Learn Italian — from Zero to Conversational

Complete A1 to B2.2 Curriculum

Course: Italian

Italian is the language of art, music, fashion and food — the language of Dante, Michelangelo and Ferrari. With 85 million speakers and deep cultural richness, learning Italian is a journey you will never regret.

🗣️ 85 million speakers worldwide — official language of Italy, Switzerland and San Marino.
📊 Italian has very regular pronunciation — you read exactly what you see. The grammar has similarities with other Romance languages and is considered one of the most pleasant languages to learn.

Why learn Italian?

What you get

Grammar you'll master

Il Presente Indicativo

Italian present tense with three conjugation groups (-are, -ere, -ire) and essential irregular verbs: essere, avere, andare, fare, stare.

Parlo italiano ogni giorno. / Lei ha un cane bellissimo. / Andiamo al mare domani.

Il Passato Prossimo

The most common past tense — formed with avere or essere + past participle. Used for completed actions and recent events.

Ho mangiato la pizza. / Siamo andati al cinema ieri sera. / Ha letto quel libro?

Articoli & Genere

Italian nouns are masculine or feminine. Articles (il, la, i, le, un, una) agree in gender and number with the noun.

Il treno è in ritardo. / La pasta è buonissima. / Gli amici sono arrivati.

L'Imperfetto

Used for habitual past actions, ongoing states and background descriptions. Pairs with passato prossimo for storytelling.

Quando ero bambino, giocavo a calcio. / Faceva caldo e c'era molta gente in piazza.

Il Futuro Semplice

The future tense uses infinitive + endings. Irregular futures include essere → sar-, avere → avr-, fare → far-.

Partirò domani mattina. / Sarà una bella giornata. / Avranno molto lavoro.

Aggettivi & Accordo

Italian adjectives agree in gender and number with the noun they describe. This applies to colours, nationalities and descriptive words.

Un libro interessante. / Una città bellissima. / Ragazzi simpatici. / Ragazze brave.

A taste of the curriculum

Sei mai stato/a a Roma?

Have you ever been to Rome? — Passato prossimo for life experience.

Sì! Ho visitato Roma l'anno scorso. La città è meravigliosa.

Yes! I visited Rome last year. The city is wonderful. — With avere the participle never changes; with essere it would be sono andato / sono andata depending on the speaker.

Cosa ti è piaciuto di più?

What did you like most? — Indirect object pronoun + piacere.

Adoravo passeggiare per il Trastevere la sera. Vorrei tornare presto.

I loved walking through Trastevere in the evenings. I'd like to go back soon.

Frequently asked questions

Is Italian easy to learn?﹢

Italian is widely considered one of the easiest languages for English speakers, especially those who know some French or Spanish. It has consistent pronunciation rules and a grammar structure that is logical once you learn the patterns.

How many people speak Italian?﹢

Italian has about 85 million native speakers, mostly in Italy and Switzerland. It's also widely spoken in diaspora communities worldwide and is the language of opera, art, fashion and cuisine.

What's the most important Italian grammar concept?﹢

Noun gender and article agreement affects almost every sentence. Mastering whether a noun is masculine or feminine — and making adjectives agree — is the single most impactful early skill to develop.

Is Italian spoken differently across regions?﹢

Yes — Italian dialects vary significantly. LingoNibble teaches standard Italian (italiano standard), which is the educated norm across all regions and what you'll hear on TV, radio and in formal contexts.

How much Italian will I know after completing A1?﹢

After A1 you'll be able to introduce yourself, talk about your family, describe your daily routine, order food and navigate basic social situations in Italian.

Plan your study

Guide · Italian roadmap

Italian Learning Roadmap: From A1 to B2.2

A week-by-week study plan, the grammar that matters at each stage, and sample dialogues at A2 and B1.

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Sample Vocabulary

Hello / Bye (informal)

Ciao

Good morning

Buongiorno

Good evening

Buonasera

Goodbye (formal)

Arrivederci

Reading Comprehension Stories

Curriculum Overview (60 Units)

1

Unit 1: Greetings & Auxiliary 'Essere'

Master essential Italian greetings, introductions, and the irregular auxiliary verb 'essere' (to be).

2

Unit 2: Objects & Definite Articles

Master singular and plural definite articles (il, lo, la, l', i, gli, le) and classroom nouns.

3

Unit 3: Numbers & Auxiliary 'Avere'

Master numbers 1–100, expressing age, possessions, and the auxiliary verb 'avere' (to have).

4

Unit 4: Café & Indefinite Articles

Master indefinite articles (un, uno, una, un') and ordering food and drinks in an Italian bar.

5

Unit 5: Present Tense: -ARE Verbs

Master regular -are verbs in the present indicative (parlare, mangiare, abitare, lavorare).

