Product Description
Contemporary Italian Women Poets introduces English-reading audiences to the aesthetic and thematic diversity of contemporary women’s poetry published in Italy during the past five decades.It demonstrates the broad range of ways in which Italian women poets have contributed to the field of contemporary literature and to Italian culture in general.

This volume includes the work of twenty-five authors from different generations and regions, some with international acclaim, others known primarily to those within women’s literary circles.

This volume also includes an introduction, notes on the poets, and a selected bibliography. ... Read more

Product Description
Treasury of 34 hymns, sonnets, madrigals, heroic epics (in selection) and lyrics by Dante, Petrarch, Boccaccio, Ariosto, Tasso, d’Annunzio and 15 others. Full Italian texts with expert literal translations on facing pages, plus biographical and critical commentary on each poet. Introduction. 21 black-and-white illustrations.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Great book
This is one of the few books that I feel very comfortable with five stars. The poetry is beautiful.Many other books are ready to be donated after I finish them.This one will remain a permanent part of my library to be read over and over.

A first introduction to the history of poetry and development of language
This dual language book is a delightful and valuable introduction to Italian poetry for the student of the Italian language.
It begins in chronological order with the 12th century work of Saint Francis of Assissi's Cantico delle creature, which is accompanied by a very helpful explanation of historical language development so that the poem itself can be read in the original Umbrian dialect. Each poet is introduced by a short biographical sketch.
The collection includes poems by Pertrarca, Boccaccio, Lorenzo De' Medici, Michelangelo, Nobel Laureate Salvadore Quasimodo and many others.
I can highly recommend this booklet.

Nicely doneintro to Italian poets in their language and in English
Nice intro to both the language (facing pages feature Italian on the left, English on the right) and the poetic spirit of Italy (Dante's there with an intro, plus 20 other giants spanning seven centuries of Italian poetry).Nicely priced as well, thanks to inexpensive binding and paper.I use this format when I can as preparation for a visit to foreign country...often on a plane as I'm headed there.

Great way to learn Italian without annoying drills and repetitions
With this book you can have fun learning Italian by reading poetry instead of endless hours practicing dumb drills that dont seem to work. By actually reading Italian and English at the same time with something that is actually interesting, you learn a lot faster. After you have practiced, you can go back and try to read the story in Italian only and see how much you can understand. I found that I learned quite a bit more this way versus the traditional annoying drills way.

Excellent Anthology of Italian Poetry
This thin book acquaints readers to well-known Italian poetry over a range of seven centuries in the periods between the 1200's to the 1960s.A reader might ask what the value is in a small book that covers so great a time span, but the book offers a sample of different writers and their styles.And if these poems should become your favorite, this book is a nice addition to a collection. There is a short biography and picture or drawing on each writer.Where Rebay is not able to locate a picture of the writer, a few pages show scanned manuscripts of the author's writing sample.In itself, the calligraphy on the manuscripts is a work of art.All of the poems have both the original Italian verse and tne English translation.One of the best poems in this book is written by Torquato Tasso and is about the experience of unrequited love, where he wishes that he were a bee so that he could cause a sting to avenge his wounds.And if a reader likes this series, there is a catalog at the end of the book that lists other Dover Books. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (4)

Highly recommended
A fun, easy and effective way to learn Italian! Useful in your pocket on trip to Italy as well!

fun and effective!
I have been an Italian teacher for almost 10 years, and I finally found a book that my adult students actually love to read ! My students can now learn some grammar and syntax just by deduction, which is the self-rewarding "easy way". I recommend this book not just to teachers but also to those planning to visit Italy: I'm sure they will find it very useful!

