Product Description
Italian Language Instruction as easy as Uno, Due, Tre!

Now you can join the conversation with native speakers using Instant Immersion's Deluxe Edition Workbook! Whether you're learning a new language for vacation, studying in school or simply polishing your fluency, Instant Immersion is the easiest and fastest way to learn a language. By combining written vocabulary, conversational, and cultural skills, you'll learn a new language in just minutes a day!

Bonus! Portable Video Phrasebook DVD & Full color National Geographic map

Essential vocabulary, dialogues & exercises in every chapter
Phonetic pronunciation & translations as you go
Cultural impressions with everyday native expressions
Flash cards for easy word & phrase recognition
Using the Portable Video Phrasebook DVD, transfer key audio and video phrases from your computer to iPod, MP4, mobile phone, PSP or other multimedia player for on the go learning

Over a $50 Value (if purchased separately)

$24.95 MSRP Portable Video Phrasebook DVD from Eurotalk Interactive
$9.95 MSRP National Geographic full color wall map
$18.95 Instant Immersion Standard workbook plus over 75 bonus flash cards and stickers
... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Great Service
Product is average, but the item was sent to me quickly and in great shape.Thank you =)

Not worth the price
Workbook:
The materials are extremely basic, so the workbook might be good for someone with absolutely no knowledge of a Latinate language.Because I already speak Spanish, I found the book to be full of cognates, so I didn't really diversify my vocabulary.The workbook only conjugates verbs into the present tense--again, very basic.Ironically, the exercises are too difficult for such a basic workbook.The workbook is also extremely thin.For what you're paying for this book, you're not getting your money's worth.Mastering Italian Vocabulary: A Thematic Approach (Mastering Vocabulary Series) is a better choice for building vocabulary and learning basic verbs.Mastering Italian Vocabulary does not offer pronunciations for each word, however, while the Instant Immersion Italian Workbook does.

Flashcards:
There are 48 flashcards, which might be useful if there were actually English words on the front instead of pictures.I suppose the pictures make the flash cards useful for speakers of a language other than English, but since the entire workbook is in English, what's the point?The pictures just make it confusing to pinpoint the exact word on the back of the card.

Stickers:
There are 32 stickers with this book.I was hoping for stickers to affix to household items.It's useful to look at the mirror and see "lo specchio."A "Quanto Costa?" sticker, on the other hand, is not so useful, unless you stick it on a flash card.

DVD-ROM:
The DVD-ROM is just strange.You can upload 3 second videos to your iPod that have some basic words and phrases in various forms.There is a picture of the word or phrase in the background with the word or phrase printed over it in Italian.A person stands in front of the picture and says it in Italian.Sound bytes I can listen to in the car without looking at my iPod would have been more useful.The phrases could have also been more useful.I don't think I will ever have to ask someone "Could you please heat up this baby food?" or "Would you like to go for a bike ride down by the river?"The selection of phrases was very odd.The one nice thing about the mp4 files is the choice of languages--sort of.I chose the Spanish language videos for Italian, but the only Spanish related to the videos is the title of the videos.It would be nice if the video read it to you in both languages instead of just Italian.

Overall, the workbook was mediocre and over-priced.There are much better options available.I give the workbook 3 stars for a few redeeming reasons:
1) Pronunciations are given for each word.
2) There are ample illustrations to help you make those all-too-important visual connections.
3) While the grammar is a bit too basic, it's also helpful that the book is not overloaded with a million tenses you won't be able to remember.
4) The videos can help anyone struggling with pronunciation to link sounds with phonemes.

Molto bene
This is great especially on the long commute to work I love to put in a cd and actually do something progressive. These are easy to repeat and follow along.

"Underwhelmed"
I guess I just expected so much more after reading the other reviews. Guess I'm just the odd man out but I don't like what I've listened to thus far. Hopefully the last half of the CDs will be better. Here's what I don't like:1) TOO SLOW - ridiculously slow2) I don't like having the Italian first because as I learn more of the vocab I like to translate the English before the speaker. Helps me to know if "I've got it." 3) Arranged randomly. I feel like the vocabulary that it's giving is in a very random order. Perhaps it isn't - may be based on sounds and such but nonetheless, I find it very odd. 4) It's silly of me but the English speaking narrator has a wierd accent. She says "Eeee-tell-yun" for Italian. I don't know what to say but that it annoys me - a lot. 5) Here's another silly thing but what can I say? I find it distracting: The speakers have "sticky mouth" syndrome - the recording equipment seems to pick up their mouth noises. Yes, I know. PICKY but it's annoying.

I have another Italian program and I prefer it - "Learn in Your Car - Italian." I am going to continue to listen to the last half of the CDs and hope they get better.

Learning Italian
This was the required text for a four week (8 hour) course to learn key Italian phrases. We went to Italy recently and found the results of this class very useful. ... Read more

Product Description
This is going to be brief. I don't want to waste any of your valuable time on huge amounts of 'explanation text' that does just that. So, if you have been looking for an easy to read and understand guide that will give you some short, but effective Italian phrases you can use when travelling, this is your solution! But, it's not just for when you're planning a trip to a Italian speaking region though because..............

EVEN IF YOU JUST WANT TO LEARN SOME CONVERSATIONAL ITALIAN TO COMMUNICATE WITH FRIENDS OR CO-WORKERS THIS GUIDE WILL HELP YOU!

If you want to learn quick, concise, Italian phrases, then this is the ebook guide for you! Whether you're going on a vacation, or just living in an area of the country with a high Italian speaking population, this little 'MiniBook' can help you to understand some things you couldn't before and actually have small conversations with other 'Italian-speakers'. Here's a short and simple list of what you will find inside this little gem:


Learn Basic Coversational Phrases Like: 'How Are You?', 'My Name Is', 'What Is Your Name?', 'Do You Speak English?', 'Hello', 'Goodbye', 'Please', 'Thank You', 'I Don't Understand', and Many Others


Pronunciation Tables For Vowels, Consonants, and Diphthongs In The Italian Language


Learn How To Say Specific Words Such As: Colors, Telling Time, Days of the Week, Months, Plus Numbers and Counting


Learn Helpful Travelling Phrases Like How To Hail A Taxi Cab, How To Ask Questions Regarding Bus and Train Travel, And Great Phrases To Help You Ask For Directions


Learn How To Ask About Hotel Accomodations, How To Order Specific Food And Drink In A Restaraunt, And Even Questions About What Types of Payments Are Accepted!
... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Extremely useful
I am taking the Rosetta Stone couse for Italian, and this little book has been essential as a companion.I am mid-way through Level 2 and encountering concepts that are just too complicated to get across with a simple picture, which is how RS works.With this book as a supplement, I'm able to make sense of the grammar lessons that had me tearing my hair out (andra, andremo, andrai, andro -- huh?).The book is organized in a way that makes it very easy to find what you're looking for and review it throughout the day, almost like using flash cards.