6

Unit 6: Verbs -ERE & -IRE

Master -ere and -ire verbs including -isc- insertion verbs.

7

Unit 7: Travel & Prepositions

Learn transport nouns and simple prepositions (a, in, da, di, per, con, su).

8

Unit 8: Food & Adjectives

Master food items, market shopping, and adjective agreement (gender & number).

9

Unit 9: Family & Possessives

Learn family vocabulary and possessive adjectives (mio, tuo, suo, nostro, vostro, loro).

10

Unit 10: A1 Synthesis & Modals

Synthesize A1 knowledge, learn modal verbs (dovere, potere, volere), and introductory Passato Prossimo.

11

Unit 11: Past Tense: Auxiliary Selection & Agreement

Master choosing between 'avere' and 'essere' in the passato prossimo and agreeing past participles with gender and number.

12

Unit 12: Imperfetto: Habitual Past & Descriptions

Master the imperfetto tense for habits, weather, background descriptions, emotional states, and age.

13

Unit 13: Passato Prossimo vs Imperfetto

Master contrasting completed past events (passato prossimo) with ongoing background actions or habits (imperfetto).

14

Unit 14: Preposizioni Articolate Matrix

Master combining simple prepositions (di, a, da, in, su) with definite articles (il, lo, la, l', i, gli, le).

15

Unit 15: Direct Object Pronouns & Past Agreement

Master direct object pronouns (mi, ti, lo, la, ci, vi, li, le) and past participle agreement in compound tenses.

16

Unit 16: Indirect Object Pronouns

Master indirect object pronouns (mi, ti, gli, le, ci, vi, gli/loro) and verbs taking indirect objects.

17

Unit 17: Reflexive Verbs in Present & Past

Master reflexive pronouns (mi, ti, si, ci, vi, si) in present indicative and compound past with mandatory 'essere' auxiliary and subject agreement.

18

Unit 18: Particles 'Ci' & 'Ne'

Master using 'ci' for locations and prepositional phrases (a/in) and 'ne' for quantities, partitives, and agreement.

19

Unit 19: Imperative Tense (Informal)

Master the informal imperative for commands, advice, and exhortations (tu, noi, voi) including irregulars and pronoun placement.

20

Unit 20: Italian A2 Capstone & Synthesis

Synthesize all A2 Italian grammar: past tenses (passato prossimo & imperfetto), preposizioni articolate, direct/indirect pronouns, reflexives, ci/ne, and imperatives.

21

Unit 21: Present Subjunctive: Opinions & Beliefs

Master expressing personal opinions and beliefs using 'credo che', 'penso che', and regular/irregular present subjunctive forms.

22

Unit 22: Subjunctive: Emotions, Doubts & Hopes

Master expressing emotions, fears, hopes, and doubts with 'spero che', 'temo che', 'dubito che'.

23

Unit 23: Past Subjunctive (Congiuntivo Passato)

Master Past Subjunctive (Congiuntivo Passato) with authentic examples and balanced drills.

24

Unit 24: Present Conditional (Condizionale Presente)

Master Present Conditional (Condizionale Presente) with authentic examples and balanced drills.

25

Unit 25: Past Conditional (Condizionale Passato)

Master Past Conditional (Condizionale Passato) with authentic examples and balanced drills.

26

Unit 26: Combined Pronouns (Pronomi Combinati)

Master Combined Pronouns (Pronomi Combinati) with authentic examples and balanced drills.

27

Unit 27: Hypothetical Sentences Type 1 (Reality)

Master Hypothetical Sentences Type 1 (Reality) with authentic examples and balanced drills.

28

Unit 28: Hypothetical Sentences Type 2 (Possibility)

Master Hypothetical Sentences Type 2 (Possibility) with authentic examples and balanced drills.

29

Unit 29: Relative Pronouns (Pronomi Relativi)

Master Relative Pronouns (Pronomi Relativi) with authentic examples and balanced drills.

30

Unit 30: Italian B1.1 Capstone Synthesis

Master Italian B1.1 Capstone Synthesis with authentic examples and balanced drills.

31

Unit 31: Impersonal Structures: 'Si' Impersonale & Passivante

Master Impersonal Structures: 'Si' Impersonale & Passivante with authentic examples and balanced drills.

32

Unit 32: Passive Voice (Forma Passiva)

Master Passive Voice (Forma Passiva) with authentic examples and balanced drills.

33

Unit 33: Gerund & Stare + Gerund

Master Gerund & Stare + Gerund with authentic examples and balanced drills.

34

Unit 34: Indefinite Pronouns & Adjectives

Master Indefinite Pronouns & Adjectives with authentic examples and balanced drills.

