ADA stands for ‘Attestato Dante Alighieri’, a certificate of attendance given upon completion of our ADA courses (with a minimum attendance rate of 70%) and recognised by Dante Alighieri schools worldwide.

ADA courses correspond to the language proficiency levels established by the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages and are organised in a six-tier scale, from A1 to C2 in ascending order of difficulty. C2 corresponds to the highest level of proficiency, defined as ‘mastery’.

You might choose our courses just for the fun of learning a new language, but what if achieving an ADA certificate of attendance was just a bonus? No need to sit final exams or obligation to attend a whole year but if you do, you also have the added benefit of obtaining an ADA attendance certificate.

So what are you waiting for? Enrol now!

ADA Language courses

These course outlines intend to provide a generic overview of each course content and level, to provide some guidance for prospective students as to which course to join. The actual content might slightly vary depending on the class learning needs.
All courses include listening, reading, writing and speaking activities, complemented by the relevant grammar explanation and practice.

Our school provides the opportunity for students to try 1 lesson for free, and/or move to a different course if the chosen one is not at the suitable level.

ADA A1 – from Absolute Beginners to Advanced Beginners

Duration: 3-4 semesters, 18 classes per semester, 1.5 hours per week.

ADA A1 unit 1 (Absolute beginners)

Over your very first semester of Italian, you will learn basic vocabulary and expressions, complemented by the relevant grammar. Topics of this course include, but are not limited to: greetings and numbers, sounds and pronunciation of the Italian language; introducing yourself, asking and giving personal information (name, age, nationality, languages spoken), introducing a friend or a family member; ordering food and drinks and reserving a table; expressing likes and dislikes, talking about your hobbies and habits.

ADA A1 unit 2 (Beginners)

If you have completed your first semester of Italian, continue your journey learning this beautiful language. This course will begin with a revision of the ADA A1 unit 1 topics through games and activities, then will continue to explore other topics and related grammar at a beginner level, such as: making a hotel reservation, asking information about services and making a complaint; describing a place, asking and giving information about a place, asking and saying the time; talking about past events; describing a holiday; conversation and strengthening activities about the Italian past tense.

ADA A1 unit 3 (Advanced beginners)

Complete your Italian A1 level with the third and final beginner unit. After a revision of the past tense through games and conversational activities, you will expand your vocabulary and explore new grammar structures through a range of topics, including: talking about shopping, quantities and products, describing a recipe, talking about your work and daily routine, learning about Italian festivities, talking about family relationship and describing a family photo.

 ADA A1 (Revise & strengthen)

Not feeling quite ready to progress to the next level? Have you studied Italian before but need a refresher? This course provides a revision of the A1 / beginner level topics, with a focus on strengthening all language abilities through listening, reading, writing, speaking and grammar activities.

ADA A2 – Elementary to Pre-intermediate

Duration: 3-4 semesters, 18 classes per semester, 1.5 hours per week.

ADA A2 unit 1 (Pre-intermediate 1)

If you have achieved the A1 level, and you wish to progress with your learning journey, this course is for you. During the first semester of the A2 course, you will continue to expand your vocabulary, grammar and conversational skills through a range of topics, including: describing clothes and expressing doubts and opinions, asking and giving advice, making comparisons; talking about your memories and past habits, describing someone’s character and physical appearance, making a polite request and expressing a wish; making an invitation, accepting or refusing an invitation.

ADA A2 unit 2 (Pre-intermediate 2)

Continue your second semester at the A2 level: you will learn how to show interest in a conversation, express surprise or sadness, obtain information about the duration and cost of a trip, express needs, give advice and suggestions; talk about health problems and give advice about health and wellbeing.

ADA A2 unit 3 (Pre-intermediate 3)

Complete your Italian A2 level with the third and final pre-intermediate unit. Expand your knowledge of the Italian language through a range of topics and situations, learning how to talk about future plans and events, making hypothesis, writing a cover letter and discussing work conditions; telling a story; describing an apartment and making comparisons.

ADA A2 (Revise & strengthen)

Not feeling quite ready to progress to the next level? Have you studied Italian before but need a refresher? This course provides a revision of the A2 / pre-intermediate level topics, with a focus on strengthening all language abilities through listening, reading, writing, speaking and grammar activities.

ADA B1 – Intermediate

Duration: 3-4 semesters, 18 classes per semester, 2 hours per week.

ADA B1 unit 1 (Intermediate 1)

If you have achieved the A2 level, and you wish to progress to and Intermediate level, this course is for you. In this first semester of Intermediate Italian you will learn to express more elaborate opinions and express agreement or disagreement; ask for help and make a complaint; motivate your decisions and make plans; give explanations, report what someone else said; you will also tackle more advanced grammar structures, including combined pronouns, conditional past, and subjunctive.

ADA B1 unit 2 (Intermediate 2)

After completing your first semester of ADA B1, continue to expand and improve your knowledge of the Italian language. In this unit you will learn how to recount the plot of your favourite book, talk about historic events, support your opinion with reasons and examples, outline advantages and disadvantages of a condition; express irony and jokes; recounting an embarrassing situation; expressing hypothetical situations in the past.

ADA B1 unit 3 (Intermediate 3)

Complete your Italian B1 level with the third and final intermediate unit. This is a language and culture unit where you will learn about Italian historical figures, Italian regions and linguistic features, all complemented with the relevant advanced grammar, such as gerund present and past, indirect speech and unreal conditional sentences.

ADA B1 (Revise & strengthen)

Not feeling quite ready to progress to the next level? Have you studied Italian at an intermediate level before, but need a refresher? This course provides a revision of the B1 level topics, with a focus on strengthening all language abilities through listening, reading, writing, speaking and grammar activities.

ADA B2 – Advanced

Duration: 3-4 semesters, 18 classes per semester, 2 hours per week.

This course is for advanced students of Italian who have a consolidated B1 level and good conversational skills. The course explores topics related to Italian culture, food, traditions, art and history, with a focus on colloquialisms and idiomatic expressions, all complemented by the study and practice of advanced grammar structures.

How to choose your course

If you were previously enrolled in one of our courses, teachers will advise which ADA course is right for you. Alternatively, you can self-evaluate using the self-assessment tool linked here or you can complete the placement test linked here and return it via email to the ADA courses coordinator at plida@dantewa.com.au for a free assessment.