My time at school
La mia esperienza scolastica
- Learn about the country's education system.
- Talk about your time at school and childhood memories.
- Imperfect or present perfect?
Explore how to talk about your school timetable and childhood memories using the imperfetto and passato prossimo. Learn useful words like 'andavo' (I used to go), 'insegnava' (he/she was teaching), and 'è suonata' (it rang).
Listening and reading
Start this class by listening to the audio and completing the corresponding exercises.
Vocabulary (19) Share Copied!
Exercises Share Copied!
These exercises can be done together during conversation lessons or as homework.
Exercise 1: Translate and use in a sentence
Instruction: Pick a word, translated and use the word in a sentence or dialogue.
1
Sapere
To know
2
L'educazione
The education
3
La classe
The class
4
La scuola superiore
The high school
5
Negli anni
In the years
Esercizio 2: Conversation exercise
Istruzione:
- Descrivi il percorso di istruzione di Eva. (Describe the education path of Eva.)
- Descrivi dove hai studiato al liceo. (Describe where you studied at high school.)
- Parla di cosa hai studiato a scuola. (Talk about what you studied at school.)
Teaching guidelines +/- 10 minutes
Example phrases:
|
Per i primi anni Eva era nella scuola primaria. For the first years Eva was in primary school. |
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Poi era alle superiori. Era sempre una studentessa diligente con buoni voti. Then she was in secondary school. She always was a hard-working student with good grades. |
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Ha terminato il liceo a 18 anni. She finished high school when she was 18 years old. |
|
Sono andato all'università e ho studiato giurisprudenza. I went to university and studied law. |
|
Ho finito il liceo quando avevo 18 anni. I finished high school when I was 18 years old. |
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Ora lavoro in una scuola e insegno. Now I work in a school and teach. |
| ... |
Exercise 3: Dialogue Cards
Instruction: Select a situation and practice the conversation with your teacher or fellow students.
Exercise 4: Multiple Choice
Instruction: Choose the correct solution
1. Quando _______ alla scuola primaria, l'insegnante spiegava sempre bene le lezioni.
(When _______ to primary school, the teacher always explained the lessons well.)2. Ieri _______ un'esperienza interessante durante la lezione.
(Yesterday _______ an interesting experience during the lesson.)3. Mentre _______ , il professore è arrivato in aula con il diploma.
(While _______ , the professor arrived in the classroom with the diploma.)4. _______ dai miei amici che la scuola superiore italiana è diversa.
(_______ from my friends that Italian high school is different.)Exercise 5: My time at school
Instruction:
Verb Tables
Andare - To go
Imperfetto
- io andavo
- tu andavi
- lui/lei andava
- noi andavamo
- voi andavate
- loro andavano
Camminare - To walk
Imperfetto
- io camminavo
- tu camminavi
- lui/lei camminava
- noi camminavamo
- voi camminavate
- loro camminavano
Insegnare - To teach
Imperfetto
- io insegnavo
- tu insegnavi
- lui/lei insegnava
- noi insegnavamo
- voi insegnavate
- loro insegnavano
Studiare - To study
Imperfetto
- io studiavo
- tu studiavi
- lui/lei studiava
- noi studiavamo
- voi studiavate
- loro studiavano
Sapere - To know
Passato prossimo
- io ho saputo
- tu hai saputo
- lui/lei ha saputo
- noi abbiamo saputo
- voi avete saputo
- loro hanno saputo
Fare - To do
Passato prossimo
- io ho fatto
- tu hai fatto
- lui/lei ha fatto
- noi abbiamo fatto
- voi avete fatto
- loro hanno fatto
Conoscere - To know
Imperfetto
- io conoscevo
- tu conoscevi
- lui/lei conosceva
- noi conoscevamo
- voi conoscevate
- loro conoscevano
Exercise 6: Imperfetto o passato prossimo?
Instruction: Fill in the correct word.
Grammar: Imperfect or present perfect?
Show translation Show answerscamminavo, ho saputo, conoscevo, insegnavo, ho incontrato, andavo, ho conosciuto, insegnava, ho fatto, arrivavo
Grammar Share Copied!
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Verb conjugation tables for this lesson Share Copied!
Insegnare to teach Share Copied!
Imperfetto
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| (io) insegnavo | I was teaching |
| (tu) insegnavi | You taught |
| (lui/lei) insegnava | he/she taught |
| (noi) insegnavamo | we taught |
| (voi) insegnavate | you were teaching |
| (loro) insegnavano | they taught |
Sapere to know Share Copied!
Passato prossimo
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| (io) ho saputo | I have known |
| (tu) hai saputo | You have known |
| (lui/lei) ha saputo | He/she has known |
| (noi) abbiamo saputo | we have known |
| (voi) avete saputo | You have known |
| (loro) hanno saputo | they have known |
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Lesson Overview: Talking About School Time in Italian
This lesson focuses on discussing school schedules, childhood school memories, and understanding the Italian school system using the past tenses imperfetto and passato prossimo. It is designed for A2-level learners who want to improve their ability to talk about past events and habits, especially in the context of school life.
Key Language Points
- Imperfetto: Used to describe ongoing or habitual actions in the past, such as daily classes or repeated activities. Example: Facevo matematica ogni mattina (I used to do math every morning).
- Passato Prossimo: Used to express specific completed actions or events. Example: La campanella è suonata (The bell rang).
- Verbs related to school life: andare (to go), insegnare (to teach), studiare (to study), suonare (to ring/play an instrument), uscire (to go out).
Practical Expressions and Vocabulary
Learn common phrases to describe your school day and memories, for example:
- Quali materie facevi alle medie? – Which subjects did you take in middle school?
- Io studiavo soprattutto scienze e inglese. – I mostly studied science and English.
- Quando ero piccolo, ti piaceva andare a scuola? – When you were little, did you like going to school?
- Durante le pause c'era sempre molta allegria. – During breaks, there was always a lot of joy.
Insights into the Italian School System
The lesson introduces the structure of schooling in Italy, including the elementary school (scuola elementare), middle school (scuola media), and high school (scuola superiore). Learners explore the typical organization of school days, subjects, and cultural aspects through dialogues and examples.
Using Imperfetto vs. Passato Prossimo
The lesson emphasizes the differences between these two past tenses in Italian:
- Imperfetto is for setting the scene, describing repeated actions, background information, and ongoing states in the past.
- Passato prossimo is for actions that happened once or at a specific point in time, often with a clear beginning and end.
Example from the mini story:
Quando ero bambino, io andavo sempre a scuola a piedi. (Imperfetto, habitual past action)
Un giorno, mentre studiavo per un compito importante, la campanella è suonata e tutti gli studenti sono usciti dalla classe. (Passato prossimo for events occurring at a specific moment)
Note on Language and Instruction Differences
Since both the instruction language and the learning language are Italian for the lesson content, translations are not provided within the examples to keep the focus on Italian usage and grammar. However, in this explanation, written in English, we provide context and equivalent meanings to help English speakers understand the lesson better.
Some useful comparative phrases include:
- Facevo (I used to do) corresponds to English past continuous or habitual past.
- Ho studiato (I studied/I have studied) aligns with English simple past or present perfect depending on context.
Overall, this lesson equips learners with both vocabulary and the grammatical tools to communicate effectively about past experiences related to school in Italian, enhancing both conversational skills and cultural awareness.
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