For the price, size and brevity of this book, it was more than worth the investment.

Just a few phrases
My original review [below] gave this ebook 3-stars.
I received a comment suggesting that I was too harsh, and that the ebook was just as advertised.
Because of that comment, I reread the phrase book and agree that 3-stars is too low a rating.

Well, why just 4-stars?Why not five stars?
The answer is that I wonder if the Kindle version is the best one for the traveler.
As we went to small towns and villages in Chianti, it became more important for us to know some Italian.
I came to rely on a 'phrase book' in the shape of a folding map to jog my memory of appropriate things to say in Italian.
I wonder now if I might not have been better off with the print version of this book.
Using the print version 'in the field' seems simpler.
I mean, the Kindle is beautifully compact, but I would still be walking around with the electronic device.

That said, and given the low price of the Kindle version, I think next time I would go with both.

========================================================================================
Original review:
This Kindle book just misses the target.

I had hoped to have a phrase book in the Kindle that would help me meet most challenges 'in Italiano' and would save me some weight in the backpack.
The phrase book certainly qualified on the latter criterion, but it came up short on the former.

OK, the price was right.
But still, I hoped to have a phrase book that I could study on our flights from LAX to MXP.
Unfortunately, I finished the book before my LAX flight crossed Canada.
It's not that the book wasn't helpful, just that it wasn't helpful enough.

Again, given the price, this is a pretty good purchase.
But if you want to have access to important Italian phrases, don't rely on this alone.

... Read more

Product Description
This Italian word-power builder presents more than 5,000 words and phrases with translations into English. The feature that makes this vocabulary book distinctive is the way words are divided into themes, grouped together so that the foreign traveler or language student can find words related by subject. The subject themes include business terms, medical terms, household terms, scientific words and phrases, units of measurement, clothing, food and dining, transportation, art and culture? 24 separate themes in all. The new second edition has been expanded and updated with increased vocabulary. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Pretty good
I'm beginner to intermediate.There's much to like about this book, and I'd say to buy it if you feel the need.I have a few caveats (hoping the publisher might read, really).There's no English TOC.If you want the word for raisins, you either need to already know it (doh) or get a dictionary, look it up, look it up again, etc.Kind of a stupid omission, actually.The words are really jumbled, like they're just tossed in a pile.Instead of garden, flower, forest, tree, it's flower, apple, tree branch, weeds, and tree is on another page and forest is in another chapter and garden is who-knows-where. Truly, breakfast is on one page, and lunch and dinner are two pages after. Not well organized at all.The grammar section is largely useless. "Essential Italian Grammar" by Olga Ragusa is small and complete and understandable (and cheap).This one is written with an erudite language that says more "look how much I know - you figure it out" than any sort of educational value.Some critisisms that say it's an imperfect book, but I like it overall.Don't let the bad take over the good.Not for rank beginners, that's for sure...

Excellent Book for Price
While this text could use a few improvements, one must consider the price in conjunction with the product.With over 9,000 terms in context, this book is much more useful than a dictionary.I wish the text had more pictures, but the pictures it does have are exceptionally useful.For instance, for the basic body parts, an illustration of a human body is labeled.As far as pronunciations are concerned, I don't think they are necessary.There is a pronunciation guide in the front of the book and stress is denoted; this should be sufficient.Unlike English, the pronunciation of Italian phonemes is extremely predictable--letters are always pronounced according to the guide given at the start of the book.There is no confusion as there is with English, such as with the "ough" in "though" and "thought."

When I first received the book, I was admittedly disappointed and considered returning the text.After going through the first few pages, however, I quickly changed my mind and realized what an amazing and comprehensive tool I was holding.Especially considering the price, this text should not be overlooked by anyone teaching herself Italian.

So-So
This book really is not much more than a glorified collection of word lists.I used it to make note cards and learned the vocab that way without referring back to the book again.Not a bad book, just not really an effective method of learning.

Eccellente!
I am particularly fond of this series of vocabulary books (also available in French and Spanish)-- its inexpensive, easy to read/use, and covers an extensive range of topics.

All of the words are arranged in a topical fashion.For example: work, school, etc... and a wide range of common phrases and idiomatic expression are integrated where appropriate.

I would consider this the best companion for a student looking to expand their vocabulary in the Italian language.For travelers looking for an extensive but more compact book, try Italian At a Glance

Mastering Italian Vocabulary
An excellent way of increasing once vocabulary. For people (like me) who have reached a basic knowledge of the language but want to increase conversational use through increased number of words. The book provides 24 different aspects in life e.g. Food & Drink, Art & Music etc with all its different words and usages in everyday life. I find that by just reading through one of the categories at regular intervals (say daily or weekly), I gradually retain more and more words and usages.
Walter Moser, Newtown VIC, Australia. ... Read more

Product Description
Study faster, learn better-and get top grades with Schaum's Outlines

Millions of students trust Schaum's Outlines to help them succeed in the classroom and on exams. Schaum's is the key to faster learning and higher grades in every subject. Each Outline presents all the essential course information in an easy-to-follow, topic-by-topic format. You also get hundreds of examples, solved problems, and practice exercises to test your skills.

Use Schaum's Outlines to:

• Brush up before tests
• Find answers fast
• Study quickly and more effectively
• Get the big picture without spending hours poring over lengthy textbooks

Fully compatible with your classroom text, Schaum's highlights all the important facts you need to know. Use Schaum's to shorten your study time-and get your best test scores!

This Schaum's Outline gives you:

• A full treatment of contemporary conversational Italian, including expressions, slang, and idioms
• New English-Italian, Italian-English glossary section

Customer Reviews (10)

A big help for learners with german native tongue
Living at the border to Italy (Austria) it is extremly important to speak and understand standard Italian. But unfortunately the way to learn the language by studying on one's own isn't supported by excellent grammatik drill books german-italian in the german speaking area. Therefore I started to train with Schaum's Outline and I'm extremely taken with it. A whole host of exercises assure oneself a great success. Best recommendations for this book !!

Great practice workbook for serious students!!
Both this workbook as well as the Schaum's Outline of Italian Vocabulary are wonderful practice tools. They're packed with exercises and explanations, so I definitely recommend both to my students. It's not something to invest in unless you're seriously interested in learning the language. It's not a "quick crash course" in Italian that you would take before a trip, but rather an in-depth approach to the language.

special touches
I've got a lot of Italian books and eserciziari (workbooks), but this one is special in at least 2 ways:
1. a lot of the italian words are marked for stress, which is absolutely necessary for more correct pronunciation; also the stress is done with a dot below which is much less visually distracting than, say accents. It is really easy to integrate the dot into the pronunciation
2. the exercises are interspersed into the explanations, rather than being all at the end of the chapter. This design helps because you know exactly what the exercises are about. Also it provides for more immediate reinforcement, and it keeps the learning in small steps ('baby steps').

