FIND THE RIGHT COURSE FOR YOU
Unless you are a complete beginner of Italian, it can be hard to know where you should start.
Assessing a student’s level accurately is not as straightforward as a simple grammar test.
Grammar knowledge is how most courses and methods assess a student’s level because it is easy to measure and quantify – you either know a grammar rule or you don’t!
But does simply knowing the rules of Italian grammar mean you really know Italian?
Can you speak and meaningfully communicate in Italian?
Can you understand when an Italian speaks to you in Italian?
At Italy Made Easy, we understand that every learner brings varying degrees of experience and knowledge of Italian to the table.
Many of our students come to us having already tried other methods and resources, attended different courses, and spent different amounts of time studying Italian. There are lots of variables to take into account!
THAT IS WHY…
Assessing someone’s level based purely on their grammatical knowledge is a flawed approach.
IT'S ALL ABOUT COMMUNICATION
SPEAKING
Being able to express your own thoughts and construct your own sentences in spontaneous conversation
HOW TO LEARN A LANGUAGE
Gaining the skills and knowledge of how to efficiently and effectively acquire a language
LISTENING AND COMPREHENSION
Being able to understand natural, authentically spoken Italian
PRONUNCIATION
Sounding as close to an Italian as you can get!
Our ultimate goal is to help you achieve your dream of being fluent in Italian!
While other methods of teaching Italian may have failed you in the past, we are different.
We care about you and your results.
The Italy Made Easy Method determines a student’s level based on their communication skills and confidence with the Italian language, where grammar is only one of the many components to take into account.
There are four main assessment categories that we believe should all be taken into account when choosing the best level for you.
Read over these assessment categories carefully and create a clearer picture for yourself of where you are really at, then balance all the suggestions out and make a calculated decision.
Remember, we want you to succeed in Italian. The best part is, as an Italy Made Easy member, you will have infinite access to all From Zero To Italian courses, so don’t stress too much about choosing the right level at first. You can change levels whenever you want if you don’t feel your current course is right for you.
When possible, we recommend starting From Zero to Italian from the very beginning – Beginner Italian Level 1, even if that means going over the basic stuff that you already know.
Only 10% of all Beginner Italian Level 1 students were actually complete beginners when they started learning with us, yet all students benefited immensely from taking Beginner Italian Level 1.
FROM ZERO TO ITALIAN
Our “hero” program you will have unlimited access to as part of your Italy Made Easy Membership
fills the knowledge gaps and builds on the skills that most programs leave out
So many of our students tell us about how much they gained from starting at Beginner Italian Level 1, because even though they may have previously tried learning Italian for many years, there were so many things that they didn’t know they didn’t know.
Things that they struggled with and never really understood finally made sense after learning with us.
You, too, can have this “A-ha! I finally get it!” moment.
If you feel that you already know “too much Italian” for Beginner Italian Level 1 and have the necessary communication skills and confidence to start in a higher course, then sure, let’s find the right course for you!
Assess yourself against all four of these categories:
1. TIME
2. GRAMMAR
3. SPEAKING
4. LISTENING & COMPREHENSION
1. TIME
How long have you been studying Italian?
1. LESS THAN 6 MONTHS
We recommend starting from Beginner Italian Level 1. Most methods leave huge knowledge gaps in new students and do not empower them to understand how the Italian language works. Therefore, they are often unable to independently make up their own sentences and say what they want.
2. MORE THAN 6 MONTHS
Ask yourself if you could honestly survive a basic interaction with an Italian in a store, at a bus stop or in any casual encounter. Of course, they will say things that you might not know, but…
How confident are you of your ability to still carry on the conversation?
If not so sure, start from
Beginner Italian Level 1.
If you are confident in the above scenarios, start from Beginner Level 2
What students are saying about Italy Made Easy
2. GRAMMAR
Can you confidently use and understand the following grammar points with no little mistakes or hesitations as far as structure, auxiliary verb selection and past participle, etc. are concerned?
PASSATO PROSSIMO (PAST TENSE)
IMPERFECT TENSE
YES
Consider Beginner Italian Level 2
YES
Consider Intermediate Italian Level 2
NO
Consider Beginner Italian Level 1
NO
Consider Intermediate Italian Level 1
PRESENT PROGRESSIVE TENSE
FUTURE TENSE
YES
Consider Intermediate Italian Level 2
YES
Consider Intermediate Italian Level 3
NO
Consider Intermediate Italian Level 1
NO
Consider Intermediate Italian Level 2
IMPERATIVE MOOD
CONDITIONAL MOOD
YES
Consider Intermediate Italian Level 3
YES
Consider Intermediate Italian Level 4
NO
Consider Intermediate Italian Level 2
NO
Consider Intermediate Italian Level 3
SUBJUNCTIVE MOOD
YES
Consider Intermediate Italian Level 4
NO
Consider Intermediate Italian Level 3
3. SPEAKING
This is harder for us to assess without speaking to you personally!
In our experience, students start feeling very confident with their Italian speaking ability after they’ve completed Intermediate Italian Level 1. At that point they are able to engage in most everyday conversations and, with some mistakes and struggles with vocabulary, they can successfully communicate without high levels of stress.
Students who have completed Beginner Italian Level 1 can also communicate in Italian, though at a more basic level and in fewer situations, but the levels of anxiety and fear are definitely higher.
Ask yourself: How do you feel at the thought of speaking Italian with an Italian?
1.
Terrified!
Consider Beginner Italian Level 1
2.
Not very confident at all
Consider Beginner Italian Level 1
3.
A little confident
Consider Beginner Italian Level 2
4.
Somewhat Confident
Consider Beginner Italian Level 2
or Intermediate Italian Level 1
5.
At ease/comfortable
Consider Intermediate Italian Level 1 or 2
6.
Confident
Consider Intermediate Italian Level 3
7.
Very Confident
Consider Intermediate Italian Level 4 (*coming 2025)
8.
Extremely Confident
Ma… Sei italiano?
4. LISTENING & COMPREHENSION
How much can you understand when you listen to natural spoken Italian?
How confident are you in your listening and comprehension abilities in Italian?
Can you confidently understand at least 70% or more OF THE FOLLOWING TYPES OF CONTENT?
1 ) Only easy, scripted dialogues created for learners of Italian for specific situations:
For example:
– At the train station
– Ordering coffee
– At the restaurant
We strongly suggest Beginner Italian Level 1
2) Only scripted content on some broader topics (if spoken slowly)
Consider Beginner Italian Level 2 or Intermediate Italian Level 1 (depending on all other factors and categories)
3) Unscripted content on any topic, spoken slowly and created for learners of Italian
Consider any of our Intermediate Levels 1 – 4 (depending on all other factors and categories)
4) Content created for Italians on a specific familiar topic and by single speaker who speaks clearly
Consider Intermediate Italian Level 3 or Intermediate Italian Level 4 (Launching 2025)
Ideally, we prefer students to start with the FIRST course of a level, so if you are at an Intermediate level, it would be great to start from Intermediate Italian Level 1, rather than Intermediate Italian Level 2.
If you are concerned about “relearning” what you already know, then you needn’t be! We know for sure that you will learn those same things much more deeply . You will internalize them so they come out naturally without having to recall every grammar rule! This is our secret sauce, the thing that gets people flocking to our courses and making it to the finish line.
Not to mention, each unit is filled with fun practice exercises and activities of all sorts, so you will never get bored!
At Italy Made Easy, we care about your success.
WE WANT YOU TO SUCCEED!
So whatever level you start at, you can be confident knowing that you are in good hands.