Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
  • Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate

Want to know more about learning on FutureLearn? Using FutureLearn

Learner reviews

Do you know someone who'd love this course? Tell them about it...

You can use the hashtag #FLItalian to talk about this course on social media.