Too many mistakes
There are several mistakes which might confuse students. The editor really needs to update this book.

Phenomenal
I started learning Italian with Pimsleur and I nearly gave it up until I ran across this grammar. I mean, don't get me wrong, Pimsleur is really great, but... Italian is not the first foreign language I've learnt, and I'm used to (or maybe prefer) studying in a rather structured way, learning the grammar of the language while building conversational, reading and writing skills. So Pimsleur, which is based almost exclusively on listening and repetition, didn't work ideally for me...This book, however, was just the right thing that helped me move on and made the whole experience of learning with Pimsleur enjoyable. It is very user-friendly, highly suitable for beginners, and presented in a very clear way, making it very easy to find everything quickly. So whenever while listening to my Pimsleur CDs a "why" question arises in my mind, I open this book and find the answer quickly - really quickly.

Basically, I would recommend it to any beginner who started to learn Italian with one method or the other. Like I said, very clear, quite comprehensive and at the same time beginner-friendly. Even if you started learning Italian this week, this grammar is for you, because everything is laid-out in plain English. I believe it will also provide me with a convenient way to bridge the gap after I finish with Pimsleur to move on to more advanced speaking, reading and writing. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

More a vocabulary test
This little book is not a bad way to practice some vocabulary, but as crossword puzzle it is marginal. Yes, the words are laid out on the page in crossword style, but most words have only one or two letters that overlap with another word, so if you don't know the right word immediately you don't get much in the way of clues.

Good for vocabulary
I am really enjoying this little book of Italian crossword puzzles. I like the way it's arranged in order of English/Italian puzzles, then Italian/English, and finally straight Italian. It's great for learning new vocabulary grouped by topic.

All the fun of an exercise book--and not much more
As noted, the cover is misleading. Each puzzle is about 80% black space. The relatively few words in each puzzle intersect in one or two letters, so that the crossed words provide little help in finding an answer.

Great way to learn vocabulary
As a crosswords addict, I found this book to be an invaluable way to learn new Italian vocabulary. I did one of these crosswords every morning. There's something like thirty puzzles, so it's great way to give your Italian a boost in a month. Also, the puzzles are sorted from easiest to hardest and they have different types such as Italian clue, English answer; English clue, Italian answer; and completely in Italian.

Fun way to learn
In learning a language, sometimes you just want to step away from the lesson books and the tapes and do something a little different. Why not crossword puzzles?
I agree with the other reviewer who felt that the puzzles in this book were a little too organized into "themes".It would have been more challenging to have constructed them like ordinary puzzles.In fact, it would have been even better if a variety of word puzzles were included. However, the book is useful for learning vocabulary and the puzzles are small enough that they can be completed fairly quickly.
Not perfect, but a helpful tool. ... Read more

Product Description
The Routledge Intensive Italian Workbook is a comprehensive book of exercises and tasks for beginner and intermediate learners of Italian.

It includes a wide variety of exercises - covering a broad range of situations and functions - and will help students to progress rapidly and master the language accurately. Students can check their own progress using the answer key. The Workbook can be used independently, or in conjunction with the Routledge Intensive Italian Course, an accelerated course in Italian for adult beginners, which is accompanied by audio material. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Good Book
Good book.I feel that some exposure to Italian is needed before engaging into this book. ... Read more

Product Description
The authors present the Italian language not as it is prescribed in grammars and dictionaries, but as it is actually written and spoken. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Lame work
This book is full of incorrect data:
1. The author claims that that there are only 5 vowels in Italian, which is not true, 5-vowel-system is dialectal, used only in some dialects like Romagnolo.

2. Furthermore, she says -''The Northern form'' has prestige- which is not true. The standard language is based on the Roman pronunciation of the Tuscan dialect (-lingua toscana in bocca romana-), and it is the accent used by Italian national TV (RAI). Northern accents are not representative of standard Italian, Northeners write incorrectly perchè, ventitrè (indicating their local open-vowel pronunciation) instead of standard spellings perché, ventitré (é indicates closed e).

3. When you learn English, you aim for standard pronunciation (RP in British English and General American for US English) you don't opt for dialectal or slangy accents like East Anglian, Brooklyn or Valley Girl / Surfers Dude English. The same should be done when trying to learn Italian. Watch RAI television, and listen to the singers from Rome and Tuscany, you'll have impeccable pronunciation then. And no, Milanese is NOT standard Italian accent, they pronounce open and closed vowel incorrectly, and don't even bother with le doppie (double consonants, they pronounce them as if they were spelled as single consonants).

4. For more information on Italian pronunciation google for CANIPA or Luciano Canepari, you'll get to a nice site to master your pronunciation.

Magnifico!
This book is simply amazing, but the target audience for a book of this type would be students with a good grounding in Italian grammar - intermediate/advanced student.I don't think that simply having a good dictionary and this book is going to make you fluent.Language learning requires more than just your eyes - you need to engage your ear and your mouth too.

My main quarrel with this book is that it is written like a novel.It needs more examples that demonstrates the points that they are trying to make.Sometimes the authors gloss over certain aspects of grammar that could be expounded upon.

So what makes it amazing? The authors of this book touch on some advanced language topics that you'll not find anywhere else.Part I of the book will probably not be helpful to the casual learner and probably very few people will probably get any enjoyment out of it.Part 2 of the book is where the real 'meat' lies and is what makes this book so amazing.So if you're looking to sharpen your grammar skills and improve your understanding of Italian grammar, then study well Part 2 of this book.It is simply invaluable.

Hopefully this book will be updated with a third edition in the near future!

Ponderoso... and I don'tmean Hoss Cartwright
This is indeed a comprehensive and authoritative work on Italian grammar; however, it is not for the casual learner. There are a lot of highly technical minutiae geared toward a reader with advanced education in language or linguistics. Be prepared to put in some serious concentration time to fully appreciate what is in here, otherwise, you may have to select and concentrate on only the parts you can handle. I do not think that this one is for beginners but it is well done.

The best Italian grammar for English speakers ever written.
I have lived in Italy for many years and consider myself to be fluent inItalian.I teach Italian and am familiar with most of the textbooksavailable on the subject.I also have a good knowledge of French andSpanish.I know of only two grammar books of these Romance languages whichI would classify as actual works of art.M. M. Ramsey's "A Textbookof Modern Spanish" (copyright 1894) and the Lepschys' "TheItalian Language Today." This compact reference grammar of 250-oddpages contains a wonderfully concise and thorough explanation of theItalian language.With this book and a good dictionary, an intelligent anddedicated English-speaking adult can acquire not only confident fluency inItalian, but also eloquence.It is the only Italian grammar you will everneed, whether you are an utter beginner or a professional linguist.