Fun Way to Learn Useful Vocabulary and Grammar
Making Out in Italian is a great book for people who want to learn or improve their Italian.The text is funny, and it teaches the fundamentals of grammar and vocabulary using helpful and interesting examples.I would recommend it highly, particularly for those who are planning a trip to Italy (its size makes it easy to carry with you as you navigate your way through the Old Country).

customer
A precious book for people who plan a trip to Italy or are learning Italian. This small book has a nice format and is pleasant to read. An easy way to pick up the language and build vocabulary. Highly recommended. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A fun book
I purchased this book for my college daughter taking first semester Italian.She and her room mate had lots of fun making labels all over their dorm room identifying things in Italian. ... Read more

Product Description
Eight 60-minute Cassettes - 480-PAGE TEXTBOOK
Lively, up-to-date, authentic dialogues
Clear explanations of grammar
Cultural highlights
plus....
Business vocabulary & etiquette

Developed by the experts at Living Language, Ultimate Italian: Advanced has everything you need to increase your fluency in Italian. Just like the basic to intermediate level course, this program combines advanced conversation with grammar and culture in an easy-to-follow, enjoyable, and effective format. Ultimate Italian: Advanced also covers business vocabulary and etiquette, perfect for businesspeople as well as serious students and travelers.

COMPREHENSIVE LESSON MANUAL WITH REFERENCE SECTIONS

20 lessons:

Product Description
When in Rome speak as Romans do! With this unique guide to learning Italian you can build your vocabulary and perfect your grammar using Hugo's proven system. Whether you are buying high fashion in Milan or being serenaded on a gondola in Venice, you will feel confident in understanding and speaking this beautiful language. Belissimo! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Great
I am really pleased with the pace of this book. I'm a professional translator so already have a background in languages. I get frustrated with slow-paced books and am glad to have found one that gives you exactly what is necessary and does not waste time repeating it over and over. It assumes that you are focussed on quality study rather than quantity when it comes to the exercises. My one minor criticism is that this book could easily be done in a week if you don't have other commitments or three weeks if you do. I'm very busy so I'm only doing three chapters a week, but I feel that if it continued at its current pace and maintained the same quality, one could get so much more out of it in three months, but then it would appear daunting to some, be more expensive to produce and not sell as well. Still, this is splitting hairs, so a resounding five.

What's in it is good, but that's not much
This is a course with one major problem - it stops half way. Most Hugo language courses in three months contain twelve chapters, one chapter for each week. For some reason, this book stops at ten, and that's not because everything crucial has been thought by then. Believe it or not, there is not one word on the subjunctive in this book! Why is that a problem? Well, anyone familiar with a Romance language like Italian, French, Spanish or Portuguese will know that the subjunctive is so important that you cannot produce even the simplest everyday phrases without it. Common phrases like "I'm happy you're here", "I don't think he's coming", "I would buy it if I had the money", "I hate to say this, but..." all require the subjunctive, you simply cannot speak Italian without it.

I had a look at another book in the same series, Portuguese in Three Months, as Portuguese and Italian are very close. Sure enough, it deals extensively with the subjunctive, chapters eleven and twelve are devoted to it. Those two chapters are missing from Italian in Three Months, and the result is that it's a course that won't teach you even the basics of the language.

Definitely worth the ...cost
I am a language learning lover and this was my first exposure to an Italian course. I got this kit a few weeks before my wife and I went to Italy for vacation. I managed to cover the first 6 lessons in 3 weeks and I was amazed by the amount of useful sentences/vocabulary that I accumulated by then. Listening to the tape is not enough, you have to grab the texts for the dialogues, read them over and over again and repeat the sentences so they really sink in your memory. The negative points, there is not long enough pauses between sentences in the dialogues to allow for you to repeat them and the grammar guides are scattered all over the place with no index at the end. This is a course geared towards everyday conversation essentials, renting a room, getting around the city, shopping, traveling etc. and I found it really worth the price.

