Italian Grammar by CEFR Level (A1 - C2)
Learning Italian effectively means following a clear progression of grammar topics that match your language level. This guide breaks down Italian grammar by CEFR levels (A1 to C2), helping you understand which verb tenses, pronouns, prepositions, and structures you should focus on at each stage. Whether you're just starting or moving into more advanced topics like the imperfect subjunctive or pronominal verbs, this roadmap will help you build a solid foundation, step by step.
✅ A1 – Beginner
Verbs:
Present tense (regular & common irregulars: essere, avere, fare, andare…)
Modal verbs (potere, volere, dovere) – present tense
Simple reflexive verbs (chiamarsi, alzarsi…)
Present progressive (stare + gerund)
Fixed expressions with infinitives
Immediate future (stare per, andare a + infinitive)
Nouns & Articles:
Pronouns:
Subject pronouns (io, tu, lui, lei…)
Reflexive pronouns (basic use)
Interrogative pronouns (chi, che, quale…)
Adjectives:
Agreement in gender and number
Possessive adjectives (mio, tuo…)
Prepositions:
Simple prepositions (a, in, di, da, con, su, per, tra, fra)
Basic prepositional contractions (al, nel, del…)
Other:
Negation (non + verb)
Sentence structure (SVO)
Yes/no & WH- questions
Numbers, dates, time, days of the week
Demonstratives (questo, quello)
Basic adverbs (sempre, mai, spesso, oggi…)
✅ A2 – Elementary
Verbs:
Passato prossimo (with avere & essere)
Imperfetto (for descriptions & repeated actions)
Present conditional (vorrei, sarebbe…)
Future tense (futuro semplice)
Imperative (affirmative and negative, tu/Lei forms)
Modal verbs in past tense (ho voluto, ho potuto…)
Nouns & Articles:
Partitive (del, della…)
Countable vs. uncountable nouns
Pronouns:
Direct and indirect object pronouns (lo, la, gli, le…)
Combined pronouns (me lo, te lo…) – limited use
Interrogative pronouns & adjectives (quanto, quante…)
Adjectives & Adverbs:
Comparatives and superlatives (più… di, il più…)
Adverbs of quantity (molto, poco, abbastanza…)
Prepositions:
Expanded use with time and place
Idiomatic expressions (a scuola, in Italia, da Marco…)
Other:
Agreement of past participles
Word order variations for emphasis
Use of ci and ne – basic introduction
✅ B1 – Intermediate
Verbs:
Trapassato prossimo (past perfect)
Conditional perfect (avrei fatto…)
Subjunctive present (penso che sia…)
Verbs with double auxiliaries (cominciare a, continuare a…)
Pronominal verbs (andarsene, cavarsela, farcela…)
Reported speech (simple forms)
Passive voice – basic forms
Pronouns:
Strong pronouns (me, te, lui, lei after prepositions)
Disjunctive pronouns (con me, con te…)
Relative pronouns (che, cui…)
Adjectives & Adverbs:
Absolute superlatives (bellissimo, facilissimo…)
Adverbs ending in -mente
Prepositions:
Complex prepositional phrases (al posto di, invece di…)
Other:
Indefinite adjectives/pronouns (qualcuno, nessuno, ognuno…)
Conjunctions (perché, quindi, sebbene…)
Time expressions and connectors (mentre, dopo che, appena…)
Concordance between tenses (indicative + conditional)
✅ B2 – Upper Intermediate
Verbs:
Full subjunctive system (present, imperfect, past, pluperfect)
Concordance of tenses (se avessi tempo, lo farei…)
Passato remoto – recognition and limited use
Gerund and past gerund (avendo fatto…)
Infinitive clauses (per + infinitive, prima di + infinitive)
Causative construction (fare + infinitive)
Pronouns:
Advanced use of ci, ne, and combined forms
Emphatic pronouns for contrast and emphasis
Other:
Hypothetical periods (type 1, 2, 3)
Mixed conditionals
Indirect speech in all tenses
Formal/informal language distinctions
Idiomatic expressions and complex phrasal structures
Register variation and stylistic choices
✅ C1 – Advanced
Verbs:
Full control of all moods and tenses
Impersonal structures (si dice che…)
Subtle uses of subjunctive in literary and argumentative contexts
Advanced reported speech and hypothetical constructions
Nuanced pronominal verbs
Other grammar:
Idiomatic expressions & regional variations
Advanced coordination/subordination
Stylistic use of passive/active voice
Register shifts (formal, informal, academic, ironic)
Structures for persuasion, concession, emphasis (nonostante, benché, qualora…)
✅ C2 – Mastery
Verbs & Structures:
Near-native use of all verb forms
Mastery of syntactic variation for rhetorical effect
Subtle tense shifts in literary or professional language
Control over tone, irony, and stylistic choices
Other grammar:
Use of archaic or poetic forms when relevant
Full command of colloquialisms, regionalisms, and idioms
Complex sentence structures: layering of clauses, embedded constructions
Effective use of ellipsis, inversion, emphasis