Method & Levels
 After decades of study and successful instruction to a vast range of students, the Centro Linguistico Italiano Dante Alighieri (CLIDA) has devised an effective teaching method leading to immediate results in learning the Italian language.
Through teaching Italian grammar, then putting it to use immediately in conversational techniques, such as dialogues, question-and-answer, asking for information, etc., students learn quickly and retain lessons longer. Gradually, students increase their individual Italian vocabulary as well as their knowledge of common Italian expressions and workplace language.
Faculty
All CLIDA teachers are university graduates, specialized in their field and have extensive experience teaching the Italian language to foreigners. Whether in the individual or group courses, the teaching techniques our faculty use allow for rapid and lasting results.
Teaching Materials
All teaching materials, such as texts, exercises, presentations, etc., are the result of the collaboration of CLIDA academic faculty and their years of teaching experience. CLIDA textbooks are also used in numerous private language institutes and universities throughout Italy, Europe and North America. View CLIDA’s textbooks online here: http://www.ciellei.it/
Curriculum
The program is developed in progressive stages that focus on learning the essential and most important elements according to the student's level. For this reason students won't be left behind or feel discouraged, but will instead gain a rapid and lasting knowledge of the language.
Directed conversation, together with reading passages and oral comprehension tests, will increase one's vocabulary and ability to communicate fluently day by day. Correct pronunciation is developed by phonetic exercises under the guidance of specialist teachers in our professional language lab. Daily exercises in classes of small groups allow the teacher to follow and appraise each student individually.
CLIDA Levels:
CLIDA's language courses are divided into three levels: Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced. Each level is then subdivided into three further levels. This wide range of classes at different levels means that students can join the level most suited to their needs based on their placement test results.
All group courses are available in all nine levels. Each group course lasts four weeks, although some Italian languages courses have a minimum of two weeks.
Level 1
—Beginner |
- Articles, simple and articulated prepositions, regular and the most common irregular plurals, possessive adjectives, demonstratives
- Present, present perfect and future of the three regular conjugations and of the most common irregular verbs
- Demonstrative pronouns and agreement with the past participle; reflexive pronouns, interrogative pronouns; Direct and indirect personal pronouns
- Basic vocabulary; Everyday conversation
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Level 2
—Beginner |
- Comparative and superlative
- Direct, indirect and reflexive personal pronouns plus, "lo, la, li, le, ne"; Uses of "ci" and "ne"
- Imperfect and use of the indicative
- Four tenses of the subjunctive in the most simple forms and uses
- Remaining difficult plurals; Vocabulary and reading
- Preparation for Beginner level certification (CLIDA S1)
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Level 3
—Beginner |
- Hypothetic conditional sentences and uses of the remote past
- Further uses of the subjunctive with the most common conjunctions
- Exercises in the use of moods and tenses
- Compositions, vocabulary, conversation, expressions; Reading from literary texts
- Preparation for Professional certification (CLIDA P3)
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Level 4
—Intermediate |
- Remaining uses of the subjunctive with conjunctions.
- The indefinite. Exercises on the use of moods and tenses.
- Remaining double pronouns.
- Imperative, positive, negative and pronominal; Gerund, participles, infinitives; Passive forms and idiomatic expressions
- Reading from literary texts, discussions, compositions and summary
- Preparation for Intermediate level certification (CLIDA S2)
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Level 5
—Intermediate |
- Clause analysis, direct and indirect speech, syntax, diminutives
- Nouns with double plurals, plural of compound nouns
- Prepositions and how they are used with verbs and adjectives
- Exercises in the use of moods and tenses
- Compositions, summarizing, paraphrasing, reading, language exercises, discussions.
- Preparation for Professional level certification (CLIDA P5)
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Level 6
—Intermediate |
- Grammar revision with the active participation of students
- Paraphrasing; Practical exercises of all types
- Translations with a monolingual dictionary
- Oral examination
- Grammar and syntax; readings, lanuage exercises, conversation
- Preparation for Advanced level certification (CLIDA S3)
- Preparation for Commercial Tourist level certification (CLIDA TC)
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Level 7
—Advanced |
- Exercises in language, paraphrases.
- Reading and comprehension of newspaper articles
- Compositions
- Translations with re-elaboration of the corrected text
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Level 8
—Advanced |
- Paraphrasing
- Readings from literature, composition and translation with re-elaboration of the corrected text
- Syntax and language
- Reading, language exercises, conversation
- Preparation for Superior level certification (CLIDA S4)
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Level 9
—Advanced |
- Paraphrasing, readings from literature
- Composition and translation with re-elaboration of the corrected text
- Syntax and language; readings, language exercises
- Preparation for final examination for CLIDA diploma (CLIDA DA)
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