Could be a lot better
This course is acceptable for one who is beginning to study this language, but not for one who would like a thorough review of how to use the language.Unless you already have some experience in the language, it'll be difficult to follow the course.Wave upon wave of things to get on your nerves are found in this course.For instance, at the beginning, the book gets involved with teaching very little grammar but giving a lot of sentences and vocabulary.This would be okay and a good way to let the language sink it, but it then follows this with going into exercises in which the reader has to answer questions using the words he or she has learned.Without knowing which words are translated into which and without knowing the grammar to Italian, one finds this to be a challenge.Several instances occur where the book uses vocabulary or grammar before actually teaching them.The vocabulary is also listed at the end of each chapter, but there is no reference section or appendix for grammar or verb tenses.The verbs are sporadically listed throughout the text, and the reader has to search for them should he or she forget a conjugation.It deals with basically every verb tense except for those within the subjunctive mood.But, once again, the reader has to memorize them as they come because there is no appendix for grammar or verbs.The glossary also doesn't recognize irregular verbs, which might cause some confusion.Also, the native speakers on the cassettes don't always say the correct readings which are in the book.They change words and sometimes add them.The best parts of this course are the several conversations and that the cassettes read many of the exercises in the book.The only way I made it through the course was because I've had some experience with the language already.I've had experience in several others, as well, so I know what I'm talking about when I say this is a weak course.Try finding something else instead of this.The books "Colloquial Italian" or "Italian All the Way" are extremely good courses.If you have a cassette of Italian already and a dictionary that recognizes stress on words, you won't need the cassettes to these courses.Italian orthography and pronunciation coincide almost always.Knowing the stress on words can be difficult at times, but dictionaries usually list the words (usually verbs) that carry and irregular stress pattern.Either of those two courses provide a strong base for further learning.

Italian in Three Months - They Really Mean It!
This book really keeps you moving forward, with grammar and vocab work on every page. It sticks to the point, with no redundant discussion, and the explanations are concise and very clear. There are short exercises to reinforce each step in the learning progression. There is enough help with pronunciation, including immitated pronunciation, which is cleverly arranged so it does not impede reading the main text. Eventually, you'll need support from a dictionary and a book on verbs, and continuing practice is essential, but this compact book provides a great foundation for a beginner in the Italian language. And it can be done in three months, at a steady 30-60 minutes per day. ... Read more

Product Description
Delightful learning aid contains 15 scenes of home, school, farm, beach, other environments with dozens of objects labeled in Italian.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Excelent conditioning and speedy shipment.
We were very happy to receive the book so quickly and in such good condition!

Busy but packed with info.
I agree with some other reviewers that the pages are VERY busy, but I would not say that is bad for all toddlers.My son is 22 months old and would not have a problem with it.I haven't used the book much yet simply because I don't know how to pronounce all of the words.I bought an Italian language set with a CD that I'm hoping will help with that.I'm looking forward to reading the book regularly with my son.

Italian coloring book
The book should be titled that it's a coloring book or should be colored b/c it's jumbled with all that information on each two page spread. It's very informative and I like the way certain things overlap, but difficult for toddlers (like my 2 year old) to process. I would recommend for older children - over 5 or 6.

coloring book
basically a coloring book, with small words in Italian. Don't expect more than that!! Good for parents to practice/learn words, but not for a small child to read on his own.

Coloring book
This is an excellent aid to development of Italian vocabulary.Although directed at children, it is useful for older students as well.The act of coloring in a figure while focusing on the word helps many people learn more easily. ... Read more

Product Description
Advanced Beginning through Advanced Intermediate Students learn how to use the right language structures and idioms in the right context. Through functional use of language in dialogues and role-playing, students practice the language patterns and vocabulary needed in everyday situations. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The Best
This is a very useful book which will help you begin to speak Italian. It is also a fun book and the dialoges are great to do with someone else to help pronunciation. It doesn't do much for your knowledge of grammar but there are plenty of books for that. Viva il libro. EWF ... Read more

Product Description
Revised and updated best-sellers since 1946, the complete Living Language Basic Courses have been revised, updated, and expanded for the '90s. Package includes 3 hours of instruction on cassette or CD; conversation manual, and revised dictionary. ... Read more

Product Description
You can learn to speak Italian in no time--capisci?

