This course begins with guidance on Italian pronunciation, followed by 12 lessons consisting of basic grammar simply explained and supported by model sentences, together with written and oral exercises, conversation pieces and easy reading passages. This first part of the course will give the user a firm grounding in the language, the second part has a further 10 lessons which offer more extensive instruction on finer details, informative reading texts with translations and comprehension notes and a wide variety of exercises. Idiomatic and colloquial language is amply illustrated, and there are extracts taken from Italian newspapers and magazines. There is also a mini-dictionary and an appendix listing irregular verbs, and self-assessment sections are included.