An outstanding descriptive, rather than prescriptive, study.
All advanced students of Italian who wish to know more about Italian as itis truly used by Italians today must read the Lepschy's outstanding work.I find it particularly refreshing that they do not prescribe the wayItalian "should" be spoken- rather they present the language asit is used by the educated, colloquial speaker today.E.g. grammar booksfor English speakers still for the most part prescribe the cumbersome (andnoisome) use of "Loro" for the polite second person form-something which is hopelessly outdated unless one wants to come across as astuffed shirt. For the scholar and lay person alike it is a must for thepersonal library. ... Read more

Product Description

"Wow! This book is simply amazing -- visually stunning, rich with information, and overflowing with detail... Essential for students of any of these languages, lovers of language, and any library supporting a language program or multilingual patrons."-- Library Journal (starred review of first edition)

35,000 terms per language and 6,000 color illustrations.

Unparalleled in its scope and detail, The Firefly Five-Language Visual Dictionary features 6,000 color illustrations labeled with 35,000 terms in each of English, French, German, Italian and Spanish. Each key word or phrase is connected to an illustration that makes identification and translation quick and accurate.

Customer Reviews (3)

Firefly
Great book! Exactly what I have been looking for. The perfect book for learning proper terminology.

Great educational tool for interpreters
This is a fabulous resource for educational interpreters working with students that use or are learning other languages other than English, including ASL.It is also a wonderful resource for sign language interpreters enabling us to see the picture of the object to give us ideas as to which classifiers to use in the interpretation as well as how to set it up as we prepare for the classroom.It is also very helpful in the tutoring environment as a picture is worth a thousand words.It is very detailed in its drawings.I spent a long time comparing different resources like this one and kept narrowing it down to this one.I am very thankful I finally purchased this book as I am pleased with it.It meets my expectations.

Helpful compilation
I purchased the Firefly Five Language Dictionary to complement my study of German, French and Spanish.

Although I am fairly literate in English and some people even say I am fluent in Spanish, I find that the illustrations in this Dictionary consistently provide me with names even for items I see daily but have never associated with a precise English word, let alone the appropriate term in another tongue.

As a visual dictionary, it obviously isn't full of adjectives, verbs or other parts of speech.It is essentially just illustrations with words that identify each component part in five languages (along with gender for the non-English tongues).

From oil rigs, to bicycles, to insects, to the human body, the pictures in this Dictionary gives you names of parts for which one might not even know the proper English term. ... Read more

Product Description
The most-often-used Italian regular and irregular verbs are presented with English translations in this quick-reference format. The six-panel card is laminated for long life and punched to fit either a two-ring or a three-ring notebook. The verb tenses are listed and explained in both active and passive voices, with information on how to use them in sentences, which makes this title a fine supplement for language students and travelers to Italy. Italian is the latest in Barron’s new series of Foreign Language Verb Conjugation Cards. Others are available in French, German, and Spanish. All are printed in full color on laminated card stock. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Mary Lou
Difficult to read and follow - has all the right info but not organized in a user-friendly way.

excellent verb conjugation guide
I carry this guide everywhere for it is a very quick guide and thorough review at a glance. Last week some of the students in my class had general questions regarding verb conjuations and I showed them my reference guide. They were not aware of this resource and agreed that it is a great guide. It is laminated so the card is protected and always looks brand new.

Handy, easy to use
If you know some Italian, or are studying the language, this card is so useful.I take it on trips to Italy and refer to it often.It's laminated, so it doesn't fall apart.

Great resource for a quick review of Italian verb conjugations
As a teacher of Italian for adults, who are quick and demanding learners, I know how important it is to have handy a quick review chart of Italian verb conjugations which can be very useful when you cannot remember the difference between the future endings and the conditional (they're so similar!) So it's nice to have this chart readily available to refresh my recollection of the tenses. Since we are not immersed in Italian, we need to do a lot of memorization of verb conjugations in order to master the differences in tenses. I need all the help I can get sometimes in order to remember all these tenses!

Could use more irregulars
Since Italian is almost as full of irregular verbs as English, conjugations of the more common ones would be helpful.But as a resource, this card works well.I've put it in my travel notebook along side the similar vocabulary card and both will be airplane study on my trips to Italy. ... Read more

Product Description
2 CDs PLUS A PHRASEBOOK/DICTIONARY! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Not as helpful as i thought it would be
There are many instances where the Italian phrase is too long and Fodor doesn't break it up to allow a beginner to learn how to say it.I have another language learning CD where single words are broken into syllables, and then phrases are built, which is a much better way to learn a brand new language.

Perfect for a trip
Not knowing any Italian aside from pasta names, I used this to prepare for a first trip to Italy and it was perfect--the CD went at a reasonable pace (unlike another CD course I tried which went painfully, ridiculously slowly) and covered a wide range of traveler-oriented phrases in a short amount of time. While many people spoke english in Italy, when they didn't, I was still able to communicate everything I needed to--get directions, order meals, even engage in very limited small talk. The phrasebook/dictionary is convenient too--a compact "back-up" in case you run into something unfamiliar or forget something.
I highly recommend it for anyone going to Italy!

great book
the book is great.I wish I would have bought it years ago.The only defect is that it fell apart.The glue that was used is no good.

Molto Buono
Italian for Travelers was perfect for my trip to Italy during the Olympics. The book is well organized and is instantly useful! It has inspired me to learn more about the Italian language.

bad cd
useful phrases in book, but the cd is a bit messed up.it will randomly switch from first stating the english followed by italian to then stating the italian followed by english.very hard to follow because of this.they really need to redo this. ... Read more

Product Description
Share the day with Elmer, every child's favorite patchwork elephant. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Adorable Book!
My husband and I love this book! It's super cute and our 9month old loves the story and the pictures. We try our best to read the Italian,but, we're still learning. It's great practice and our baby loves listening to us try. We've picked up a few words from it. I will definately be purchasing the other Elmer English-Italian books.

Our Favorite English-Italian Elmer Book!
We purchased all of the English-Italian Elmer books so our daughter's Nonna and Nonno can read to her in italian.This one is our favorite since it has all of the activities that little ones are familiar with (bathing, playing, etc.).Elmer is so adorable and his colors are very attractive to babies and toddlers.The pictures also provide plenty to talk about such as how many birds are in the tree and where Elmer is hiding.We hope they continue making more of the English-Italian versions for other Elmer books.So far there are two others: Elmer's Colours (English-Italian) (Elmer series) and Elmer's Weather (English-Italian) (Elmer series).I highly recommend them all!