It's time to say arrivederci to your fears of learning a new language. With this easy-to-follow guide, you'll have no problema speaking and understanding Italian. Presto! Before you know it, you'll get past ciao and really be able to converse.

Beginning with everyday Italian expressions and a review of basic pronunciation, Italian Demystified covers key grammar fundamentals such as common verb tenses, nouns, pronouns, and gender. Step by step, you'll build your Italian vocabulary with essential words and phrases and quickly master the language. Test yourself at the end of every chapter for reinforcement that you're fast on your way to speaking, writing, and understanding Italian.

This fast and easy guide features:

• Clear grammatical explanations that illustrate how the language works
• Numerous examples that place new vocabulary in practical context
• Helpful writing and speaking exercises that bring the Italian language to life
• Coverage of everyday topics and conversational expressions
• Quizzes at the end of each chapter that reinforce new language skills

Simple enough for a beginner, but challenging enough for a more advanced student, Italian Demystified is your shortcut to fluency in this lingua bellissimo.

Customer Reviews (5)

Straightforward, generally helpful
I used this book in tandem with the Rosetta Stone software for Italian, levels 1 through 3, when I was trying to pick up a working knowledge of the language for a two-week sojourn through Italy. Although it does not mesh particularly well with the former as far as the ordering of concepts is concerned, nevertheless I found it helpful. Each chapter in Danesi's volume introduces a number of grammatical and vocabulary points, then offers both spoken and written exercises reinforcing each one. There are summary quizzes and occasional extended tests, and English-Italian and Italian-English glossaries at the end. The grammatical explanations (in English) are generally clear and the practice exercises relevant, though on the whole somewhat mechanical. My edition had a low but noticeable number of proofreading errors as well. It would be hard to learn any language without aural reinforcement and practice listening, which Italian Demystified of course does not provide. However, it is a solid introduction to the basic grammar of Italian and carefully going through exercises (and not peeking at the answers :-)) will improve the user's grasp of the essentials. All told, I felt I learned enough Italian from this book and the Rosetta Stone in about two months' study to at least get by in Italy.

Great Self-Teaching Guide; Avoid Kindle Edition
This book is great for learning some simple Italian.I recently began taking Italian in college at Temple University and this book helped me stay far ahead of my class' curriculum.The book teaches a good base vocab and explains itself very well.I would suggest investing in a dictionary if you're serious about learning, however, because some of the vocab is a little random and doesn't apply to everyday conversation.

As for the Kindle Edition, it is cheaper, but you miss a large part of the book by not being able to write in the book and utilize the exercises.This is almost vital to learning from the book.Also remember to read the words out loud and practice pronunciation.I suggest listening to some music while reading the lyrics to understand the pronunciation.

I also have the Spanish Demystified and just purchased the French Demystified and Spanish Conversation Demystified.These books are very helpful and I have suggested it to everyone in my class.

Buona fortuna!

Great Language Series
This is my new favorite language workbook series.If you are a beginner, these are especially excellent b/c you don't need to know any vocabulary and you will learn a lot of vocabulary as you complete the exercises.

Not ready for publication as an e-book
This book would be a wonderful way to learn or improve one's spoken Italian if purchased in hard copy.As an e-book, however, it needs some work.This is more a short-coming of Kindle than the book itself--certainly not the author.

The main problem is that words and phrases listed to exemplify the subject in each chapter are barely legible.Written in tiny, italicized text, they do not enlarge as you change the font size on the Kindle page.

