Daily life

How to Learn Italian Before and After You Move

By Alessandro MichelizziFacts checked October 24, 2026

The short answer

Start with a structured course before you move, then keep studying in Italy, where public CPIA schools teach adult foreigners Italian to at least A2 for free. The US Foreign Service Institute puts Italian at about 24 weeks of full-time study for professional-level speaking. If you are not an EU citizen, Italian law expects spoken A2 within 2 years of your first permit of a year or more, and A2 for the long-term residence permit after 5 years.

Levels: A1 to C2 on the Common European Framework (CEFR)
Everyday independence: B1: unprepared conversation on everyday topics
Full-time estimate: About 24 weeks (552 class hours) for professional level, per the US Foreign Service Institute
Free classes in Italy: CPIA public adult schools, to at least A2
Legal minimum for non-EU residents: Spoken A2 under the Accordo di integrazione; A2 for the long-term permit
Recognized certificates: CILS, CELI, CERT.IT, PLIDA

Hands of a shopper and a vendor passing a lemon over crates at a market stall in a small Italian piazza, morning light — A stall you return to every week gives you the same short exchange to practice until it becomes easy.

What the levels mean in daily life

Courses, certificates and Italian law all use the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), created by the Council of Europe. It has six levels, A1 to C2. The descriptions below come from the official CEFR self-assessment grid.

Level	What you can do in conversation
A1	Ask and answer simple questions about immediate needs, if the other person speaks slowly and rephrases
A2	Handle simple routine exchanges on familiar topics, but not usually keep a conversation going yourself
B1	Handle most situations when traveling where Italian is spoken, and join an unprepared conversation about family, work or the news
B2	Talk with native speakers regularly with some fluency, and follow most TV news
C1	Speak fluently and spontaneously, at work and socially, without much searching for words
C2	Understand any spoken Italian, even at fast native speed

For life in Italy, B1 is a practical target: it is the first level the grid describes as joining conversations unprepared. A2 is the level Italian law asks of non-EU residents at two points, covered below.

How long it takes

The US State Department's Foreign Service Institute (FSI) puts Italian among the languages close to English. Its students usually need about 24 weeks to reach general professional proficiency in speaking and listening. That is 552 hours in class, plus 17 hours of self-study each week.

Those are full-time government students. A typical evening course meets far less. One 10-week term at 1 hour 25 minutes a week adds up to about 14 hours of class. Plan in years if you study part time, and add hours wherever you can.

Learning before you move

Italian Cultural Institutes. Italy's Istituti Italiani di Cultura (Italian Cultural Institutes) in several US cities offer courses, directly or through partner schools. As of October 2026:

New York: online and in-person classes for all levels with the IACE language center, in four terms a year, aligned to the CEFR. Students with some Italian are advised to take a placement test.
San Francisco: courses run by the Maestrale school, online at all levels.
Chicago: the official course program is run by ItalCultura, a nonprofit.
Los Angeles: a paid fall 2026 term, in person and online, from October 5 to December 12, 2026.

Apps and online tutors. Use apps for vocabulary and a daily habit. Pair one with a live class or tutor who makes you speak every week.

Learning once you are in Italy

CPIA (free public courses). The Centri provinciali per l'istruzione degli adulti (provincial adult education centers) are public schools. Their Italian courses for adult foreigners lead to a certificate of at least A2. They are free and open to working-age foreign adults, including people with qualifications from their home country.

You apply each year, and courses run within each center's assigned staff, so places can be limited. Find your nearest center on the Ministry of Education's Scuola in chiaro (school finder) site, and ask about dates soon after you arrive.

University language centers. Some universities teach Italian to foreigners, for a fee. The University for Foreigners of Perugia, for example, runs in-person courses of at least 4 weeks, with an online placement test the month before.

Private language schools. Private schools teach Italian for a fee. Compare formats and costs in the guide to Italian language schools.

Dialects. Learn standard Italian first. In ISTAT's 2024 survey, fewer than 3% of people used only or mainly dialect with strangers or at work.

Where Italian is legally required

Italian law asks non-EU residents for A2 at two points

1Sign the Accordo di integrazioneFirst permesso applicationSigned with your first permit application of 1 year or more if you are over 16. You start with 16 credits, which count as A1.
2Reach spoken A2After 2 yearsThe Sportello Unico checks your credits and level. You can bring documents or take its free test. Falling short with credits left extends the agreement by 1 year.
3A2 for the long-term permitAfter 5 years with a permitPass the Ministry of the Interior test, or show an A2 or higher certificate from a recognized body, an Italian diploma or university enrollment.