Elmer's Day
Very good book to start with, very highly recommneded. Since I english is my second language and I am teaching Italian to my child first. ... Read more

Product Description
In short. Learning Italian without false steps. A simple but effective method to learn the language of love, music and culture while having fun.It is a book to always keep next to other Italian books and courses. It will help you while learning the Italian language, either if you study by yourself or if you take a class. Here is the basic idea of this English speaker oriented manual: The horizontal format on two columns (with English parallel text) lets you discover the tricks of learning the language directly in Italian as well Tony Buzan s mind maps. By studying the books of this English psychologist, the most important researcher in the fields of learning, intelligence development and memory, the author, an Italian teacher Ditals certified, gets inspiration to create and draw several mind maps showing frequent Italian words and basic grammar. Thanks to the internet and multimedia, The secrets of the Italian language can be heard through the real author s voice. The book is divided in three parts. In the first section, about the vocabulary, you will discover, among other things, memory techniques and an easy way to use flash cards. In the second section, you can see how easy it is to cope and solve the first hurdles of the Italian grammar, verbs and prepositions. In the third section, in full color, you will look at the mind maps of the most common Italian words. These mind maps have been hand drawn or created through the official Buzan s IMINDMAP software. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Highly Recommended!!
For anyone not familiar with Antonio Libertino, you are in for a real treat! His enthusiasm for teaching his beautiful language is contagious and his sincere encouragement will help even those "struggling adult learners" to succeed. "The Secrets of the Italian Language - I segreti della lingua Italiana (English and Italian Edition)" is presented in a dual language format (Italian/English parallel text) which makes learning the language both practical and achievable, while increasing your reading comprehension.The accompanying audio book provides excellent practice in listening skills as well as proper pronunciation. You will be amazed how much Italian you can retain using his methods.You will find yourself looking forward to the next chapter. As an added bonus, the sound of Antonio's melodic voice will relax you and actually helps to internalize the material.

I would also suggest his other book, "Speak Italian Magically".Filled with authentic language examples and numerous imaginative exercises, this is an excellent resource which provides almost effortless language absorption, basic grammar usage and cultural information in one entertaining and informative package. "Speaking Italian Magically" focuses on practical vocabulary - which you can begin to use immediately - and brings the Italian language to life. Not only are the lessons highly effective, but Antonio has made the learning process both enjoyable and relaxing!

For me personally, learning to THINK in Italian is one of my greatest challenges (I don't want to simply translate back and forth).Both of Antonio's books have helped greatly in this area.

Bravissimo, Antonio! Grazie mille from all of us who are trying to learn Italian.

Fun & Effective
"I Segreti della Lingua Italiana" contains a highly effective and enjoyable approach to learning basic Italian. The book's bilingual layout (English & Italian text) combined with its use of pedagogical aids, such as mind-maps, simplify and elucidate the basic structure of the Italian language allowing the reader to effortlessly absorb and internalise its content. The concepts introduced cannot only be applied to develop the reader's competency in Italian but are crucial keys to unlocking the secrets of learning in general. This book is both highly effective and fun - a superb combination for language learning!

Learning Italian from Antonio Libertino is a joy!
Antonio Libertino is an excellent teacher in person.I studied la lingua italiana with him for 1 month and learned so much.However, that is not a guarantee that his book will be wonderful.

But guess what?It is fantastic.The illustrations work well.the pace and path of the learning makes sense and it is the next best thing to be studying in person with Antonio.This is a great book for beginners as well as for those of us who know "un poco" and we want to improve.I plan to buy another book for my friend.Grazie Mille Antonio!The secrets of the Italian language - I segreti della lingua Italiana (Italian Edition)

If this book is anything like its author... then it's awesome!
Antonio is my favorite Italian teacher ever!He is enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and creates a really fun learning environment.He helped inspire my love and passion for all things Italian- the language, the people, and the culture.My experience with Antonio was hugely rewarding and I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in learning Italian.

Best teacher ever!
Antonio has some of the best tricks around for learning Italian! Not only does he help you to learn grammar in an easily understandable way but he also makes memorizing vocabulary a breeze. I highly recommend his methods for beginners. ... Read more

Product Description
This title, the first in BarronÂ's brand-new series of grammar review books, presents a complete overview of grammatical terms, parts of speech, and how they work together in the Italian language. An opening section presents the basics of Italian pronunciation, spelling, and sentence structure. Sections that follow cover all verb tenses and moods, nouns, adjectives, prepositions, and adverbs. A final multi-chapter section deals with several Â"need-to-knowÂ" subjects including the difficult Italian verb piacere, idiomatic expressions, numbers, telling time and dates, and a summary of basic conversation and writing techniques. A special feature is a series of Â"Culture CapsulesÂ" presented throughout the book in Italian, describing interesting aspects of Italian culture, and supplemented with a bilingual glossary.Exercises with answers are presented at the end of each chapter, and word lists and verb charts are presented at the back of the book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Learn English
This book is very helpful for who wants to know the difference between Italian and English grammar.

Amazon mixup
The product is excellant. I have told Amazon that I have received this item but it appears that Amazon has had me pay to TRS $ 33.95 for another book that I did not receive.I have not been happy with the treatment I received from Amazon. I have been shuttled between Amazon and TRS with neither one solving the problem.

Italian Hardware Fully Assembled
This grammar review would seem best suited for those with a working knowledge of Italian, but who have not tackled the hard grammar(of which Italian has plenty).For those, it is a fine work, clear, not deadening, comprehensive, well-organized, and with at least a trace of humor.If you master this book and acquire some vocabulary you will know Italian.For those who can carry on a conversation in Italian and think they know the language pretty well it can be an eye-opener--but in the end a most rewarding one.

Might be a little daunting for those with no knowledge of the language at all.

An Incomplete Grammar Review...
I purchased this text without doing my research and now I wish I had saved my money and purchased a better grammar reference such as Soluzioni! : A Practical Guide to Italian Grammar or Essential Italian Grammar.

What makes this book just "OK" in my opinion is the fact that it only grazes each grammar topic.Idiomatic expressions and usage of the most common verbs such as "andare" are barely touched upon. The vast portion of the book covers basic conjugation tables which can be found in any textbook, review book or dictionary. I like that there are exercises included, but they too are only rudimentary.

I feel that beyond a first-semester course, students will need to upgrade to a more thorough grammar review text.That being said, I would probably just look for a better book from the start.I have looked carefully for an alternative to this book and can recommend any the following:
1. Italian Verbs & Essentials of Grammar, 2E.
2. Soluzioni! : A Practical Guide to Italian Grammar
3. Essential Italian Grammar
4. Modern Italian Grammar: A Practical Guide (Routledge Modern Grammars)

A good review
This is an accessible, well-written review of Italian grammar -- remarkably thorough for the price, and well laid out with usage examples.A particularly useful feature is coverage of conventions of contemporary usage -- such as E-mail conventions -- that are rarely covered in a traditional grammar.It would benefit from a more extensive dictionary section but at this price it's hard to complain. ... Read more

Product Description
Up-to-date in content, beautifully illustrated with color photos, packed with bilingual lists of vital words and phrases, and overflowing with helpful travel advice, this book is a perfect take-alongfor both business and vacation travelers to Italy. Page edges are color-tipped—a different color for each section—so that on-the-go travelers can refer to any one of 17 separate general topics and find the information they're looking for in a hurry. Color-coded topics include:

Product Description
Comprehensive Italian III includes 30 additional lessons (16 hrs.), plus Readings, which build upon the language skills acquired in Levels I and II. Increased spoken and reading language ability.

