CEFR A2 in Italian: what you can do

At A2 you move from survival phrases to simple, connected conversation. You can talk about your routine, your past weekend and your plans, and you can handle most predictable situations when travelling: shopping, eating out, getting directions and asking for help.

What you can do

• Describe your family, work, home and daily routine in simple sentences.
• Talk about what you did yesterday or last weekend.
• Make plans, accept or decline invitations and give simple reasons.
• Understand the main point of short, clear messages and announcements.
• Write a short note or a simple email to a friend.

A quick self-check

You are probably at A2 if you can do most of these:

• Tell a short story in the past with ieri sono andato... and ho mangiato....
• Say what you like and dislike with mi piace and non mi piace.
• Ask for the price and ask for something to be repeated.
• Book a table or a hotel room by phone, with a little help.
• Read a simple menu and understand most dishes.

Typical grammar at A2

The passato prossimo

The main past tense of speech is formed with avere or essere and a past participle: Ho mangiato, sono andato. See passato prossimo vs imperfetto for how it differs from the imperfect, which describes habits and background.

Reflexive verbs

Many daily routine verbs are reflexive: mi alzo, ti lavi, si veste, ci sentiamo. In the past tense they use essere: Mi sono alzato alle sette.

Object pronouns

Short pronouns replace nouns: Lo vedo, la chiamo, gli parlo, le scrivo. The direct ones (lo, la, li, le) come before the verb in most tenses.

Modal verbs

Potere, volere, dovere plus an infinitive let you ask, want and need: Posso entrare? Voglio mangiare. Devo andare.

Future and plans

For plans, Italians often use the present: Domani vado a Roma. The simple future (andrò, mangerò) comes at B1, where it also expresses probability.

Vocabulary themes

• Daily routine and free time
• Shopping, clothes and prices
• Health and the body
• Travel, hotels and transport
• Weather, seasons and festivals

What you may find hard

• Choosing the right auxiliary. Essere or avere in the passato prossimo takes practice.
• Pronoun placement. Lo voglio vedere and Voglio vederlo are both correct, which can seem confusing at first.
• Prepositions. In, a, da, di and the articulated forms (nel, al, dal) trip up everyone for a while.

The exams

CELI 1 and CILS A2 test elementary Italian. The speaking task usually asks you to describe a situation and take part in a short exchange.

How to practise at this level

Read short texts aloud, keep a diary of three or four sentences each day, and listen to slow Italian podcasts. Then move on to B1, and keep A1 as a reference.