The accepted proofs for the long-term permit are as listed by the Questura di Treviso in May 2024. Check your own questura's list before you apply.

Source: Normattiva: DPR 179/2011, arts. 1, 2 and 6, and Legislative Decree 286/1998, art. 9; Questura di Treviso (Polizia di Stato), May 16, 2024

The Accordo di integrazione (integration agreement). If you are over 16 and apply for your first permesso di soggiorno (residence permit) of 1 year or more, you sign it with your application. You commit to reaching spoken A2, plus basic civic knowledge. After 2 years, the Sportello Unico per l'Immigrazione (immigration desk at the prefettura) checks your progress.

The long-term EU residence permit. After 5 years with a permit, you can apply for the permesso UE per soggiornanti di lungo periodo (long-term EU residence permit). National law requires an Italian language test, set by a Ministry of the Interior decree of June 4, 2010. You can pass the Ministry's test, booked online through your prefettura (prefecture), or skip it with other proof. The Ministry exempts people with an A2 or higher certificate from Siena or Perugia's universities for foreigners, Roma Tre or the Società Dante Alighieri, an A2 certificate from a CPIA course, A2 recognized under the Accordo di integrazione, or an Italian school diploma or university enrollment. Details are in the long-term residence guide.

Citizenship. Citizenship by marriage or residence requires proof of Italian under a 2018 law, and a B1 certificate is one accepted proof.

Which certificate counts

Four bodies issue Italy's recognized certificates, grouped in the CLIQ association:

CILS, University for Foreigners of Siena
CELI, University for Foreigners of Perugia
CERT.IT, Roma Tre University
PLIDA, Dante Alighieri Society

You can take some of them before you leave. The Italian Cultural Institute in New York is a CILS exam center, and San Francisco's administers CELI. For the long-term permit, Treviso's questura also accepts CPIA certificates. More detail is in the guide to Italian language certificates.

Common problems and fixes

People answer you in English. Learners report this in many places, from Rome to Catania and Sardinia. Fix: ask once, plainly, "Posso parlare in italiano? Sto imparando" ("Can I speak Italian? I'm learning"). Then practice where the exchange repeats: the same bar, market stall or pharmacy each week, a class, a club or a volunteer group.

You can ask but can't follow the answer. Learners describe freezing when the reply comes at normal speed, even after finishing a course. Fix: spend part of each study day on listening at native speed, such as news or podcasts, not just on drills.

No CPIA place at your level. Fix: ask when the next intake opens, and bridge the gap with a university or private course.

Leaving the certificate until year 5. Fix: sit an A2 or B1 exam as soon as you reach the level, and keep the certificate.

Do you need help with this?

Most people can learn Italian with a class, an app and daily practice. It gets harder when a permit deadline depends on a certificate, or when your town has no course at your level.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best way to learn Italian as an adult?

Combine a structured course aligned to the CEFR levels with daily practice. Apps help with vocabulary; add a teacher or tutor who makes you speak every week. Once in Italy, add free CPIA courses if you are a foreign resident, and practice in everyday places you return to.

How long does it take to learn Italian?

The US Foreign Service Institute estimates about 24 weeks for its full-time students to reach professional proficiency in speaking and listening, which is 552 hours in class plus self-study. Part-time learners take much longer: a once-a-week class of 1 hour 25 minutes adds about 14 hours over a 10-week term.

Are Italian classes free in Italy?

Yes, for adult foreigners at the CPIA, Italy's public adult education centers. Their Italian courses are free, open to working-age foreign adults, and lead to a certificate of at least A2. Enrollment is yearly and places depend on each center's staff.

What level of Italian do I need to live in Italy?

Non-EU residents who sign the Accordo di integrazione commit to spoken A2 within 2 years, and the long-term EU residence permit requires A2. For daily life without planning every conversation, B1 is the practical target.

Which Italian language certificates are recognized?

CILS (University for Foreigners of Siena), CELI (University for Foreigners of Perugia), CERT.IT (Roma Tre University) and PLIDA (Dante Alighieri Society). The four bodies form the CLIQ association, and each certificate states its CEFR level.

Should I learn a dialect instead of Italian?

Learn standard Italian first. Dialects are still spoken, especially in the south and within families, but in ISTAT's 2024 survey fewer than 3% of people used only or mainly dialect with strangers or at work.

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Sources

Rules and office practices change. Every fact in this guide was checked against the sources above on October 24, 2026. This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice.