Italian Books

Speak Italian: The Fine Art of the Gesture

Bruno Munari

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Terrific gift item in a compact format 5 out of 5 stars.
14 of 16 people found this review helpful.

This beautiful paperback is just over a hundred pages, but it packs a punch with the gorgeous black and white photo illustrations. Each is accompanied by text in both Italian and English explaining the technical aspects and the nuances of each gesture. This timeless guide was first published in 1958, and the 2005 re-release is a must-have for anyone studying Italian language and culture. (No vulgar gestures included.)

50 year old book shows it! 1 out of 5 stars.
6 of 17 people found this review helpful.

If this book was any lamer, it would need crutches. Keep your fingers crossed (get it) that you do not recognize 90% of these "fine art" gestures as the same ones you see in the artless US of A. I give this book one star which is still an over rating since there is no half star.

If you are still considering this book, point the index finger
out and the thumb up and put it at your temple -- pull the trigger (page 64).

Editorial Review:

Attenzione!

They say that a gesture is worth a thousand words, and when it comes to speaking with your hands, the Italians speak volumes. This quirky handbook of Italian gestures, first published in 1958 by renowned Milanese artist and graphic designer Bruno Munari, will help the phalange-phobic decipher the unspoken language of gestures a language not found in any dictionary. Charming black-and-white photos and wry captions evoke an Italy of days gone by. Speak Italian gives a little hand to anyone who has ever been at a loss for words.

Italian for Dummies (With Audio CD)

Francesca Romana Onofri, Karen Antje Möller

Amazon Price: $16.49 List Price: $24.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: For Dummies Amazon Marketplace: 82 new & used starting at $2.63

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 14 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

As society becomes more international in nature, knowing a few words in other languages has become more useful. Perhaps you travel frequently abroad, or your business requires you to travel overseas. Perhaps you have friends and neighbors who speak other languages, or you want to find out more about your heritage by learning a little bit of the language your ancestors spoke.

Whatever your reason for wanting to learn some Italian, Italian For Dummies is the right book for you. Written in partnership with Berlitz – experts in helping people learn foreign languages – this book gives you the skills you need for basic communication in Italian, and it will get you well on your way to becoming fluent. Just think what you're family and friends will think when you order off the menu at your favorite Italian restaurant!

Italian For Dummies covers not only ordering at an Italian restaurant, but also these topics:

• Basic spelling, grammar, and numbers
• Meeting and greeting, and making small talk
• Shopping, shopping, and even more shopping
• Going out on the town
• Business situations
• Traveling, checking into a hotel, and planning a trip
• Handling emergencies
• Top Ten lists with advice on how to pick up Italian quickly, things you should never say in Italian, and favorite Italian expressions

The best thing about this book is that you can learn at your own pace; for example, if you're planning a trip to Italy next year, sit down once or twice a week with this book and go through the chapters that you'll think you need for your trip. That's a lot easier than dragging yourself to a class twice a week – not to mention a lot more fun, too!

Webster's New World Italian Dictionary: Italian/English, English/Italian

Amazon Price: $10.36 List Price: $12.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Webster's New World Amazon Marketplace: 90 new & used starting at $4.96

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 29 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Un bel salto nella lingua! 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Bellissima! Non potevo lasciarlo senza leggere ogni pagine! Sono ancora desideroso per un altro leggiamento.

Dopo avere comprato questo libro, ho fatto un viaggio in Italia e li sono rimaste tre anni! Incredibile! Usando il Webster's New World Italian Dictionary sono riuscito trovare lavoro in Italia, un'appartamento in Trastevere, e una storia con Maria Grazia Cucinotta.

Poi, sono andato a Roma, dove ho lanciato 3 monete nella Fontana di Trevi, e allora mi sono svegliato.

Si, mi sono svegliato per fare caso che ho sognato tutto. E stato tutto un sogno. Ma che bello sogno, vero?

If you can't read the above review, you NEED this book! In boca al lupo!

Editorial Review:

Compiled in collaboration with a team of expert linguists, the Webster's New World concise bilingual dictionaries are the perfect choice for beginning students and advanced speakers as well. Comprehensive and authoritative, yet clear and concise, the dictionaries offer a full array of features, as well as wide-ranging coverage of current expressions. Long-standing favorites in hardcover, the dictionaries will continue to be standard references for years to come -- especially now that they are available in unabridged paperback editions.

• More than 100,000 words, giving wide-ranging coverage of current terms and expressions
• Detailed definitions so the user can understand and translate idiomatically
• Extensive examples of usage, showing how translations of words can vary according to context
• Verb tables, including irregular verbs
• Cross-references from every verb to the appropriate verb table

Essential Italian Grammar

Olga Ragusa

Amazon Price: $5.95 List Price: $5.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Dover Publications Amazon Marketplace: 56 new & used starting at $1.42

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 13 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

All the essentials and easy to carry... 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

This review book is excellent. Most books concentrate on travle related phrases which you must memorize and PRAY that you remember. If you want to learn Italian stay away from travel books. They really do not work becuase the nature of the language is not explored- just sentences to help you find the bathroom or order food. My travel to Italy is both family and business related so I have had to spruce up my Italian. I carry it with me everywhere and while I have time I read, re-read and work on my language skills. I have also used it to teach others. What is nice is that she covers every topic, translates the entire sentence literally- in the order of the Italian language and then provides the English equalivent. Because of the ordering of words is so different (pronouns, negations etc..) it may be difficult for someone to grasp the learning of Italian. Other books simply give the phrase and then translate it but the ordering of words is out of whack. Sometimes the meanings are changed! This book is clear, easy to follow and easy to take with you. When I taught my husband I used the following- Italian in 10 minutes a day ( to reduce the fear factor and make it smooth) then Michel Thomas's tapes (they work), a good verb book, dictionary and the Idiots Guide... Worth it!

Editorial Review:

This logical, developmental presentation of the major aspects of Italian grammar includes all the necessary tools for speech and comprehension. Designed for adults with limited learning time who wish to acquire the basics of everyday Italian, this grammar features numerous shortcuts and timesavers. Ideal as an introduction, supplement, or refresher.

Rick Steves' Italian Phrase Book and Dictionary (Rick Steves)

Rick Steves

Amazon Price: $7.95 List Price: $7.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Avalon Travel Publishing Amazon Marketplace: 4 new & used starting at $7.16

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 50 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Useful and amusing 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Rick Stevens has written a book with all kinds of useful phrases and lots you may never need but will laugh at while reading.

Steves' fundamental phrases 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

The hard to find words in the Italian vocabulary are presented here...there is something for everyone. If you are cussing out an Italian driver--ordering a meal--visiting a museum--or asking for directions--Steves provides phrases and words for you!

Editorial Review:

Buon giorno! From ordering calamari in Venice to making new friends in Tuscan hill towns, it helps to speak some of the native tongue. Rick Steves, bestselling author of travel guides to Europe, offers well-tested phrases and key words to cover every situation a traveler is likely to encounter. This handy guide provides key phrases for use in everyday circumstances, complete with phonetic spelling; an English-Italian and Italian-English dictionary; the latest information on European currency and rail transportation, and even a tear-out cheat sheet for continued language practice as you wait in line at the Sistine Chapel. Informative, concise, and practical, Rick Steves' Italian Phrase Book and Dictionary is an essential item for any traveler's zainetto.

Italian Verb Drills

Paola Nanni Tate

Amazon Price: $8.76 List Price: $10.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: McGraw-Hill Amazon Marketplace: 50 new & used starting at $2.77

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 22 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

The shortest route to mastering verb conjugations

One of the greatest challenges in learning a language is mastering verb conjugations. The books in the unique Language Verb Drill series make it easier than ever for learners to meet that challenge.

Drilling, whether it's for learning a musical instrument, a sport, or a language, is an essential part of a sound education because repeated, concentrated practice makes specialized skills become second nature.

Unlike most verb books, which tend to concentrate on tables of conjugations, the books in the Language Verb Drills series allow students to focus exclusively on building mastery of verbs without being distracted by other elements of grammar. Combining the features of a workbook and reference manual, they clearly and systematically explain how a verb system works while providing numerous drills for practice. These revised editions of the popular study guides now include a final review section to reinforce the reader's ability to automatically select the correct verb form.

Drive Time: Italian (CD): Learn Italian While You Drive (LL(R) All-Audio Courses)

Living Language

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 42 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Too big a jump 1 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

The first lesson went swimmingly. I build up confidence and could easily follow and use the language I learned. With enthusiasm I moved onto the second CD and alas the speed of delivery and quantity of new vocabulary made it clear that this might not be the best resource for the new learner of Italian. This is despite the assurances of the Italian speakers who model the langauge.

