Italian: Intermediate Conversation



Overview

Join us to enhance your Italian conversational skills across various domains, including personal, social and professional contexts.

Through engaging activities, multimedia resources, and interactive discussions, you will build confidence in listening and speaking.

The course will help expand your vocabulary, refine grammar accuracy, and improve fluency while discussing topics such as travel, relationships, work and hobbies. We will explore nuanced language use, including formal and informal registers, and some idiomatic expressions.

Is this the right level course for you?

To benefit from the course, participants should have done one of the following:

  • Completed our Italian Intermediate level courses (Part 1 and Part 2); or
  • Studied Italian for approximately three years; or
  • Achieved or are near the B1 Level of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) for Languages in Italian.

New students, who have not completed 'Part 1' and 'Part 2', whose proficiency in the language is appropriate for the course level are very welcome.

Programme details

Course starts Monday 20 April 2026

This is an in-person course which requires your attendance at the weekly meetings in Oxford on Mondays, 4.30-6.30pm.

The weekly schedule below is intended to give an indication of the main topic(s) likely to be covered in each session. Please note that these may sometimes change according to the tutor’s discretion to reflect the interests of course participants.

Week 1: Italian cuisine. Recipes and sourcing ingredients.

Week 2: Talking about art. La primavera di Botticelli.

Week 3: Journey to Italy: Lazio.

Week 4: Italian news.

Week 5: Navigating traditions: fêtes, markets, shops.

Week 6: Games.

Week 7: Holiday scenarios.

Week 8: Italian music.

Week 9: Living abroad: pleasures and hiccups.

Week 10: Italian geography and landscapes.

Key grammar points

  • The impersonal form
  • The imperfect and present perfect
  • Personal pronouns
  • The subjunctive
  • Prepositions

Key functions

  • Expressing opinions
  • Narrating events
  • Formal/informal registers 
  • Giving reasons
  • Use of idioms and common collocations

Textbooks

No textbook required. All course materials will be provided by the course tutor.

Certification

Digital badge

Upon successful completion of this course, you will be issued with an official digital badge from the Department for Continuing Education, University of Oxford. In order to be issued with your badge, you will need to have attended at least 80% of the course.

After the course, you will receive an email with a link and instructions on how to download your digital badge. You will be able to add this badge to your email signature and share it on social media if you choose to do so. 

Fees

Description Costs
Course fee £300.00

Funding

If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit, you are a full-time student in the UK or a student on a low income, you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees. See details of our concessionary fees for short courses.

Tutor

Dr Francesca Magnabosco

Tutor

Francesca graduated from the University of Turin, Italy (BA; MPhil) and obtained her DPhil in Italian literature from the University of Oxford. For the University of Oxford, she works as lecturer in Italian Renaissance literature (Pembroke College), and as tutor in Italian, for both the sub-Faculty of Italian and the Department for Continuing Education. She is also a writer and translator.

Course aims

Enhance learners' conversational skills to interact confidently in familiar situations, at work and while travelling in a country where the language is spoken.

Course objectives

  • Develop learners’ comprehension skills to understand the language of diverse speakers, including different accents and faster speech.
  • Enhance fluency through class activities that cover a variety of situations likely to be encountered at work, in social contexts and while travelling abroad.
  • Encourage the use of a variety of lexical repertoire and grammar structures to construct clear and coherent sentences.
  • Consolidate understanding of cultural nuances, some idiomatic expressions, and social etiquette.

Teaching methods

Join us to improve your proficiency and conversational skills in a supportive and stimulating environment. Our language courses promote collaborative learning, encouraging peer interaction and real-life activities. You will learn through participating in engaging activities and tasks in the target language. These are likely to include role-plays, pair- and small-group work, and discussions conducted in a friendly and informal learning environment. The course has been structured to help you primarily to develop your speaking and listening skills.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course, students will be better prepared to:

  • understand standard speech at natural speed in a variety of situations likely to be encountered at work, in social contexts and while travelling abroad.
  • speak confidently in a variety of contexts, initiating and maintaining conversations on a range of topics.
  • use a range of lexical repertoire and grammar structures to express ideas and give reasons.
  • recognise cultural nuances and some idiomatic expressions.

Assessment methods

Formative assessment will be implemented through a series of class activities and tasks, such as discussions, debates, role-plays, and presentations. Comprehension tasks using audio and video materials may be used to assess learners' understanding of spoken language. Participants are encouraged to participate in class activities to benefit from tutor feedback.

Application

Please use the 'Book now' button on this page. Alternatively, please complete an enrolment form.

Level and demands

To benefit from the course, participants should have done one of the following:

  • Completed our Italian Intermediate level courses (Part 1 and Part 2); or
  • Studied Italian for approximately three years; or
  • Achieved or are near the B1 Level of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) for Languages in Italian.

New students, who have not completed 'Part 1' and 'Part 2', whose proficiency in the language is appropriate for the course level are very welcome.

Find out more about our language levels.

Terms & conditions for applicants and students

Information on financial support