Level III will increase your vocabulary and grammatical structures and triple your spoken proficiency. Upon completion of a level III, you will be able to:

* participate in most informal and some formal discussions on practical, social, and some semi-professional topics,

* form longer sentences while maintaining the target language syntax,

* be understood even by native speakers unused to dealing with foreigners,

* handle increasingly difficult grammatical structures,

* enjoy fluent conversations with a variety of strangers,

* have a near-native accent, and the subtleties of the language will be apparent in your speech,

* read at the same level at which you speak.

Note: In order for the Pimsleur Method to work correctly, you must first complete the Level I + II language programs before proceeding to the Level III language program. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (19)

Good as an introduction to speaking
I have just completed Pimsleur Italian I, II, and III and Pimsleur Italian Plus.I already knew something about the written language and the grammar and wanted to practice hearing and speaking .The course essentially consists of 100 listening and speaking lessons, each nominally a half hour long.There is a small, separate set of reading lessons, but they don`t accomplish much.(They allow Pimsleur to say they teach you to "speak and read".)Otherwise, you are discouraged from reading or writing anything.

There is an English-speaking announcer who gives directions and explanations.(He sounds like an American--the course is US-oriented.) He tells you in English a word or phrase that you are supposed to learn in Italian. Then an Italian speaker shows you how to say it in Italian, and you are given time to repeat it.Two Italian speakers, a man and a woman, do most of the demonstrating of pronunciation, but gradually a third Italian speaker comes in and does some of that as well as some directing in Italian.You are often asked to create a new Italian phrase or sentence out of the words you have learned.An Italian speaker then says it correctly and you repeat it.The sentences get longer as the course goes on.There is a huge amount of repeating, since Prof. Pimsleur had his own theories about how people learn by patterned repetition.Lessons are mostly about travel and sightseeing, meeting people, business and business meetings, education, and ordering in restaurants and cafes.Italian Plus is an extended conversation about a children's book fair in Bologna and the publishing business.

Students are never given lists of words or grammatical forms to memorize.There is also very little discussion of grammatical rules.You get grammatical cues from the announcer to help you produce a specific sentence or phrase, such as why you should use a certain word ending or what word order you should use.Technical terms like noun and verb are avoided.You learn maybe 5 new words per lesson, but there is also emphasis on new expressions and grammatical forms.Since everything is done through specific examples, the grammatical endings have to be learned again for each new noun, adjective, or verb that you learn.For most words, only a few of the endings are covered.

This method of teaching is probably optimal for some students, but it can be tough on visual learners or those who have questions about the grammar. There is no way to look anything up after a lesson.The emphasis is on instant response: You get just enough time to produce the reply in Italian.Evidently the assumption is that you will memorize so well that you can produce a new phrase or sentence without thinking.In my case that meant a lot of use of the Pause button, but no doubt other students are more articulate than I am.

The course works by drilling students intensively on a limited set of words and grammatical forms.Like other reviewers, I am puzzled by whatthe designers chose to cover.You learn words for "best-seller", "teen-ager", and "conference room" without getting some of the basic words like "same" and "every".You get "this", but "that" only appears briefly at the end.You don't get the ordinal numbers, the days of the month, or the names of the months after February.Uomo ("man") finally shows up in the 97th lesson, but donna ("woman") never does.The Italian you learn is a bit stylized: davvero is used only as a question (i.e., "really?"), as is si va ("shall we go?"); tutti e due ("both") must be placed at the end of the sentence.

It is possible to learn grammar by drilling with examples if there are enough of them, but in many cases there are not.Some forms I didn't hear at all (IIRC): the familiar imperative, the remote (historic) past, the pluperfect. The course apparently tries to teach some grammatical forms by presenting only one or two paradigmatic examples, which is not enough to build up any facility.This applies to the future tense, the passive, or two object pronouns before the verb.There are two examples of the use of the subjunctive in subordinate clauses, but since nothing is said about them the student doesn`t learn anything from them.I suspect that the Pimsleur technique of patterned repetition is better for learning vocabulary than for learning grammar.

The best part is that you do learn to produce sentences and your pronunciation certainly gets better.It is very useful to have native speakers to illustrate the nuances of pronunciation.I didn't learn to speak whole paragraphs or to follow the plot of an Italian movie, but I certainly improved.The total vocabulary you learn is about 500 words, and you learn many of them very well.But of course that isn't enough for fluency.Pimsleur has updated the course by adding terms like euro, e-mail, cell phone, and e-commerce and expanding the reading lessons, but still the technology behind it is a bit old.They sell it on their website at an excessive price, but you can find it at some public libraries, and it is offered at reasonable prices elsewhere on the internet.Unless you are only interested in tourist Italian, you will need to supplement this course with something else.I think it would be a good idea to look into a basic grammar text sooner rather than later.

Pimsleur Italian III
I have been teaching myself Italian with the Pimsleur tapes.I LOVE them.I listen to the tapes and transcribe the lessons so that I can refer to my notes (even though notes are not recommended).I am further along than other students who are taking classes and it's only been 6 months.I highly recommend the Pimsleur method.Proper pronunciation is taught and verbs are taught in stages so that learning is not overwhelming.

N.

Not magic, just the best.
This course is very effective. After taking it I was able to test into an intermediate level Italian course. It is not magic. It does require you to actually follow the directions, listen and participate in the lessons. It is best to listen to each lesson two times per day, which is perfect for commuters. If you are looking for magic, move on; if you are willing to put in a little time, this is simply the best language learning course around.

Slightly Disappointed
I bought the three Pimsleur Italian courses because after over a year of taking italian at a university, I realized that I could read and write fine, but my speaking left a lot to be desired.However, I must say after investing hundreds of dollars, I could still use a lot of improvement with speaking.My biggest concern is the lack of tenses the courses cover.For a program claiming that you will "enjoy fluent conversations," they leave out some really important tenses for conversation, namely the subjunctive, which is used whenever a person expresses mood, feeling, uncertainty, etc.Therefore, it is used a lot.Moreover, in the third level, you speak almost exclusively in the polite tense (after a very brief overview of the impersonal--friendly tense).For anyone who plan to stay in Italy for a long period this is extremely crucial, especially since more and more people speak informally to strangers now.And lastly, someone else commented on the repetitiveness of useless words, such as "a course in professional development."Why does Pimsleur teach us words we'll never use, but leave out other grammar points that are necessary for everyday conversation, especially after expecting the buyer to invest so much money?