I like the approach to teaching Italian here, and I still expect to get something from this book--but I hope those who produced it in Kindle format correct this problem.Until they do, I can't recommend this version of an otherwise fine book.

excellent teach yourself book
I like this book very much.I am taking a beginning Italian class, but wanted some drill and vocabulary practice on the side.I highly recommend this book and have thought about purchasing others in the "Demystified" series. ... Read more

Product Description
Learn to speak, read, and write Italian quickly and easily with Living Language®. Developed by U.S. government experts, this book introduces you step-by-step to all the basics of Italian: pronunciation, vocabulary, idiomatic expressions, and grammar.

IN THIS BOOK, READERS WILL FIND:
•All the words and phrases from the 40 lessons on the Living Language® Italian Complete Course recordings, plus additional vocabulary
•A guide to pronunciation
•Useful topics including directions, introductions, shopping, faxes, and e-mail
•Explanations of grammar and usage
•Short quizzes to help you check your progress
•A comprehensive summary of Italian grammar
•Verb charts including all tenses
•A special section on writing letters

While this book stands on its own as an instructional program and an invaluable reference, readers will find that using it with the recorded lessons is even more effective. Living Language® Italian Complete Course cassette and compact disc packages include this book as well as a dictionary. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Instead of this book, how about....
Seems to be va bene, perhaps if purchased alone, more as a refresher??

I've read other rewiews from other sites, and it seems that the CD lessons don't always match what the book is reading.

I would suggest "The Everything Learning Italian Book" (speak, write, and understand basic Italian in no time) By Michael P. San Filippo, it's what I'm using currently, and I have learned a lot in, well, no time!! (as it promises!)

I've even had trouble with things such as verbs, adverbs, ajectives and the such, in English!! And I speak English! lol but this book even took care of my probs with this language, and I'm excelling greatly in Italian so well, I've even impressed myself! (not to mention my fiance' who's Sicilian).

So although it may be ok as a refresher, or a book to keep on hand (since it's smaller) for words you're stumped on, I'd still suggest the above, it's affordable wherever you purchase it, and extremely helpful as well.

Great when used in conjuction with the audio devices
This is probably one of the most comprehensive Italian lesson books on the market.Used in conjunction with the aduio (either tapes or cds) it's wonderful.But alone, it leaves a little something to be desired.If youhave at least a month to listen and learn then this is the book for you. Any less time, and you won't really be getting your money's worth. ... Read more

Product Description
Children ages 8 through 12 enjoy a guided tour of Italy, with Italian landmarks, culture, history, foods, and much more. The text is in English, but many of the illustrations are bilingual--and the last six pages present an introduction to Italian words and phrases. (Grades 3-7) ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

italy and italian
A very basic book suitable for 3-6 year olds, with color pictures, some language, and basic demographic info. in an easy to digest format. Some how, I expected more detail. The book did not hold my 6 year old's interest for more than a couple of minutes.

Excellent juvenile reference book!
After my 1st grade daughter received her first "research" assignment, we searched through Books-A-Million, WaldenBooks, and Borders, and finally came across this series.Wonderfully written, colorful andfull of great information!I am buying the other 3 titles in this seriesfor her library (Spain, Germany and France).Barron's would be foolish ifthey didn't attempt to expand on this series with other titles; it could beeasily sold to many schools that are truly interested in valuable education

A terrific resource for primary grade students.
This is a very attractive and informative book.My second grade students found it easy to use to find information about the culture and geography of Italy.I really like the format with subtitles for Famous Places, Famous People and Facts about Italy. ... Read more

Product Description
This uncensored language guide has everything you need to speak real Italian - from cool lingo to hard-core insults. The book features phrases on love, sex, the body, partying, fashion, and extreme sports, as well as language used on the Internet, in text-messaging, email, and more. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Great tool for throwing off your Italian speaking friends...
This book is a lot of fun.It's got some interesting words and phrases for those who are just learning the language.But, it's even more fun to use the items learned in this book to throw off your Italian speaking friends who don't think you know "slang" or other custom Italian phrases.