35

Unit 35: Discourse Markers & Connectives

Master Discourse Markers & Connectives with authentic examples and balanced drills.

36

Unit 36: Expressing Regret & Past Hypotheses

Master Expressing Regret & Past Hypotheses with authentic examples and balanced drills.

37

Unit 37: Formal & Business Italian

Master Formal & Business Italian with authentic examples and balanced drills.

38

Unit 38: Italian Art & Cultural Heritage

Master Italian Art & Cultural Heritage with authentic examples and balanced drills.

39

Unit 39: Society, Environment & Modern Life

Master Society, Environment & Modern Life with authentic examples and balanced drills.

40

Unit 40: Italian B1.2 Final Mastery Capstone

Master Italian B1.2 Final Mastery Capstone with authentic examples and balanced drills.

41

Unit 41: Il Congiuntivo Imperfetto

Mastering the formation and usage of the Imperfect Subjunctive in subordinate clauses.

42

Unit 42: Il Congiuntivo Trapassato

Mastering the Pluperfect Subjunctive for past anteriority and unfulfilled desires.

43

Unit 43: Type 3 Conditionals & Unfulfilled Past (Periodo Ipotetico dell'Irrealtà)

Master constructing Type 3 hypothetical sentences for unfulfilled past actions, mixed conditionals, and formal inverted clauses without 'se'.

44

Unit 44: La Forma Passiva Avanzata

Mastering passive constructions with essere, venire, and andare.

45

Unit 45: Il Discorso Indiretto nel Passato

Mastering indirect speech and tense concordance after past reporting verbs.

46

Unit 46: Gerunds and Participles (Simple, Compound, and Absolute)

Mastering implicit clauses using simple and compound gerunds and absolute participle constructions.

47

Unit 47: Concessive and Adversative Connectors

Mastering subtle concessions and contrast using sebbene, nonostante, pur + gerund, and eppure.

48

Unit 48: Indefinite Pronouns and Adjectives (Chiunque, Qualunque, Qualsiasi)

Mastering advanced indefinite pronouns and adjectives and their mood requirements.

49

Unit 49: Pronominal and Procomplementary Verbs (Cavarsela, Prendersela, Farsene una ragione)

Mastering idiomatic procomplementary verbs with fixed pronouns and past participle agreements.

50

Unit 50: B2.1 Capstone Synthesis: Business Negotiations & Dispute Resolution

Synthesizing B2.1 grammar (subjunctive, passives, gerunds, indefinites, and pronominal verbs) in corporate negotiation settings.

51

Unit 51: Conditional and Restrictive Subordinate Clauses

Mastering restrictive and condition-setting connectors with the subjunctive (a patto che, purché, a meno che non).

52

Unit 52: Syntactic Dislocations and Pronoun Redundancy (Dislocazione a Sinistra e a Destra)

Mastering topicalization, left/right dislocations, and spoken Italian syntactic emphasis (e.g. Il caffè lo prendo amaro).

53

Unit 53: Past Infinitive and Implicit Constructions (Dopo aver fatto, Per essere andato)

Mastering implicit clauses with past infinitive constructions after prepositions (dopo, per, prima di, senza).

54

Unit 54: Administrative and Bureaucratic Italian (Decoding Burocratese)

Decoding official administrative jargon, nominalization patterns, archaic formulas, and bureaucratic syntax.

55

Unit 55: Journalistic Style and the Distancing Conditional (Stile Giornalistico e Condizionale di Dissociazione)

Mastering the journalistic conditional (condizionale di dissociazione / di citazione) to report unconfirmed news, alleged facts, and hearsay safely.

56

Unit 56: The Historical Past (Il Passato Remoto in Literature and History)

Recognizing regular and irregular past remote verb forms in literary, historical, and narrative contexts.

57

Unit 57: Advanced Noun and Adjective Alteration (Accrescitivo, Diminutivo, Vezzeggiativo, Peggiorativo)

Mastering altered nouns and adjectives, suffix semantics, rhetorical nuances, and gender-shift exceptions.

58

Unit 58: Nuances of Politeness and Diplomacy (Hedging, Mitigating, Courtesy Conditional)

Mastering polite disagreement, diplomatic hedging, courteous request formulas, and syntactic mitigation.

59

Unit 59: Academic Discourse and Essay Writing (Linguaggio Accademico e Saggistica)

Mastering academic essay structures, monograph syntax, abstract nominalization, and high-register argumentative connectors.

60

Unit 60: B2.2 Masterclass: Thesis Defense and Rhetorical Synthesis (La Difesa della Tesi)

Synthesizing all upper-intermediate B2 structures for thesis defense, spontaneous debate, and executive public speaking.