Italian for groups: infinitives on signs and polite conditional requests

What Italian asks of an English speaker

Try two questions from the course

Both are taken unchanged from the Italian lessons, with the explanation learners see after answering.

What each level covers

1. A1 Read Italian infinitives on door signs, use an age expression built with have, and choose masculine or feminine writer endings in a short arrival message.

   8 skills at A1

   • Recognize familiar words and basic phrases in short written texts
   • Understand basic spoken phrases when delivered slowly and clearly
   • Complete simple forms with personal information
   • Write very short simple personal messages
   • Understand simple written instructions supported by context
   • Recognize basic information in signs, notices, and schedules
   • Follow very simple spoken announcements
   • Exchange basic information in simple written interactions

2. A2 Write Italian shop requests with a conditional form of wanting, use an attached object pronoun when exchanging a shirt size, and use a plural liking construction for a preference about vegetables.

   8 skills at A2

   • Understand short simple personal messages
   • Follow basic spoken information about everyday matters
   • Read simple public information and service texts
   • Write short everyday messages for practical purposes
   • Describe routine matters in simple connected writing
   • Handle simple written transactions
   • Understand simple directions and instructions
   • Extract key details from short factual texts

3. B1 Read an Italian courier’s proposal to deliver a sofa on Thursday instead of Wednesday, and complete a first-person confirmation of attendance that the organizer acknowledges.

   8 skills at B1

   • Understand the main points of clear texts on familiar matters
   • Understand the main points of clear standard speech on familiar matters
   • Write connected texts on familiar topics
   • Express opinions, plans, and experiences in writing
   • Manage routine written correspondence
   • Understand straightforward narratives and descriptions
   • Follow straightforward presentations and media on familiar topics
   • Summarize factual information from straightforward texts

4. B2 Read the Italian objection to artificial turf that concedes its lower initial cost but notes summer heat and cleaning needs, and complete an agreement with a reservation about missing cost data.

   8 skills at B2

   • Read articles and reports that present arguments and viewpoints
   • Understand extended speech and presentations with clear structure
   • Write clear detailed texts on a range of subjects
   • Write reasoned arguments supporting a point of view
   • Participate effectively in written discussions
   • Understand specialized texts in familiar fields
   • Identify stance, tone, and implication in spoken discourse
   • Synthesize information from multiple written sources

5. C1 Take notes on a talk with arrows for cause and effect and a bracketed source for a statistic, catch a speaker who promises to name no names while making the target obvious, and turn a casual line into a formal invitation with the capitalized polite pronoun.

   8 skills at C1

   • Understand long complex texts across a range of domains
   • Understand extended speech with implicit meaning and complex structure
   • Write well-structured detailed texts on complex subjects
   • Adapt style, register, and conventions to purpose and audience
   • Manage complex written interactions fluently and appropriately
   • Understand implicit meaning, nuance, and rhetorical effect in written texts
   • Take effective notes from complex spoken input
   • Evaluate and synthesize information from complex written sources

6. C2 Decode allusions to Don Quixote and to the Caudine Forks, read a settlement offer that pays without admitting liability, and tighten prose by replacing a vague noun phrase with one exact verb.

   8 skills at C2

   • Understand virtually all forms of written language
   • Understand virtually all forms of spoken language
   • Produce polished, effective texts for demanding purposes
   • Compose nuanced persuasive arguments
   • Handle demanding written exchanges with precision and flexibility
   • Interpret subtle pragmatic and cultural references
   • Critically synthesize diverse written and spoken sources
   • Edit and transform texts while preserving nuance and effect