Fun reading
A fun book with some great tips on phrases you don't see in all the guidebooks-

pretty fun
It helps to have had a little study on the language before visiting the country, so a semester of Italian plus this book REALLY WORKED OUT GOOD!!! I didn't use much fromt the shopping section but everything else was really useful and wortht he $! The only downsize is it gives you the correct italian spelling for italian phrases, but no english pronunciation key. Iyou don't already know how the italian alphabet works you won't know how to pronounce alot of the words right, but it wouldn't take much extra study with a normal phrasebook to learn that part.

Fantastic!
This is indeed a fantastic little book.It contains all the colloquial Italian you could need for a short visit or even a long stay in Italy.I just returned from a langauge school in Rome and I wish I had this book with me.It's Italian as the natives speak it - not as they teach you in school.I found a lot of phrases I had to discover on my own from Italian friends.

One warning - If you are a complete beginner, this book does not contain pronunciation guides for the words/phrases.You'll want to supplement this with a beginning Italian text that includes basic pronunciation.Otherwise, this book is a dream!

What They Can't Teach You in School...
Any student of the Italian language is sure to get a rise out of "Hide This Book: Italian". As with the rest of the "Hide This..." series, this volume teaches those of us without a native tongue what (not) to say in the presence of normal society in Italy. It is as much for beginners as it is long-time bookbusters wishing to evade the inevitable social rebuttals of mispronunciation and assumed innocence of vocabulary. Not for children. Not to be passed up! ... Read more

Product Description
Focusing on contemporary Italian films, this book offers Italian-language teachers an exciting opportunity to incorporate authentic language in their classrooms. The book is adaptable for any level of language instruction and devotes one chapter to each of ten entertaining movies-among them Cinema Paradiso, La vita e bella, Mediterraneo, and Il postino.Pre-viewing, viewing, and post-viewing activities appropriate to the various films are included in each chapter. The exercises range in difficulty from elementary to highly sophisticated and are designed to enhance students' vocabulary and cultural awareness as well as oral and written skills. Because the film chapters are arranged chronologically and not in order of increasing difficulty, teachers may place particular films in their syllabi at any stage of language instruction. Drawing on a fine selection of relevant Italian films, this inviting book effectively fosters a deeper understanding of both Italian language and culture. ... Read more

Product Description
Learn Italian — the quick and easy way! Whether youre learning Italian for the first time or just brushing up on your skills, this updated edition of the bestselling Italian: A Self-Teaching Guide is the ideal way to master the language at your own pace. In fifteen simple lessons, youll learn how to engage in everyday conversations—from ordering at a restaurant to asking for directions to making special arrangements with a hotel concierge. Written in a lively, personable style by a native Italian, this practical guide combines the quick-reference virtues of a phrasebook with the learning tools of a full-fledged language course. Designed to acquaint you with the basic skills you need to speak, read, write, and understand the language, Italian: A Self-Teaching Guide, Second Edition demystifies grammar, common usage, and pronunciation with step-by-step lessons on numbers, days of the week, telling time, and special rules of speech. It also includes extensive vocabulary and culture notes. Mini-dialogues from real-life situations provide a vibrant introduction to Italian culture and customs—while a fun assortment of exercises, self-tests, and practice activities constantly reinforces your reading and conversational skills. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (16)

One of the best book in Italian!
I loved the book. Well-structured. Rules are easy to comprehend. A lot of exercises with keys.

Learning Italian
Easy to read.Nicely organized.It would be improved by the addition of a companion CD for pronunciation.

Good Overview or Review
This book is working great as a review source for studying Italian.I'm learning Italian at home and started with a couple other books that are pretty good.Then I started this book a couple months in to my studies and it has been a great source for reviewing.It has excellent descriptions of grammar and useful exercises (although their are a few typos in the answer section - just an editing problem that's pretty obvious).

