Your first conversations start here.
From your first ciao to a conversation on campus. Learn practical Italian for arrival, cafés, transport, housing, university offices, healthcare and daily life, with audio and Hindi pronunciation hints to help you speak.
- 15–20 min/day
- Absolute beginner
- Audio on every phrase
- 30
- days to explore
- 120
- short lessons
- Days 1–3
- free to start
What you’ll be able to do after this course.
The three moments students panic about most — covered first.
- Introduce yourself confidently
Name, where you're from, what you study, and when to use tu vs Lei.
- Order at cafés and restaurants
Coffee, water, the bill, the coperto, and the standing-at-the-bar etiquette.
- Handle university offices
Segreteria, professors, library, registration. First-week paperwork phrases.
Also covered: directions · paperwork · landlords · healthcare · emergencies · transport · time & dates · verbs.
Hear it. Say it. Use it.
Every lesson follows the same three-step rhythm. Learn the sound, practise saying it, then use it in context. The course pairs real-life phrases and dialogues with the grammar that helps you build your own sentences.
- 01Hear it
Every phrase has native-paced Italian audio. Tap to listen as many times as you need.
- 02Say it
Repeat-after-me prompts with India-friendly phonetic hints, anchored to Hindi sounds where they help.
- 03Use it
Mini-dialogues drop the phrase into a real situation: a café, a station, a university office.
WALKING INTO A SHOP
Buongiorno.
Good morning
ब्वोन-जोर्-नो
Approximate Hindi cue · use the recording as your reference
Listen once for the sound. Listen again for the rhythm.
Your 30-day journey.
30 days, 120 lessons, six phases. The first 3 days are free — open a day or listen to a real sample. Everything after Day 3 unlocks with the full course.
01DAYS 1–3 · FREEFoundationAlphabet, sounds, greetings, introductions and getting around.
- 01The Italian alphabet, sounds & numbers
Alphabet · Vowels · Consonants · Numbers 0–100
Read every Italian word aloud.
25–35 min · 4 lessonszero, uno, due, treNumbers in Italian. - 02Greetings & introductions
Greetings · Polite words · Self-intro · Tu vs Lei
Greet anyone, anywhere. Tu vs Lei.
25–35 min · 4 lessonsVengo dall'India.I come from India. - 03Directions, transport & shopping
Directions · Transport · Buying things · Asking for help
Find the train. Reach the hostel.
30–40 min · 4 lessonsDov'è la stazione?Where is the station?
02DAYS 4–7 · FULL COURSEDaily survivalCampus, pharmacy, cafés, shopping, dates and booking.
- 04Campus, housing & pharmacy
Segreteria · Housing · Pharmacy · SIM & phone
Survive your first university week.
30–40 min · 4 lessons - 05Cafés, ordering & paying
Coffee · Menu · Paying & coperto · Vegetarian
Eat and drink with confidence.
30–40 min · 4 lessons - 06Shopping in Italy
Clothes & sizes · Colours · Returns · Mercato
Buy clothes, ask for sizes, haggle nicely.
30–40 min · 4 lessons - 07Time, days, months & appointments
Time · Days · Dates · Booking
Read schedules. Book the doctor.
30–40 min · 4 lessons
03DAYS 8–11 · FULL COURSEUniversity lifeFamily small talk, verb foundations, phone calls, banking and post.
- 08Family, jobs & small talk
Family · Studies · Hobbies · Small talk
Hold a 5-minute conversation.
30–40 min · 4 lessons - 09Essere, avere & -are verbs
Essere · Avere · -are pattern · SVO sentences
Conjugate half of all Italian verbs.
30–40 min · 4 lessons - 10-ere, -ire verbs & irregulars
-ere verbs · -ire & -isc- · 6 irregulars · Daily routine
Complete the verb foundation.
30–40 min · 4 lessons - 11Phone, SIM, banking & post
Phone · Bank · Post office · Bills
Make a call without freezing.
30–40 min · 4 lessons
04DAYS 12–15 · FULL COURSEConfidence practiceBureaucracy, emergencies, past tense and a full role-play.
- 12Codice fiscale, permesso & questura
Codice fiscale · Permesso · Questura · Embassy
Walk through Italian bureaucracy.
30–40 min · 4 lessons - 13Emergencies: 112, hospital, police
112 · Pronto soccorso · Denuncia · Street help
Call 112. Reach the consulate.
30–40 min · 4 lessons - 14Past tense: passato prossimo
With avere · With essere · 10 irregulars · Weekend recap
Tell what happened yesterday.
