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FALL 2026
SCHOOL INFO & CLASS DESCRIPTIONS
Fun, lively, interactive • Small class sizes • Practical Italian with a strong focus on speaking & fluency
Classes are LIVE online, so you can attend from anywhere. You’ll be learning and speaking Italian in context from the start, in a supportive, relaxed environment where it’s okay to make mistakes.
My approach is practical and communication-focused: Rather than studying grammar as an end in itself, we use Italian first and explore the grammar and language mechanics in context, as they help you communicate more effectively.
What you can expect:
♥ Small, interactive classes with plenty of opportunity to speak
♥ Clear, practical explanations and individual attention
♥ A moderate pace and reasonable workload—no tests!
♥ Italian language and culture taught together
♥ A strong emphasis on building confidence and fluency
♥ An experienced teacher who learned Italian from the ground up and understands the challenges firsthand
Questions? Not sure which class is right for you? [Contact Jodina]
Beginner Italian (A0–A1)
New to Italian—or ready for a fresh start? Start here!
Build a solid foundation in Italian while learning to communicate from the very beginning. This course is designed both for true beginners and for those who have studied some Italian in the past but would benefit from starting fresh and strengthening the basics.
We’ll combine essential vocabulary and grammar with plenty of guided practice, so you’re not just learning about Italian—you’re learning to use it.
What we’ll work on:
♥ Greetings and introductions
♥ Pronunciation and the Italian sound system
♥ Questions, requests and polite expressions
♥ Numbers, time and dates
♥ High-frequency everyday vocabulary
♥ Food and ordering
♥ Common present-tense verbs
♥ Nouns, articles, adjectives and basic prepositions
♥ Building simple sentences and conversations
You’ll learn practical “building blocks” that help you put Italian together for yourself rather than simply memorizing phrases.
The goal:
Give you a solid grounding in how Italian works while building your ability—and confidence—to understand and communicate in everyday situations.
No previous Italian experience is required.
Pre-Intermediate Italian (A2+)
You know the basics. Now let’s put them to work!
This course is for students who already have a foundation in Italian and are ready to build on it—expanding vocabulary, strengthening grammar and becoming more comfortable actually using Italian to communicate.
This is a continuing class for students who began studying together in previous sessions, and new students with equivalent experience are welcome!
A good fit if:
You’ve studied the basics of Italian and are reasonably comfortable with common present-tense verbs, simple questions and answers, and everyday vocabulary for topics such as family, food, shopping, travel, time and dates.
You don’t need to have mastered everything you’ve studied. We’ll continue reviewing and reinforcing the fundamentals as we add new language and skills.
What we’ll work on:
♥ Reinforcing essential vocabulary and grammar
♥ Talking about everyday life, activities and routines
♥ Asking and answering questions more naturally
♥ Expanding your ability to describe people, places and experiences
♥ Talking about the past with the passato prossimo
♥ Expressions of time and frequency
♥ Object pronouns and other useful language structures
♥ Building vocabulary for practical, everyday situations
♥ Italian life and culture
♥ Plenty of practice putting what you know into actual communication
The goal:
Move beyond basic Italian toward greater ease, accuracy and confidence—so that instead of simply knowing vocabulary and grammar, you become increasingly comfortable putting it all together and expressing yourself in Italian.
Not sure if this is the right level for you? Contact me and I’ll be happy to help you determine the best fit.
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Focus on Fluency: Italian Conversation
Low–Mid Intermediate
Become a more confident and fluent speaker of Italian!
You know quite a bit of Italian—but when it’s time to actually speak, you’d like the words to come more easily.
This course gives you the opportunity to speak more, listen more and become more comfortable expressing your thoughts and opinions in Italian in a supportive small-group setting.
Our conversations will grow out of a variety of topics—from everyday life, interests and experiences to travel, Italian culture and current topics. Short readings and other materials may also provide a springboard for discussion, giving you something interesting and purposeful to think about between classes—and plenty to talk about when we come together.
The emphasis is on using the Italian you already know, expanding what you can say and learning to respond more spontaneously in real conversation.
A good fit if:
You already have a functional grasp of basic Italian and can communicate about familiar topics, even if you make mistakes, need time to find the words or don’t always understand everything you hear.
You should be comfortable using the present tense and have some experience with the passato prossimo and imperfetto. We’ll also use and continue strengthening other useful verb forms, including the futuro semplice (simple future) and condizionale presente (present conditional).
Perfect grammar is definitely not required—we’re here to practice!
What we’ll work on:
♥ Speaking more spontaneously and with greater ease
♥ Improving listening comprehension
♥ Expressing thoughts and opinions more fluidly
♥ Expanding useful, everyday vocabulary
♥ Strengthening grammar through actual use
♥ Asking and responding to questions naturally
♥ Finding ways to express yourself even when you don’t know the “perfect” word
♥ Pronunciation and natural language usage
“Spot treatments” along the way
Rather than turning conversation class into a grammar lesson, we’ll address vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation and other language challenges as they come up naturally in conversation—with real-time help, feedback and practice.
The goal:
Turn more of the Italian you already know into Italian you can actually use—with greater fluency, comprehension, ease and confidence.
This class is conducted primarily in Italian.
Not sure if this is the right level for you? Contact me and I’ll be happy to help you determine the best fit.
Italian Story & Discussion
Low–Mid Intermediate & Beyond
A good story gives us something interesting to talk about—in Italian!
Stories are a wonderful way to experience Italian in action—and an equally good springboard for conversation.
In this course, we’ll use an accessible Italian story, collection of short stories or other engaging content as our starting point. You’ll familiarize yourself with the material before class, so that when we come together, we can spend our time talking about it, exchanging ideas and using Italian.
Our discussions may take us into the characters and events of a story, but also into Italian life and culture, travel, food, traditions, places, history—or wherever the material and conversation lead us.
Along the way, we’ll explore useful vocabulary, expressions, grammar and language patterns in context, with plenty of opportunity to put them to use.
A good fit if:
You can understand written Italian beyond the beginner level and participate in conversation about familiar topics—even if you don’t understand every word or express yourself perfectly.
This class can accommodate a range of intermediate and more advanced abilities. More experienced speakers can explore ideas in greater depth, while lower-intermediate students build comprehension and confidence expressing themselves with the Italian they have.
What we’ll work on:
♥ Speaking and expressing ideas more comfortably
♥ Reading and listening comprehension
♥ Building and retaining vocabulary in context
♥ Strengthening grammar and syntax through real Italian
♥ Asking questions, exchanging opinions and responding spontaneously
♥ Exploring Italian culture and everyday life through language
The goal:
Use interesting Italian content as a springboard to more speaking, better comprehension and richer vocabulary—while becoming increasingly comfortable expressing your own thoughts and ideas in Italian.
Discussion is primarily in Italian.
Choice of story/content will be based in part on the students enrolled.
Not sure if this is the right level for you? Contact me and I’ll be happy to help you determine the best fit.
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ABOUT JODINA
Jodina Gallo has more than 20 years of experience teaching Italian, Spanish and English in Italy, the U.S. and Mexico. She holds a current California teaching credential with a specialization in foreign language instruction and spent 10 years living, studying, working and teaching in Milan.
Her engaging, practical approach emphasizes real communication, speaking and fluency.
Questions? Wondering which class or study strategy is best for you? [Contact Jodina]
