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Accessibility statement
An image to illustrate Beginners Italian 1: primi passi short course
If you’re captivated by the musicality of Italian and intrigued by its culture, cuisine, cities and art, Beginners Italian 1: primi passi (LGXI001) is an ideal starting point. Designed for complete beginners, including those with just a few travel phrases, this 16-unit course helps you build a personal Italian phrasebook. You’ll learn to read menus, talk about yourself and your job, and find out more about others. Alongside language skills, you’ll gain cultural insights. On completion, you will receive a digital badge that can be shared on social media, added to email signatures or used as a certificate.
Starting from simple introductions and saying your name, you’ll progress unit by unit towards being able to hold longer conversations and understand more of the Italian language in different situations.
The course covers both language and learning techniques, and you’ll also have two dedicated revision units to practise what you have learned, including how to:
Finally, you will also learn about some aspects of the Italian life and culture, such as the role of coffee houses in people’s daily life and the Italian minority languages.
Please note that although this course is non-accredited, it can be used towards the module Making your learning count (YXM130) to gain OU credits.
After completing this course, you should be able to:
The course is designed to help you achieve a level of language proficiency equivalent to level A1 of the Council of Europe Common European Framework of Reference for languages (CEFR).
The course is taught entirely online, with the aid of a learning adviser to offer support where needed. You will have access to online forums that you are strongly encouraged to participate in, as they are an excellent source of support and information. These forums combine peer support with input from the language specialist learning adviser(s). Other support is available via the StudentHome website and Computing Helpdesk.
The course is made up of 16 units, with each unit expected to take about 3–4 hours to study. In total, you’ll need around 64 hours to complete the course.
You can begin at any time during the life of the course and study at your own pace. The course will be open to you for a time period of between 6 and 18 months depending on your course registration date and you will be advised of the specific time limitations upon enrolment.
All learning materials are delivered entirely online and there is no formal tuition for this course.
Your study is self-directed and you’ll have access to a course website, which includes:
As a student of The Open University, you should be aware of the content of the academic regulations, which are available on our Student Policies and Regulations website.
There are no entry requirements for this course. It’s suitable if you are completely new to Italian and to language-learning, and it does not assume any prior knowledge.
You will be given guidance on developing your language-learning skills such as different techniques to memorise vocabulary and approach grammatical topics.
If you have any doubt about the suitability of the course, please contact us.
The course is delivered online and makes use of a variety of online resources. If you use specialist hardware or software to assist you in using a computer or the internet you are advised to contact us about support which can be given to meet your needs.
The OU strives to make all aspects of study accessible to everyone and this Accessibility Statement outlines what studying LGXI001 involves. You should use this information to inform your study preparations and any discussions with us about how we can meet your needs.
StartEngland fee
At anytime before 31/07/2026£195
We accept American Express, Mastercard, Visa and Visa Electron.
If this course is geared towards your job or developing your career, you could ask your employer to sponsor you by paying some or all of the fees. Your sponsor just needs to complete a simple form to confirm how much they will be paying and we will invoice them.
The fee information provided here is valid for short courses starting in the 2026/27 academic year. Fees typically increase annually. For further information about the University's fee policy, visit our Fee Rules.
You can start this course anytime.
You can start this course anytime.
Level info