Italian, one word at a time.
Pizzamandolin is a spaced-repetition trainer for Italian vocabulary and grammar, built around the same reference material the official certifications use.
How it works
Every word starts in a lesson: you see it with an example sentence and, when useful, a short grammar note, then you check it in a quick quiz. From there it enters the review cycle: eight stages, from Apprentice to Burned, with growing intervals between reviews. Answer correctly and the word climbs; miss it and it comes back sooner.
Each level also teaches one grammar point. Its rule is shown on the lesson page, and the quiz ends with fill-in-the-blank sentences that practise it: you type the missing form, and a missing accent is accepted with a reminder.
Meanings with alternatives (house / home) accept any one of them; leading articles and the to of infinitives are forgiven, and notes in brackets are never required.
The curriculum
97 levels, 2,536 words and expressions, 776 grammar exercises, A1 to C2.
A1–B2 vocabulary is drawn from the lexical lists of the Profilo della lingua italiana (Università per Stranieri di Perugia), the reference behind the CELI and CILS exams, and grouped by the topics the PLIDA syllabus of the Società Dante Alighieri sets for each level. We reviewed every entry by hand and added everyday words that learners need but the lists leave out.
Grammar follows the order of those syllabi: present tense, articles and prepositions at A1; passato prossimo, imperfetto, future and pronouns at A2; congiuntivo, condizionale, relative pronouns and passato remoto at B1; the full concordanza dei tempi, the passive, hypothetical sentences and reported speech at B2; trapassato remoto, participio assoluto, nominal style and register at C1–C2.
There is no official word list for C1 and C2. Those levels cover the academic, legal, professional, rhetorical, literary and idiomatic language used in CILS TRE/QUATTRO, CELI 4/5 and PLIDA C1/C2 texts.
Certification levels
- A1 — CILS A1 · CELI Impatto · PLIDA A1
- A2 — CILS A2 · CELI 1 · PLIDA A2
- B1 — CILS UNO · CELI 2 · PLIDA B1
- B2 — CILS DUE · CELI 3 · PLIDA B2
- C1 — CILS TRE · CELI 4 · PLIDA C1
- C2 — CILS QUATTRO · CELI 5 · PLIDA C2
Pizzamandolin is an independent study tool and is not affiliated with the certifying bodies.
Sources
- Profilo della lingua italiana — lexical lists A1–B2 (Spinelli & Parizzi, La Nuova Italia, 2010)
- Sillabo PLIDA — Società Dante Alighieri
- Common European Framework of Reference — Council of Europe
All example sentences and notes are original. Questions or corrections: the contact form.