Editorial Review:

Now anyone can learn a foreign language while commuting to work, running errands, or even taking a trip with the family. The new all-audio Drive Time series starts with an ingenious “On-Ramp” CD that eases language learners into Spanish, French, Italian, or Japanese with simple, practical expressions and engaging warm-up exercises. Three additional CDs contain 18 lessons that cover all of the essentials—vocabulary, pronunciation, grammar, and basic conversation.

Drive Time also includes a 64-page reference guide for anyone who would like to see spellings or read dialogues as a review—from the passenger seat, of course!

Italian Now!: A Level One Worktext

Marcel Danesi

Amazon Price: $16.95 List Price: $16.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Barron''s Educational Series Amazon Marketplace: 46 new & used starting at $5.99

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 12 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Excellent for Beginners Like Me Who Want to Learn Italian! 5 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

I was looking for an Italian language resource that was both introductory in nature, but not so rudimentary that it could not serve as a building block for future mastery.

Italian Now! is an entry level/college-high school first semester course designed to give the Italian student a solid foundation/introduction and a springboard to intermediate study.

I was impressed by the facility with which the dialogues utilize the vocabulary and the applicablity for daily life. I'm about a 1/4th through this book; I feel that I will be ready to speak this beautiful language when my wife and I travel to Tuscany late next year.

Editorial Review:

Designed for both classroom use and as a text for self-teaching language learners, this book consists of 30 work units, an extensive Italian-English and English-Italian vocabulary list, idioms, and dialogues, all focused to build proficiency in reading, writing, speaking and understanding Italian. Word-completion and multiple-choice exercises, word games, and entertaining stories in dialogue form are supplemented with photos of Italian landmarks, cartoon-style illustrations, and reproductions of Italian classical art that give students something of the flavor of contemporary Italian culture. Italian Now! emphasizes practical, functional use of conversational and informal written Italian but also offers solid foundation in Italian grammar, verb forms, and correct sentence structure.

Easy Italian Phrase Book: 770 Basic Phrases for Everyday Use (Dover Easy Phrase Books)

Dover

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Pretty bare bones phrase book 2 out of 5 stars.
13 of 13 people found this review helpful.

This was the cheapest phrase book that I saw offered on Amazon.com and, as trite as it is, you get what you pay for. If you are looking for the most basic of interactions with Italian speakers and are only planning on staying in tourist hotels and shopping in tourist markets, then this might suffice. However, if you are planning to interact with native Italian speakers in a less superficial way, or if you want to be able to express yourself with somewhat more sophistication, I would recommend another phrase book.

Easy equals Beginner 3 out of 5 stars.
9 of 10 people found this review helpful.

This book is too large to fit in your pocket. It has normal size type but lots of space between the entries. Check out other options and you will find a smaller, more useful reference.

Gerard F. 1 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This book is worthless, even for $2. Very outdated (phrases about telegrams). I returned it. Buy Rick Steve's Italian Phrases instead. It is more compact and current (asks how to send an e-mail, not telegram).

Editorial Review:

Indispensable learning aid covers travel and transportation, shopping, medical and emergency problems, postal, banking and other services.

Easy Italian Reader (Easy Reader)

Riccarda Saggese

Amazon Price: $9.56 List Price: $11.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: McGraw-Hill Amazon Marketplace: 49 new & used starting at $3.57

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 15 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Fun and practical way to learn Italian 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This is a great book if you want to move from basic grammar and vocabulary to something more engaging. The stories are easy to read, and each chapter has some questions, exercises, and a 'discussion' topic. It's geared toward class settings, but it works quite well for self-study, too. Of course it helps if you have someone fluent in Italian to correct your stories!

Editorial Review:

The quick, easy, enjoyable way to learn how to read Italian

This new addition to the popular Easy Reader series allows beginners to start reading Italian right away and intermediate learners to hone their reading skills.

Rather than relying on dry grammar rules, EasyItalian Reader features engaging readings on Italian history, people, and contemporary literature that rapidly build comprehension, progressing in difficulty as readers’ abilities increase. Helpful review sections, comprehension questions, and proficiency-building games are included throughout to reinforce what is learned.

Easy Italian Reader:

• Provides timesaving new vocabulary footnotes
• Includes exercises and an answer key to test understanding
• Offers insights into Italian culture