That being said, Pimsleur really does have some good points, assuming you have $500-600 you don't mind using.For one, this course surpasses all others in repetition.While other courses will charge $50 for a few hours of audio compressed into really short conversations, Pimsleur offers about 45 hours of practice.While it can be boring at times, it definitely helps to ingrain it in your mind and to think in the language more.Your accent will also improve tremendously, because they really take the time to help you practice each syllable.As far as sentence structure, I feel like this it gives people with prior knowledge a solid review and a chance to apply their knowledge.With beginners (I know a little from taking the first level of Chinese), you will definitely need to listen to each lesson a couple times to get it down.When you finish, I also recommend taking a few random discs with you in the car and playing them daily so you can test your knowledge.

Overall, I'd say that it is worth the money if you are in dire need of conversation practice.In the states, there are not a lot of big Italian communities, so sometimes it can be difficult to find others.However, they are out there!There are plenty of websites that offer language exchanges between people of different countries.This will surely be useful.And if you've already studied Pimsleur, you will definitely have a good STARTING POINT.Though this will only be the beginning of your studies!

Good for getting you started...
This review is for Pimsleur I, II and III. Those three can not be separated because if you start with this program you'll have to do all three courses because in part III you still learn some basics. If you think you'll have some knowledge of the Italian language with only Pimsleur I, don't even start with it.
I didn't consider the price when giving this program 4 stars. I've borrowed it.
And finally, I didn't consider statement "this is the only thing you need to learn Italian" because everyone who's ever attempted to learn a foreign language knows there is no magic program, book or trick that'll get the job done. Of course you need also a good grammar book and vocabulary book to complement this program.
Let's go to the good sides of this program.
First, there is pronunciation. It teaches you how to pronounce words in correct way. This is why it is much better to start with Pimsleur listening and repeating program than with some book.
Second, with all that repetition, what you learn really sticks with you if you're disciplined enough to do a lesson every day.
Third, after a while, you begin to feel" how to put words in correct order in the sentence.
Fourth, you can do it any time when you can spare 30 minutes. For me it is much better than to attend some course three times a week and spend more time traveling to or from the class than actually learning language.
And finally, this program gets you talking and no book can do this for you.
Now, bad sides:
This program needs a good editing, to put some of unnecessary vocabulary out of it and put some other useful words in it. It really wasn't necessary to repeat how to ask for a beer or wine through all three courses. Also, the best part of Pimsleur I is spent on teaching numbers in random order. I've already known to count in Italian, but I wonder if anyone can learn to count in a way presented here.
About the grammar: I recommend Barron's Italian Verb Workbook". After listening Pimsleur I, do the Part One of the book (present tenses). After Pimsleur II, do the Part Two of the book (past tenses). During Pimsleur III do Part Three of the book (future and conditional). After Pimsleur III do the Part Four (the subjunctive tenses) and Part Five (other tenses).
With the help of this book you'll know what that confusing little words la, li, le, lo, gli, mi, ti, vi, si etc. meanand that is hard to decipher all by yourself while listening Pimsleur courses.
At the end, if you take Pimsleur as a good way to start, you'll give it 4 stars, if you expect a miracle, you'll be disappointed and will give it 1 star.
Finally, excuse my English. Still learning :)
... Read more

Product Description

Your search for the right word in Italian is over.

Stop hunting blindly through ordinary bilingual dictionaries! With 4,000 words, Must-Know Italian gives you the power to be understood in any situation.

You'll never be at a loss for words again

• in the classroom il calcolatore (calculator), il, la supplente (substitute teacher)
• at the office lo stage (internship), la riunione (meeting)
• talking about the environment la conservazione (conservation), riciclare (recycle)
• discussing politics la cittadinanza (citizenship), il broglio elettorale (electoral fraud)
• shopping l(o)'affare (bargain), la cartina del bancomat (ATM card)

Customer Reviews (2)

Good reminder of the nuances of Italian
This "Must Know" book is great for students of Italian who want to learn the nuances of this beautiful language. Inside the book, there are numerous "Must Know" points of reference which clarify how and why certain we say something in Italian. This is a great supplement to a course in conversational Italians.

Another mediocre entry for Italian language study
I just don't get it. The authors put on the back cover and I quote "Stop hunting blindly through ordinary bilingual dictionaries!" And then the proceed to publish this book without an English Italian index in the back so you can't find anything! Want to know how to say "dark" in Italian. No problem, it's on page 224. But the only way you're going to find it is to leaf through the text. Ridiculous. Another major pet peeve, irregular accents in Italian are commonplace and these accents should be marked in all beginning and lower intermediate texts. The author can't be bothered to do that for you. So what do you do? Well, you just mispronounce the word or go get a dictionary and look up every word to insure you don't make a mistake. Without these 2 features, this book is crippled beyond salvation. Forget this one. If your looking for a vocabulary list type of text, "Mastering Italian Vocabulary A Thematic Approach" is also a flawed but much better choice. It has irregular stresses marked and at least has an Italian index at the back. Also has many more complete sentences as examples. ... Read more

Product Description
Songs in Italian and English make learning a foreign language painless. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Lots of nice songs for young children
We have many Italian and dual language books and CDs for our child to learn Italian, and this one is our second favorite, next to "Baby's First Words in Italian". This CD contains mostly American children's songs translated into Italian (a few native Italian songs), and the narration uses native speakers. A very good product; well worth it.

DISAPPOINTED
IT WAS NOT WHAT I EXPECTED. I BOUGHT IT FOR MY SON AND HE DID NOT LIKE IT AT ALL. IT HAD NO INSTRUCTIONS, IT DID NOT TELL YOU HOW TO PRONOUNCE THE WORDS. IT WAS JUST SONGS IN ITALIAN. IT DID NOT "TEACH".

Teach Me Italian
A lovely product.Very engaging children's songs in Italian/English and a range of short dialogues.Full translation provided.

don't buy it!
I agree with Lorena from Milan. I am Italian as well and if you want your kid to learn Italian in the right way, especially pronunciation, stay away from this book. The leading singer has a very strong accent that makes it hard for me at times to understand what she is singing (and I am a NATIVE Italian and I teach Italian in the US so I am used to bad accents...)
Also, the songs are translated in a way that does not match the music, so when I listen to it, it gives me the chills. You can find much more authentic material around done and sang by real Italians!!

Teach Me Italian: A Musical Journey Through the Day
This book and CD are AWESOME! I have three kids: 6, 4 1/2, and 2 1/2, and they all LOVE to sing along with the songs on this CD.It has been a huge hit in our household.I think the songs are very catchy - I have even caught myself humming along with them in my head at other times during the day!

