For many centuries, Italy has been a symbol of incredibly versatile and rich art and history. Over 40% of the world’s heritage is located in its capital, Rome, with numerous sites scattered throughout Italy continuously drawing tourists from all over the world. Its vast cultural and literary wealth has made Italian one of the favorite languages of the Romance group.

Italian is currently spoken by over 60 million people. It is one of the official languages of the European Union, and the official language in several countries in addition to Italy, including:

San Marino,

Switzerland (the Ticino and Graubünden cantons),

the Vatican.

Italian is also actively used within the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. Due to historical circumstances, Croatia and Slovenia are bilingual countries, meaning you can hear Italian in some of their regions, and their dialects frequently feature elements of Italian, such as the Fiuman dialect in Istria. To a somewhat lesser extent, it is used in former Italian colonies in Africa, in Somalia, Libya and Eritrea.

You will often hear that learning Italian is easy, as well as that the language is very romantic and melodious. It is true that it is one of those languages that are a bit easier to acquire, especially if you have a teacher at your disposal who can significantly facilitate the learning process for you.

The Hi5 educational center makes sure that each Italian language course is adapted to the student’s needs and abilities, in order to reach the objectives set as fast and as efficiently as possible.

Our online educational platform enables you to learn Italian anytime, anywhere, in agreement with your teacher. Of course, in addition to online lessons, you can supplement your language learning by watching Italian movies, various phone apps, as well as with a trip to one of the charming Italian towns.

Knowing Italian presents one with multiple benefits. In addition to enriching your CV and presenting a worthwhile addition to your professional development, it is also important in case you want to study in one of the universities situated in this country.

Namely, while there are study programs offered in English that you could enroll in, in order to qualify for enrolment in any of the faculties and obtain a student visa, you must first pass an Italian language proficiency test at the Italian Embassy.

If you want to settle in Italy or pursue professional development in an Italian-speaking region, you will need an internationally recognized certificate of proficiency in the language. Examinations available vary in terms of results being either permanently valid or limited in duration, and can mostly be taken without any restrictions in terms of age or previous knowledge of Italian.

CELI, CIC and CILS

CELI and CIC – certificates attesting to proficiency in Italian (CELI) and Business Italian (CIC), issued by the University for Foreigners in Perugia (Università per Stranieri di Perugia). This examination encompasses five levels (beginning with A2), and can also be taken at Italian cultural institutes, three times per year, whereas the CIC can only be taken once a year, in June. The so-called CELI ”Impatto” has also been introduced, with the purpose of testing knowledge at the A1 level.

CILS – a certificate issued by the University for Foreigners in Siena (Università per Stranieri di Siena), also divided into six levels. It can be taken at all Italian cultural institutes every year, in spring and fall.

Ele.IT and IT

This certificate is issued by the Roma Tre University in Rome (Università di Roma Tre). It has two basic variants:

B1 level (Ele.IT), and

C2 level (IT).

The former test consists of four parts, and the latter of five parts. These examinations can be taken at Italian cultural institutes in June.

PLIDA

This certificate, awarded by the Dante Alighieri Society, is divided into six levels.

This examination offers dedicated versions for adolescents – PLIDA JUNIOR, as well as PLIDA COMMERCIALE, a certificate of proficiency in Business Italian.

Exams can be taken in any Dante Alighieri Society and regardless of the previously achieved level of proficiency in Italian. They comprise four main segments:

Ascoltare – listening exercises,

Leggere – reading exercises,

Scrivere – writing exercises, and

Orale – oral portion of the examination.

Various curiosities about Italian certainly form part of its charm. On the other hand, they can also prove useful in helping you learn the rules of the language, as well as decide to embark on learning Italian online and enrolling in an Italian language course.

Italian belongs to the Romance group of languages, with which it shares up to 85% of its vocabulary. Thus you will be learning not only Italian, but also some French and Spanish.

While it may not seem so at first glance, Italians are fairly concerned about the future of their standard language. Italiano selvaggiois a phrase used to denote the so-called New Italian, especially popular with high-school and university students, and which deviates considerably from what traditional proud Italians would call their language.

Italy might be the country with the greatest number of dialects, as they have yet to be counted precisely. What is more, dialects give rise to territorial varieties, with Neapolitan, Sicilian and Venetian at the forefront. We could even say that in the future every Italian will have a dialect of their own.

It only became the official language in the 19th century, although Dante and Boccaccio wrote in it much earlier, and the libretti of the world’s most famous operas, by Italian composers, were written long before the language itself was recognized.

Italy boasts the most sites included in the UNESCO world heritage list (as many as 53).

Italy is the land of Michelangelo, Raffaello, Leonardo, Bernini, but also of Giorgio de Chirico, and Renzo Piano; the land of Petrarca, Leopardi, and Manzoni, but also of Antonio Tabucchi, Umberto Eco and Claudio Magris; of Luchino Visconti, Federico Fellini, Michelangelo Antonioni, as well as of Giuseppe Tornatore and Nanni Moretti.

It is precisely this richness, and its unsurpassed art, along with authentic Italian landscapes, sophisticated cuisine and the best coffee, that attracts a growing number of people to embark on learning the Italian language and to wander around in the meanders of its vast culture.

A good and very quick way to check your Italian proficiency level completely free of charge is to take the Hi5 educational centers online placement test. This will also enable you to decide on which particular Italian language course would be the most suitable for you, as well as what suits your current needs best. You can take the placement test multiple times, and your results will be archived in the Hi5 online educational platform’s database.

Finally, let’s take a cue from Italians: they say that the language is better learned in the kitchen than at a classroom desk; thus, learning Italian online with our teachers will certainly be engaging and interesting.