I'm not sure if I would recommend this as a sole source for your Italian studies as it does cram alot in to a little space, but definitely get it for a back up for tough concepts along with some audio lessons (Plimseur is working well for me)

An OK book! ... marred by typos, outmoded vocabulary
I commend Signor Lebano for successfully cramming a complete (albeit shallow) grammar into a single, sexy paperback.The book's cover, boldly and abundantly plastered with the name of the language, proudly announces to all in your presence that you are expanding your knowledge and cultural horizons.Ladies and gentlemen, when used in a public place this book may score you a few precious phone numbers from hot, single polyglots looking to meet other hot, single polyglots!

If dating isn't really your thing, this book offers at lot of other useful features as well, though this text is best limited to a) students currently enrolled in an Italian course, b) people with some previous knowledge of the language, or c) people with an extensive knowledge of another Romance language.I fall into the third category, and I purchased this book about two years ago hoping to study Italian in my free time.Casual learners should be aware that this is not simply an introductory text that you can quickly breeze through; by the end of the book, Lebano is throwing compound verb tenses at you left and right, giving you little time to recover or marinate over the new information.Pacing yourself is key, and I recommend frequently returning to previous chapters to brush up on old concepts, if only to catch your breath from Lebano's aforementioned onslaught.

That being said, the majority of the book is pretty easily digestible.Lebano does oversimplify some of the more difficult concepts, i.e. the subjunctive and some compound tenses, so expect to supplement your learning with additional resources.Invest a little time in finding a decent online Italian-English dictionary with a verb conjugator and audio pronunciation guide, and you should be golden.

Somewhat frequent typos don't ruin the experience, though they do lead you to question the book's credibility at times--you may find yourself cross-checking some dubious spellings or conjugations.Also, Lebano's system for denoting irregular vocal stress is clever but inconsistent.This is not fatal, but irritating nonetheless.Lebano's most egregious error is his overabundant use of overly-specialized, sometimes obsolete vocabulary.A chapter devoted entirely to the post office gives two different ways to say "mailbox," and yet the words "computer" and "e-mail" never make an appearance in this book.This is laughable, considering this text was published in the 21st century!The good news is that, unlike this book, we DO live in the modern era and have access to electronic resources that can help fill Lebano's omissions.Italian: A Self-Teaching Guide is a useful tool for anyone serious about learning this lyrical, beautiful language, but by no means will it become your Italian Bible.

Excellent self-teaching Italian language book
I have been attempting to teach myself Italian for the past severalmonths.I tried a few software products, but while those help me with pronunciation, this book provides me with the tools I need to understand the complexities of the language, e.g., verb conjugation, etc., something that the language software just doesn't explain very well.I would recommend this book to anyone who is trying to learn Italian. ... Read more

Product Description
Do you want to learn Italian or brush up what you already know? Are you planning a trip to Italy or preparing for an exam? Are you looking for a course with a traditional approach to language learning, based on solid grammatical foundations, translation skills and practical vocabulary? If so, this is the course for you. The material covers a variety of everyday topics in a simple, concise manner. There are many of examples and explanations to illustrate how the language works and to build confidence. Each unit, designed to build systematically on what you have already learned, contains:

clear grammar explanations
vocabulary lists
reading material consisting of a story, dialogue or letter
questions for speaking practice
exercises

There are also revision units to help you practice what you are learning. At the back of the book, an exercise key enables you to check your answers while grammar and vocabulary sections provide a useful reference. The accompanying CD will help you with listening and speaking. In addition to a full pronunciation section, it contains reading passages or dialogues from the course book, followed by comprehension questions in Italian, together with model answers. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Not Very Helpful
I spent 3 months in Europe and can honestly say that I never used this book, not for lack of trying.In Germany, we needed to get gas and found how to ask what kind of gas the car required, however, no listing for the answers you might get to this question, i.e. "diesel"!Some of the "commonly" used phrases, according to the authors, include "I want to shake my dancing legs" and "I want to enjoy nature's calm".Unless you frequently use these type of phrases, don't bother with this book.

