IMPORTANTE - BOOKMARK THE COURSE

Per prima cosa, a little bookmark-ing can go a long way.

Depending on the operating system and browser you're using, you should see a toolbar at the top of your screen with the word "Bookmarks."

Save yourself some time in the future by bookmarking this page! 

If you ever forget the link or where to go, you'll have it readily available within mere seconds.

Have you bookmarked this page? Andiamo!

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Course Structure

SMART Italian - Level 1 is divided into 100 chapters within 5 engaging stories, each containing 20 chapters, creating a captivating narrative framework for learning.

The course uses a bilingual (Italian-English) format, allowing learners to compare texts in both languages, which aids in understanding the meaning and function of each Italian word.

Accompanying the main text are detailed grammar notes to clarify language aspects that may not be immediately clear from the translations.

Additionally, the course offers comprehensive guidance on how to effectively use the content, helping students familiarize themselves with the language and its structures naturally and intuitively from the beginning.

1. Introduction
   
   
   
   Please take the time to go through the introductory portion of the course, it covers the SMART way to take this course and provides a few essential documents for you to have on hand.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Each of the files (introduction to the Course, Introduction to Italian Pronunciation, Mini-Guide on Grammatical Terms and Focus on Grammar) can be downloaded directly from Teachable.
   
   
   
   
   
   If you see a speaker icon next to the title of a chapter or section, that means it includes complementary audio as well. You can locate the audio file by scrolling down and clicking on the triangular play button.
   
   
   
   Note: The audio files are not downloadable.
   
   
   
   Speaker Icon
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Play Button
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. Stories
   
   
   
   As previously mentioned, each of the five stories consists of 20 chapters. For every story, you will find a character profile and a story outline to help you become familiar with the context.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   You can download the entire story, or if you'd prefer, you can download it one chapter at a time.
   
   
   
   
   
   Download the entire story
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Download on a chapter basis
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. How to Get the Most Out of This Course
   
   
   
   Once you're logged in and ready to start learning, it's up to you how you want to learn Italian using the course. However, we strongly recommend doing it the SMART way!
   
   
   
   To do so, please follow this simple 4 step process:
   
   
   
   
   
   1. Listen to the audio while reading the text (2-3x) while focusing on the sounds and spelling of the words in Italian.
   
   
   
   2. Compare the Italian and English sentence by sentence to infer the meanings of individual words and use the grammar notes to clear up any confusion.
   
   
   
   3. Listen and read to the audio again, this time incorporating meaning, sound and text together.
   
   
   
   4. Listen without reading the text to test your listening comprehension.
   
   
   
   Do this for every chapter, follow your own pace but don't rush this process. The following day, you should review the dialogues you read and listened to from the previous session.
   
   
   
   Ideally, you're going to want to learn for a minimum of 30-45 minutes per day.
   
   
   
   Note: If moving to a new chapter daily proves challenging, allocate an additional day for reviewing and consolidating previous chapters.
   
   
   
   Pro Tip: Luca strongly recommends printing out the chapters and taking notes by hand, it'll help consolidate all of the new information in your memory in a way that's far more powerful than anything screen related.
   
   
   
   
   
   
4. Comments
   
   
   
   If you have any questions or concerns, you can always post directly in the comment section. Even if you just want to share your own progress, use this space to make the most of your learning.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
5. Circle Community
   
   
   
   If you're a member of the PRO or MASTER tier, you'll have the perk of being able to communicate with fellow SMART Italian learners.
   
   
   
   You should actively post in the Circle Community to make the most of your learning efforts.
   
   
   
   For many of our current students being an active community member has helped keep them motivated, dedicated and educated regarding the language learning process.
   
   
   
   Use this space to let your inner language nerd out and express yourself with pictures and gifs, if you'd like. The more posts, the better!
   
   
   
   For members of the MASTER tier, you will have access to the regular Circle Community as well as a special VIP Community where you can get feedback directly from our SMART Italian Coaches.
   
   
   
   
6. SMART Coaching
   
   
   
   If you signed up for the MASTER tier, you will have access to 3 group coaching sessions with our SMART Italian Coaches.
   
   
   
   All of the sessions will be hosted via Zoom and you will receive a notification from one of our SMART Italian Coaches within the VIP Community regarding the time and dates of your coaching sessions.
   
   
   
   During those sessions, you will receive specialized training, self-study assignments and additional language learning material and tips to help you speed up your progress in Italian.
   
   
   
   

Questions or Suggestions?

You can post your question(s) directly in the comments section (found below each video) of each module. Additionally, you can also ask away in our Circle Community.

However, if you ever run into any trouble and things just aren't working like they're supposed to, please send us a message via [email protected]



In bocca al lupo!



Luca