Italian for Beginners
At a Glance
- Classroom course
- Tuesdays 18:00 - 20:00
- 20 weeks: January to July
- Tutor: Laura Giaconi
- Fees from £280 to £470
Italian is a popular language to study amongst adult learners in Britain, not least due to our longstanding love affair with Italy and its culture. It is spoken as a first language by around 80 million people worldwide, most of whom are located in Italy, although it is also an official language of Switzerland.
There are many dialects of Italian, but the standard Italian we teach on our courses is universally understood in Italy. Standard Italian is a Romance language, related to Catalan, French, Romanian and Spanish, and like them is also a descendant of common Latin, which evolved into early forms of Italian after the fall of the Roman Empire in western Europe. Standard Italian is based on the Tuscan dialect, especially in its Florentine form, but English speakers will soon realise just how many words in English are the same as, or similar to, those in Italian.
The classes we offer at Imperial College are designed to help you develop your language skills quickly and effectively, in a friendly and supportive environment led by expert tutors.
This course is for absolute Beginners and focuses on the spoken Italian needed for everyday situations. Students will acquire the essential skills that will allow them to speak, write and understand how the language works. Having learned how to perform a number of basic tasks, such as talking about oneself and others, buying food and drinks, asking for and giving directions, they will be able to extend their skills to other situations.
Every opportunity will be given to practise the spoken language in class in order to build up students’ confidence and encourage them to contribute creatively and express their opinions. Grammatical understanding is promoted through active examples and practice, enabling the students to build on their own knowledge independently.
The course will aim to cover articles, nouns, adjectives, prepositions, the present tense of regular and some irregular verbs, and the past tense. The method used is communicative with pair work and group work opportunities. Videos and other visual material will be used to encourage the lively participation of the students.
Where applicable, textbook details will be provided by the tutor. Course textbooks need not be purchased before the first course session.
Class Recordings
These classes are not recorded
Attendance Certificate
Successful completion of this course leads to the award of an Imperial College attendance certificate
Terms and conditions apply to all enrolments to this course. Please read them before enrolment
Course Information
What language level should I choose?
Choosing the right language level
It is very important to book onto a course which is a good match for your level of ability, and we aim to make the process of deciding which is the right course level for you as simple as possible.
If you are a complete beginner you should, of course, enrol on a Beginner's course.
If you have some experience in the language you wish to study please first review our course descriptions to try to identify the course level which should be most suitable for you. Especially if you are out of practice in a language, or have been out of formal education for a while, please be reasonably sure and realistic about your level of proficiency prior to proceeding with enrolment.
Please contact our Italian Coordinator with any questions about your level: Dr Sheila Lecoeur, s.lecoeur@imperial.ac.uk
Course Fees and Discounts
| Hours | Weeks | Standard Rate | Internal Rate | Associate Rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40 | 20 | £470 (£11.75 p/h) |
£280 (£7 p/h) | £370 (£9.25 p/h) | |
| All fee rates quoted are for the whole 2-term course. Part-payments are not possible. Equivalent to hourly rate is shown for comparison guidance only, it is not possible to pay pro-rata hourly rates. | |||||
Rate Categories and Discounts
Standard Rate
- Available to all except those who fall under the Internal Rate or Associate Rate category, respectively.
Internal Rate
- Current Imperial College students and staff (incl. Imperial NHS Trust, Imperial Innovations, ancillary & service staff employed on long-term contracts at Imperial College by third-party contractors)
- Individuals enrolling under our Friends & Family scheme
- Staff of the English Chamber Orchestra
- Students, staff and Governors of Woodhouse College and the IC Mathematics School
Associate Rate
- Alumni of Imperial College and predecessor colleges and institutes
- Austrian Cultural Forum staff
- City & Guilds College Association members
- Co-operative College members
- Francis Crick Institute staff, researchers and students
- Friends and Patrons of the English Chamber Orchestra
- Friends of Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens
- Friends of Leighton House/ Sambourne House
- Friends of the Royal College of Music
- Harrods staff
- Historic Royal Palaces staff
- Lycee Charles de Gaulle staff
- Members of the Friends of Imperial College
- Members of the Kennel Club
- Members of the London Zoological Society
- Members of the South London Botanical Institute (SLBI)
- Members of the UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP)
- National Health Service (NHS) employees
- Natural History Museum staff
- Residents of postcodes SW3, SW5, SW7, SW10 and W8
- Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Council staff
- Royal College of Art and Royal College of Music tutors and other staff
- Royal Geographical Society staff
- Science Museum staff
- Staff of Exhibition Road Cultural Group (Discover South Kensington) organisations
- Students (non-Imperial College)
- Teachers and other staff of UK schools
- Tutors and other staff of institution members of the Association of Colleges
- Tutors and other staff of other universities and higher education institutions
- Victoria and Albert Museum staff
Late enrolment
It is possible to enrol on many of our adult education courses after the course has already started. For non-language courses this is subject entirely to agreement by the tutor. For language courses it is subject to agreement by the language coordinator conducting level assessment. If you want to join a course late do bear in mind there might be work you will need to catch up on, particularly in language courses.
Friends and Family Scheme
This course is eligible for the Friends and Family scheme, allowing Imperial College students and staff to share their discount with their friends and family.
Term Dates 2022-2023
| Hours | Weeks | Spring term | Summer term | Summer School |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40 | 20 | Week commencing 16 January to week ending 25 March 2023 (10 weeks) | Week commencing 1 May to week ending 8 July 2023 (10 weeks)* | n/a |
| *Term 1 and 2 are separated by the Easter break. | ||||
For Spanish Intermediate Plus please note: Mondays 1st, 8th and 29th May 2023 are Bank Holidays. The teacher will decide with the group whether class takes place as normal or whether the dates will be replaced with 3 classes to be added at the end of the course in July
Enrolment Process
Web enrolment is now open
Enrolment and payment run through the Imperial College eStore. When enrolling:
- Do check on the drop down menu above called "Course Fees and Rate Categories" to see if you are eligible for a discounted rate and also do make sure you select that rate when enrolling on the eStore
- If you are a first-time eStore user you will need to create an account before enrolling. You can do this by entering an email address and password. This account can then be used for any future enrolments via the eStore.
When you have enrolled you will be sent the following email notifications:
| What is sent | When is it sent | What does it contain | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Payment confirmation | Is sent straight away following submission of your online application |
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| 2. Enrolment confirmation | Is usually sent within 10 working days. Please treat your payment confirmation as confirmation that your applicant details and payment have been received |
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| 3. Programme information | Is usually sent on Friday late afternoon the week before term starts |
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Any Questions?
If you have any questions about the academic content or teaching of these courses please contact our Italian Language Coordinator, Dr Sheila Lecoeur, s.lecoeur@imperial.ac.uk
If you have any questions about your enrolment or payment processes please contact the Programme Administrator, Christian Jacobi, eveningclass@imperial.ac.uk