This set is perfect if you have little ones that can't read yet - my 2 1/2 year old was counting in Italian before he was couting in English!!! ... Read more

Product Description
Italian I
1. Some Basic Phrases
2. Pronunciation
3. Alphabet
4. Articles and Demonstratives
5. Useful Words
6. Subject Pronouns
7. To Be and to Have
8. Question Words
9. Numbers / Ordinals
10. Days of the Week
11. Months of the Year
12. Seasons
13. Directions
14. Color
15. Time
16. Weather
17. Family and Animals
18. To Know People and Facts
19. Formation of Plural Nouns
20. Possessive Adjectives
21. To Do or Make
22. Work and School
23. Prepositions
24. Prepositional Contractions
25. Countries and Nationalities
26. To / In and From places
27. To Come and to Go
28. Conjugating Regular Verbs
29. Reflexive Verbs
30. Irregularities in Regular Verbs
31. Past Indefinite Tense
32. Irregular Past Participles
33. Essere Verbs
34. Food and Meals
35. Piacere and Servire
36. Fruits, Vegetables, Meats
37. To Take, Eat or Drink
38. Commands
39. More Negatives
40. Holiday Phrases
Italian National Anthem
Italian II
41. Stare
42. Present Participles
43. Imperfect Tense
44. Places
45. Transportation
46. To Want, to Be Able to, to Have to
47. Asking Questions
48. House and Furniture
49. Comparative and Superlative
50. Irregular Forms
51. Clothing
52. To Wear
53. Future Tense
54. Preceding Adjectives
55. Adjectives: Feminine & Plural
56. More Adjectives
57. Position of sempre and anche
58. Sports
59. To Play
60. Nature
61. Object Pronouns
62. Parts of the Body
63. Interrogative Pronouns
64. Relative Pronouns
65. To Read, to Say/Tell, to Laugh
66. Disjunctive Pronouns
67. Ci and Ne
68. Animals
69. Pluperfect
70. Suffixes
Italian III
71. Adverbs
72. Passive Voice
73. The Impersonal "Si"
74. Post Office and Bank
75. To Give and to Receive
76. Infinitives followed by Prepositions
77. The Beach
78. To Follow
79. Fare Causative
80. Office / School Supplies
81. Conditional Tenses
82. Parts of a Car / Gas Station
83. To Drive
84. Travelling / Airport
85. Directional Words
86. Use of the Infinitive
87. Subjunctive Mood
88. Uses of the Subjunctive Mood
89. Possessive Pronouns
90. The Farm
91. Historical Past ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Not for beginners, but can be a useful refresher
This "book" is really a list of various words and phrases sorted loosely into topics.I think that the format (which is somewhat random - even within a topic/list) would make it quite inaccessible for someone who doesn't know any Italian at all.However, for those who have some familiarity with the language and want a quick, portable (and cheap) "refresher", this could be useful. ... Read more

Product Description
A guide for complete beginners and those wanting to improve their Italian. Internet-links offer opportunites to hear the language spoken by native speakers. Grammar is clearly explained and puzzles and excercises are included. For primary and secondary school students. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

ITALIAN
THIS IS AN EXCELLENT TUTORIAL.

I AM ENJOYING IT VERY MUCH. EVEN IF I ONLY LEARN A FEW WORDS, IT WILL BE WELL WORTH IT.

FRANK

LOVE THIS LANGUAGE BOOK
This book is really great.I am very happy with it, especially as I know what to expect, considering the fact that I already have the exact same book in French, German and Spanish.It's fairly "easy" for me to pick up the language, as I just need to remember the format from the other books, which I am already used to.A useful and very fun way to learn another language.I highly recommend this book in any language you care to take up.

Quick italian for ambitious beginner
I think the book is great and valuable language quick start for the beginners. ... Read more

Product Description

Speak and write Italian as if it were your native tongue!

Tired of making the same old mistakes of switching your genders, confusing your tenses, and mixing up your idioms? Break the bad habits that leave those you talk to scratching their heads. Correct Your Italian Blunders warns you of hundreds of typical errors learners make and explains the reasons behind the mistakes, so you can correct yourself in the future.

Improve your Italian skills with this fun and comprehensive guide and avoid all the common pitfalls, such as:

• Mispronunciation and misspelling
• Applying English grammar patterns to Italian
• Putting verbs in the wrong tense
• Using incorrect prepositions in expressions
• Forgetting agreements in gender and number
• Hanging out with falsi amici (false cognates)

Correct Your Italian Blunders contains exercises covering all parts of grammar and wraps it all up with review passages to check that you are blunder-free. Soon, biting your nails will be your only bad habit!

Customer Reviews (6)

Not Very Useful to Me
This book is a basic grammar book, pretty much organized like many grammar books - i.e., Nouns, Verbs, Articles, etc.For each point of grammar, the authors come up with a "blunder" a person might possibly make.

The problem for me was that highlighting blunders for each grammatical rule was too forced.The authors seemed like they strained to find a mistake for every point, and it often seemed that few people would be likely to make particular blunders.

For instance, there is a list of common past participles.The common blunders are wrong past participles or various ways of misspelling.For instance instead of "siamo venuti," they have "siamo veniti."Instead of "scritto," the error is shown as "scrivuto."The blunder for "letto" is "leggiuto."I have no doubt people may make errors on past participles - but not necessarily these particular errors.

So the book contains lots and lots of "blunders" that you probably would never make (be careful not to let them sink into your brain).And since there are so many mistakes, the common ones that most people are apt to make get lost in the two or three mistakes on each page.

They should have concentrated on the very common "blunders" that almost everyone is apt to make rather than trying to come up with a blunder for every possible grammatical point.Otherwise, it's better to just focus on what's correct.I would highly recommend "Soluzioni" as a much more in depth grammar guide.

Not the best choice
I was excited by this book and its novel approach to a study of Italian, identifying the most common blunders made by Italian language learners so the reader can learn to avoid them.But the idea was better in theory than in practice.The lessons are the same that any basic grammar will teach you and instead of the blunders format being helpful it really just showcased the wrong way of doing things.

Buy a good, solid, less gimmicky grammar - like Soluzioni - that will take you much further in depth in the subject and a couple workbooks - like Italian Grammar Drills and Italian Verbs for Dummies - you'll get much more out of it.

Correct Blunders
Correct your Italian Blunders is a good, but not great, book. I am a second semester Italian student and I have made some use of this book in my studies. The book has clarified some questions that I have had.It is well organized, inexpensiveand fairly clear. It would be even better if it had a CD that demonstrated some of the pronunciation problems and included listening comprehension exercises.

Disappointing
The idea is a good one, but the execution is not quite right. The problem is that the blunders are nicely highlighted, drawing attention right to them. The corrections should be right next to the blunders, enabling the reader to immediately see the difference. Instead, the corrections are included in plain text, after, or interspersed with, the explanation. The result is that the incorrect version is actually more memorable than the correct version. Too bad, because otherwise this is a good list of common mistakes and their corrections.

Excellent tool for any student or speaker of Italian
Covers just about every rule - very good guide for students and native speakers alike.

Glad I bought it! ... Read more