30–40 min · 4 lessons - 15Future, opinions & final role-play
Future tense · Making plans · Opinions · Final role-play
Cap the foundation with a full dialogue.
30–40 min · 4 lessons
05DAYS 16–22 · FULL COURSEEveryday fluencyDaily routines, descriptions, doctor visits, pronouns, renting and polite requests.
- 16Talking about the past: imperfetto
Imperfetto · Imperfetto vs passato · When I was young · Telling a story
Describe how things used to be.
30–40 min · 4 lessons - 17Your daily life: reflexive verbs
Reflexive verbs · My daily routine · Ci & each other · A typical day
Talk through your whole day.
30–40 min · 4 lessons - 18Describing people & places
Personality · Appearance · Describing places · Comparatives
Paint a picture in words.
30–40 min · 4 lessons - 19The doctor & the pharmacy
Tessera sanitaria · Booking a doctor · Symptoms · At the pharmacy
Get care when you're unwell.
30–40 min · 4 lessons - 20Object pronouns: lo, la, li, le
Direct object pronouns · In shops & cafés · Ne (some / of it) · Practice
Stop repeating the noun.
30–40 min · 4 lessons - 21Renting & living with flatmates
Indirect pronouns · The contratto · Problems with the flat · Calling the landlord
Sign a lease; call the landlord.
30–40 min · 4 lessons - 22Polite requests: the conditional
Conditional forms · Polite requests · Giving advice · Wishes
Ask nicely; give advice.
30–40 min · 4 lessons
06DAYS 23–30 · FULL COURSEConfident & independentExams, instructions, work, travel, opinions, complaints and capstone conversations.
- 23University, up close
Enrolling in courses · Talking to professors · Exams & grades · Group work & library
Exams, professors, group work.
30–40 min · 4 lessons - 24Getting things done: the imperative
Informal commands · Formal commands · Commands + pronouns · Following instructions
Give and follow instructions.
30–40 min · 4 lessons - 25Work & part-time jobs
Job ads & applying · Your CV · The interview · At work
Apply, interview, start work.
30–40 min · 4 lessons - 26Weekend trips & travel
Booking trains & hotels · Stare + gerundio · Describing a trip · Hotel reception
Book trips; describe them after.
30–40 min · 4 lessons - 27Opinions & feelings
Opinions · Penso che + congiuntivo · Agree & disagree · Emotions
Say what you think — and feel.
30–40 min · 4 lessons - 28Problems, complaints & official life
Relative pronouns · Making a complaint · SPID & online · Formal email & calls
Complain well; handle SPID.
30–40 min · 4 lessons - 29Putting it all together
If-clauses · Si impersonale · Tense review · Mixed practice
If-clauses, si, full review.
30–40 min · 4 lessons - 30Capstone: real conversations
A day in Italian · Solving a problem · Social & university · Wrap-up & next steps
Hold your own, end to end.
30–40 min · 4 lessons
Preparing to land in Italy? See our guides on Italian lifeHealthcare basicsEmergency contacts
Common questions
Common questions about the Italian course
Do I really need to learn Italian if my course is in English?
Italian helps with housing, healthcare, public offices and daily life, even when teaching is in English. English support varies by place and situation. Also check whether your programme has a separate Italian-language requirement for clinical work, internships or graduation.How much Italian is enough for the first year as an international student?
Basic Italian helps with everyday tasks; A2 is a useful learning target, not a guaranteed result from a fixed number of study days. Our three-day starter introduces survival basics and does not certify a CEFR level.Is the audio on this Italian course actually a native speaker?
The course uses generated Italian speech, including ElevenLabs audio, rather than presenting it as a recording of a human instructor. Pronunciation practice helps, but the course does not provide a language certificate.Will I need an Italian language certificate (CILS, CELI, PLIDA) to study in Italy?
Check the programme’s current admission, internship and graduation rules. Italian or mixed-language courses often require B2 or accepted equivalent evidence. English teaching does not always remove Italian requirements: for example, Polimi’s English Industrial Engineering bachelor requires Italian B2 before graduation, with specified exemptions.What's the difference between Day 1, 2, 3 of this course?
Day 1: the Italian alphabet, the five vowels, tricky consonant sounds, and numbers. Day 2: greetings, polite words, introducing yourself, and tu vs Lei. Day 3: directions, transport, buying things, and asking for help. Together, these are the survival basics for your first days in Italy. Premium adds Days 4–30 — 27 more days with real-world dialogues and conversation practice.
Start speaking useful Italian before you land.
Days 1–3 are free and open right now, no sign-up needed. Spend 15 minutes today on Day 1 and see how it feels.