First sentence frames: I have, I want, I would like
You stop collecting words this week and start combining them. Almost no new vocabulary — reuse Weeks 1 to 3 inside these frames.
Colours live this week
10 of 10 in playA thing, a person or a place.
An action or a state — what is happening.
Stands in for a noun — I, you, he, it.
the / a / some — and possessives like mon, ma.
Links words together — to, in, of, for.
Describes a noun.
Modifies a verb or an adjective.
Joins two parts of a sentence.
Opens a question — where, when, how, why.
Learn it whole. Do not take it apart.
The full palette is now live. Because you met one or two colours a week, none of it should feel new.
The three core verbs
Present tense. These three carry an astonishing amount of everyday Italian.
| Verb | ioreviewed | lei | noi |
|---|---|---|---|
| avereto have | ho | ha | abbiamo |
| volereto want | voglio | vuole | vogliamo |
| volere (polite)would like | vorrei | vorrebbe | vorremmo |
Only the io column becomes a review card. The rest are there to be recognised, not produced — which is what keeps a day inside its fifteen minutes.
Useful phrases, learned whole
Italian says I have hunger where English says I am hungry — the same logic as French. Take each phrase as one piece.
- [Ho fame]I'm hungry
Literally: I have hunger.
- [Ho sete]I'm thirsty
- [Ho freddo]I'm cold
- [Ho caldo]I'm hot
- Vorrei prenotareI would like to book
A table or a room. Two verbs in a row — the second stays in its dictionary form.
Sentence frames
- 1
Ho noun.
I have ___.
- 2
Voglio noun.
I want ___.
Direct. Fine with family, blunt with a waiter.
- 3
Vorrei noun, [per favore].
I would like ___, please.
Substitution drill — ordering
Rotate the object through the frame and say each one aloud three times.
Vorrei un caffè, [per favore].
I would like ___, please.
Daily mini-tasks
Listening this week
Coffee Break Italian, at full speed
Wherever you listened in Week 1
Play it at normal speed for the first time. Notice how much more you catch than you did four weeks ago.
Milestone
By the end of this week you should be able to:
- 01Greet, thank, apologise, and count to twenty.
- 02Introduce yourself — name, age, town, family, retirement — in four or five sentences.
- 03Name thirty-plus everyday home and food objects, with their article.
- 04Order a drink or a meal politely with vorrei, and ask for the bill.