Jobs, Career Choices and Ambitions

The same word, a different job

You have met vorrei already, at a hotel desk, asking for a room. Here it does something quite different, and the difference is worth a moment because it is easy to miss. Put a noun after vorrei and you are asking for something now. Put an infinitive after it and you are talking about your life: vorrei studiare le lingue straniere. The word has not changed; what follows it has. That matters more than it sounds, because of something your specification says about grammar. At Foundation you are never asked to write the future tense, only to recognise it, and the conditional you may use is limited to two forms: vorrei and mi piacerebbe. So this whole topic, which sounds as though it needs a tense you have not been taught, actually opens with two words you already have. Add an infinitive to say what you want to do, and a reason to say why, and you have the answer the examiner is looking for.

Words for wanting and explaining

Six items, all from your specification’s own vocabulary. The first two say what you want; the rest are what turn a bare answer into a good one.

Match the linking word

What you may write at Foundation

You want to say what you hope to do after school. Your specification says the future tense is receptive-only at Foundation. What does that mean for your written answer?

• You should recognise the future tense if you meet it, but say what you want using vorrei or mi piacerebbe plus an infinitive
• You must write the future tense, since the topic is about the future
• You should avoid talking about the future at all
• You should use the present tense and hope the meaning is clear

Wanting and planning

Two ways to talk about what is ahead, both allowed at Foundation. They do not mean the same thing, and choosing the right one is itself worth credit.

Complete the ambition

Al momento studio molte materie. _____ studiare le lingue straniere, _____ mi piacciono molto. _____ sono difficili, e _____ non ho molto tempo. _____ penso che sia il lavoro giusto per me.

Which two say it properly

Select the TWO sentences that are correctly formed for a Foundation written answer.

• Vorrei studiare le scienze perché mi piacciono.
• Mi piacerebbe studiare l’informatica, però è difficile.
• Vorrei le lingue straniere perché sono utili.
• Vorrei studiare le scienze.

A reason and a doubt

Here is the difference between an answer that passes and an answer that scores well, and it is not extra vocabulary. It is two extra clauses. First, never leave an ambition bare. Vorrei studiare le scienze is correct Italian and an incomplete answer; add perché and a reason and it becomes a real one. Second, and this is the part most students skip, say something that is not entirely positive. Add però and a difficulty, or purtroppo and something that is not going your way, and you have shown you can hold two ideas in one answer instead of listing one. Examiners consistently reward that, because it is harder to do and because it sounds like a person rather than a exercise. You can also compare, using meglio, to say that one plan would be better than another and why. Notice that none of this needs vocabulary you do not have. It is the same words used in a fuller shape, and the shape is what is being marked.

Find the words

Five words from this topic are hidden in the grid, running across or down. The clues are in English.

The ambition with no reason

Four sentences from a written answer about the future. Select the ONE that states an ambition without giving any reason for it.

• Vorrei studiare le lingue straniere perché mi piace viaggiare.
• Mi piacerebbe studiare l’informatica.
• Vorrei studiare le scienze, però sono difficili.
• Purtroppo non sono bravo in matematica, quindi studio altre materie.

Assemble the ambition

Build a sentence that states an ambition, gives a reason, and adds a qualification.

An ambition, marked

Here is a short answer to the question Che cosa vorresti fare in futuro? Al momento studio molte materie, però le mie preferite sono le scienze e le lingue straniere. Vorrei studiare le lingue all’università perché mi piace viaggiare e penso che sia utile per il lavoro. Mi piacerebbe anche studiare l’informatica, quindi non ho ancora deciso. Purtroppo la matematica è difficile per me, però studio molto. Alla fine penso che le lingue siano la scelta migliore. Look at what that answer does with a very small amount of vocabulary. It says what it wants twice, using two different forms rather than repeating one. It gives a reason each time, with perché. It admits a difficulty with purtroppo instead of pretending there is none. It qualifies with però, links with quindi, and finishes with a decision using alla fine. There is not a single word in it you do not have, and not one use of the future tense.

Deciding what to say about your future

You are answering a written question about what you would like to do after school. Take the decisions in order.

• Nothing is settled yet. Which form states that honestly?
• What must come immediately after vorrei to state an ambition?
• Your sentence is correct but short. What is the first thing to add?
• You want the answer to sound less flat. What lifts it most?

Write about your ambitions

Scrivi un paragrafo su che cosa vorresti fare in futuro. Write in Italian about what you would like to do after school, using the forms from this module.

• Say what you study at the moment, using al momento
• State an ambition with vorrei followed by an infinitive
• Give a reason for it, introduced by perché
• State a second possibility using mi piacerebbe, so you do not repeat vorrei
• Add a qualification or a difficulty with però or purtroppo
• Link two ideas with quindi
• Finish with a decision, using alla fine
• Do not use the future tense: you are not asked to write it at Foundation