Learning Italian: Step by Step and Region by Region

Preview 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. #Literature & Learning

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.