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Learning Italian: Step by Step and Region by Region

Series: Learning Italian: Step by Step and Region by Region

4.6

(104)

Episodes

Rating

TVPG

Year

2020

Language

English

Publisher

The Great Courses

About

In this exciting series on Italian, learn to speak about the present, the past, and the future through detailed work with verbs, nouns, and adjectives, plus you'll learn vocabulary on numerous, useful subjects. Also discover the romantic beauties of Campania, The "Marches", Il Veneto, and Tuscany, in an unforgettable immersion into Italy's splendorous language and culture.

Related Subjects

Episodes

1. Benvenuti to Italian and Italy's 20 Regions!

34m

Begin with a preview of the content of the series, as you will study the Italian language within the cultural context of Italy's 20 geographic regions. Learn about vowels and consonants in Italian, and important principles of pronunciation. Study the subject pronouns, the verbs essere and stare (both meaning "to be"), daily greetings, and practice the elements of a simple conversation.

2. Nouns and Articles / Sicily

30m

Discover the island of Sicily, as you build knowledge of Italian grammar and vocabulary. Dive into a text describing Sicily's topography, history, and ancient treasures. Using the text, explore Italian nouns as they express gender and number. Then, look at indefinite articles in Italian ("a" and "an" in English) and definite articles ("the" in English), and learn a practice dialogue.

3. Nouns and Adjectives / Sicily II

37m

Delve further into the history and culture of Sicily in this lesson. Study the plural forms of nouns, and how numbers are spoken in Italian. Practice both elements using an imaginary dialogue concerning a Sicilian literary character. Learn how to describe people, places, and things with adjectives; how adjectives reflect gender and number; and practice describing a Renaissance painting.

4. Verbs Ending in -are / Lombardy

32m

Take an overview of the region of Lombardy; its geography, culture, and food traditions. Learn the present indicative conjugation for "-are" verbs, covering a group of highly useful verbs. Use your new knowledge in talking about daily routines and discussing a classic Italian film, Il Posto. Review numbers in Italian, and look at one of Lombardy's gems, The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci.

5. Verbs Ending in -ere / Lazio

33m

The region of Lazio contains the city of Rome, and much history regarding Italian art, politics, and society. Take in its cultural highlights as you practice "second conjugation" verbs, ending in "-ere". Build facility with these verbs in the present indicative, using a text about the iconic film La Dolce Vita. Learn idiomatic expressions using avere (to have), and ways of forming questions.

6. Verbs Ending in -ire / Aosta and Trentino–Alto Adige

32m

Start this episode by reading texts describing two of the northernmost regions of Italy, the Valle d'Aosta and Trentino-Alto Adige, focusing on their mountainous geography and beautiful landscapes. Then study "third conjugation" verbs, ending in -ire, taking note of important irregular -ire verbs. Also learn the calendar, seasons, days of the week, and vocabulary concerning sports activities.

7. Possessive Adjectives and Pronouns / Puglia

33m

Grasp how possessive adjectives ("my," "your," and "our" in English) and possessive pronouns ("mine," "yours,"and "ours") function in Italian. Explore their use in text describing geography, scenic landscapes and coastline, and traditional houses of the Puglia region, and add important vocabulary about the family. Practice in discussing Tre Fratelli and Le Mine vaganti, two films set in Puglia.

8. Prepositions / Abruzzo and Molise

32m

Travel to the beautiful regions of Abruzzo and Molise, which feature stunning natural scenery, fine cuisine, and much history. Dig deeply into the use of prepositions in Italian (as in "from," "with," and "about" in English), which connect all the parts of speech. Also, note how prepositions express unspecified quantities, and learn vocabulary about the weather and seasonal activities.

9. Modal Verbs, Sapere, and Conoscere / Liguria

31m

"Modal" verbs are verbs that precede another infinitive, as in "I want to eat." Work with dovere (to have to), potere (to be able to), and volere (to want to), as you discover Liguria's natural beauties, picturesque towns, and culinary and artistic riches. Then investigate the verbs conoscere and sapere, which relate to knowledge, and look into the creations of Genoese architect Renzo Piano.

10. The Imperative Mood / Campania

32m

The imperative mood expresses commands, as in, "Repeat after me," in English. Explore the two types of imperative verbs in Italian, the informal and the formal, and when to use each. Also, study irregular forms of the imperative. Practice the imperative by describing the popular Campania region, famous for its capital of Naples, its ancient sites, beautiful islands, and the scenic Amalfi Coast.

Extended Details

SeriesLearning Italian: Step by Step and Region by Region

Closed CaptionsEnglish

Artists

The Great CoursesDirector

The Great CoursesProducer

Kristina OlsonActor