If you are traveling in Europe, you need this book!
I have looked all over for a phrase book that was easy to read, multilingual, and portable.Not only can it fit in your back pocket, it has a nice plastic cover and color coded sections for quick reference.It devotes ample time to such things as hotel reservations and buying traintickets.I found this book in a store in Boston and have been tracking itdown ever since simply because no other phrase book was comparable. ... Read more

Product Description
Each Find Out About book introduces boys and girls to a different country, its people, its history, its culture, and its language. The books are divided into four parts:

Part One: IntroductionÂ--Takes readers on a journey across the country, pointing out major cities, places of special interest, and favorite sports and pastimes.
Part Two: Everyday LifeÂ--Kids attend school and enjoy after-school activities, while the grownups pursue their professions, occupations, and trades.
Part Three: History and CultureÂ--Readers learn about a countryÂ's political leaders and cultural figures, and visit distinctive landmarks and monuments.
Part Four: The LanguageÂ--Readers learn fundamentals of the countryÂ's native language, including phrases for meeting people, finding their way around cities and towns, counting, telling time, and more.

The titles in this series are: Find Out About China, Find Out About France, Find Out About Italy, and Find Out About Spain. Here are fine supplements for elementary social studies and language classes, as well as books that kids will enjoy having at home to read. TheyÂ're the next-best alternatives to traveling to foreign lands.Color illustrations throughout. ... Read more

Product Description
Booklet included in the Living Language All the Way package. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

just what i have been waiting for
I have had the tapes for oh so long w/o the manual-tried so many sources to purchase-either not available or too costly until I searched Amazon-speedy service,great condition,and unbeatable price--gratias, prego,

The Refresher
I have two years of college-level Italian and I
spent a fair amount of time and energy on learning
the language. Since then, I've made the trip to Italy
at least once a year, staying for a month last spring.

Because I live most of the time in the U.S., my Italian
gets rusty-maybe 'rovinato' is more like it. So I
have assembled a tune-up kit. It consists of a newspaper
called Italia Oggi, published in Italian in the U.S. and
a set of CD's. When I get on the plane, I take with me
a Garzanti Dictionary and the Guidebook to Italian All the
Way.

It's an efficient reminder of what you used to know and if
you are a grown-up learning you third or fourth language,
it would be an excellent introduction.



--Lynn Hoffman, author of THE NEW SHORT COURSE IN WINEand
the novel bang BANG. ISBN 9781601640005

The best italian self-study course
I've tried a number of Italian self-study courses over the last few years. This course is the best one I've ever seen. The material is very well structured. The dialogues are useful and the conversation patterns are inaccordance with the actual everyday language norms. I've used many of theconversation patterns suggested in the course in Italy and it worked! Thegrammar section is excellent. It is not overloaded with the speciallingistic terminology and, again, it is very well structured and keptreasonably short. One will find the audiomaterial also very helpful. I,personally, found the "on the go" cassette set to be extremelyefficient. The material is carefully presented in the form suitable forlistening while you drive without turning your attention from the roadaltogether. In short, the course is excellent and highly recommended.

Best Italian Textbook
I am a Foreign Language Teacher. For my Italian classes I have been usingItalian All The Way for the past4 years. The material is perfectlystructured. My students are adult, highly educated people, and they allliked and like this textbook. For them the Chiave per gli esercizi isveryvaluable too. I enjoy teaching Italian with this book so much that I do notfeel any more that I have to write my own textbook! Bravi! Dott.sa MMG

Best intro italian course I've seen.
Most efficient, effective and fun Italian self-study course of half a dozen I've seen. No accordian music of the sort they only trot out for tourists, and no insipid "Now it's YOUR turn" cues that wear thin the fiftieth time. The grammar alone beats any specialized "grammar in a nutshell" book. Available on CD; insist on CD's if this is your preference ... Read more