La coscienza di Zeno: an Italian book for beginners (A2)
Italo Svevo · adapted by Alessio Insegnante · CEFR level A2
Italo Svevo's classic (1923), rewritten for learners of Italian at level A2: calibrated sentences, footnotes, a final glossary and comprehension questions in every chapter.
Ebook free with Kindle Unlimited · $4.99 · also in 6×9 paperback
The plot of La coscienza di Zeno
At his psychoanalyst's request, Zeno Cosini writes the story of his life: the last cigarette, forever announced and never truly last; his father's death; his marriage to Augusta, the «wrong» sister; his business dealings with his friend and rival Guido.
Zeno presents himself as sick and inept, but his irony overturns every certainty: who is truly healthy in a sick world? A masterpiece of the twentieth-century European novel, set in an unforgettable Trieste.
Why read La coscienza di Zeno to learn Italian
The thematic chapters (smoking, the father, the marriage) read almost like independent stories: you can pause without losing the thread. Zeno's ironic first person shows the passato prossimo and imperfetto in action, with the vocabulary of health, work and family.
Inside this reader
CEFR adaptation
The text is fully rewritten for level A2, with controlled vocabulary and syntax, while staying faithful to the original plot.
Footnotes and glossary
Footnotes on difficult words and a final glossary, so you can read independently without a dictionary.
Comprehension questions
Every chapter ends with questions to check understanding, just like in class.
Paperback and ebook
6×9 paperback on cream paper, or Kindle ebook. The same text also lives in the ti app.
Language focus: what you practise
In this level-A2 edition you mainly practise imperfetto versus passato prossimo, the simple future, direct and indirect pronouns. The vocabulary revolves around health, work and family: the key words, with translations, are in the glossary below and recur throughout the text, so you learn them in context.
Essential glossary (Italian · English · Dutch)
| Italian | English | Dutch |
|---|---|---|
| la sigaretta | cigarette | de sigaret |
| la coscienza | conscience | het geweten |
| lo psicoanalista | psychoanalyst | de psychoanalyticus |
| il matrimonio | marriage | het huwelijk |
| gli affari | business | de zaken |
| la salute | health | de gezondheid |
| il rivale | rival | de rivaal |
| il ricordo | memory | de herinnering |
About the author: Italo Svevo
Italo Svevo, pen name of Ettore Schmitz (1861–1928), from Trieste, combined Italian and Central European culture. A friend of James Joyce, he was recognised as a great writer only after La coscienza di Zeno, his third novel.
Details and difficulty level
A2 is solid elementary Italian: still simple sentences, but with the imperfetto, the future tense and a wider vocabulary. This reader suits learners with a few months of Italian who want to finish their first complete story. Format: 6×9 paperback on cream paper or Kindle ebook; 20 chapters with footnotes, a final glossary and comprehension questions. All level A2 books →
Frequently asked questions
What level of Italian do I need to read La coscienza di Zeno?
This edition of La coscienza di Zeno is rewritten for CEFR level A2. A2 is solid elementary Italian: still simple sentences, but with the imperfetto, the future tense and a wider vocabulary. This reader suits learners with a few months of Italian who want to finish their first complete story.
Is this Italo Svevo's original text?
No, it is an adaptation: the plot and spirit of Italo Svevo's original remain, but vocabulary and syntax are rewritten for level A2, with footnotes, a final glossary and comprehension questions at the end of every chapter.
Which formats is it available in?
Paperback (6×9, cream paper) and Kindle ebook on Amazon. The ebook is free to read with Kindle Unlimited. The same text also lives in the ti app, with vocabulary translated into 14 languages.
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