Lesson 1.1 — Costruire un argomento — Building an argument (Italian B2)

Listen first

Two colleagues debate the merits of a four-day working week.

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New vocabulary — tap to hear

da un lato… dall'altroon one hand… on the other 🔊

benché / sebbenealthough / even though 🔊

in primo luogoin the first place / firstly 🔊

pertantotherefore / consequently 🔊

sostenere una tesito defend a thesis 🔊

a sostegno diin support of 🔊

Now say it

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« Benché la questione sia complessa, sostengo che valga la pena affrontarla. » 🔊

Although the issue is complex, I maintain it's worth tackling.

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Pronunciation

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Sostengo che la settimana di quattro giorni migliori la produttività, benché molti ne dubitino. 🔊I maintain that a four-day week improves productivity, although many doubt it.

In primo luogo, però, dovremmo chiederci se le aziende siano davvero pronte. 🔊Firstly, though, we should ask ourselves whether companies are really ready.

Da un lato i costi salgono, dall'altro i dipendenti rendono di più; pertanto il bilancio resta positivo. 🔊On one hand costs rise, on the other employees perform better; therefore the balance stays positive.

A sostegno della tua tesi ci sono dei dati, sebbene non siano ancora conclusivi. 🔊There is data in support of your thesis, even though it isn't conclusive yet.

Appunto: l'idea, benché sembri rischiosa, merita di essere sperimentata. 🔊Exactly: the idea, although it seems risky, deserves to be tested.

Concordo che valga la pena fare una prova prima di trarre conclusioni. 🔊I agree it's worth running a trial before drawing conclusions.

Grammar in focus · subjunctive after the concessive

Concessive conjunctions (benché, sebbene, nonostante, malgrado, per quanto) always take the congiuntivo. Example: « Benché sia difficile, è necessario » (Although it's difficult, it's necessary). Compare the indicative « anche se è difficile » with the more formal « benché sia difficile ». Note the present subjunctive forms: sia, faccia, abbia, sembri, dubitino.

Write it yourself

Write a short argumentative paragraph (4–5 sentences) defending a position, using « benché » once and at least two connectors.

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Tip for this task
Bene! Keep the structure thesis → support → concession → conclusion. Make sure the verb after « benché » is subjunctive, e.g. « Benché molti siano scettici, i dati confermano la tendenza ».

Quick check

An adaptive quiz confirms you've got it and schedules the right words for review.

1. After « benché », the verb must be in the…

2. Which connector best means « therefore »?

3. Choose the correct form: « Sebbene ___ difficile, proviamo. »

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