disappointing, May 9, 2004

After reading the great reviews of this book, I was eager to start learning Italian in anticipation of a trip to Italy. What a disappointment this book is. In the introduction of this book it says, "You don't want to have to memorize long lists of vocabulary words or a bunch of boring grammar rules." It then goes on to do just that: lists and rules to memorize from pages 9 to 40. It is indeed boring. If you have to buy this book for some reason, skip these pages, and go back after you've read Chapter 3: Bongiorno! Meeting and Greeting.

Good for limited long-term study, April 9, 2002

This is way to deep for those who wish to learn a little Italian for that one-week vacation, but for those of you who have an extended opportunities for limited interaction, this is the book for you.

Just like other books in the series, Dummies successfully "dumbs down" Italian as much as possible, which is pretty hard to do with an entire language. Although it is billed as being a Berlitz-written text, the focus is primarily on grammar and pronunciation. There are some entertaining dialogs, too.

It's easy to follow...much easier than comparable (an much more expensive) text and CD combinations.

However, if you are just going on vacation, I recommend Fydor's Italian Phrasebook. On the other hand, if you are really serious about beginning Italian, or any other language, I strongly recommend the Triple Play Plus series software. Together with the "Dummies" series, you should be functional in no time.

Italian for Students of Italian, February 12, 2001

Italian For Dummies is for the serious student who wishes to learn the language. I didn't feel as if this book would help the traveler who wishes to learn only a few "get by" lines. I am going through Italian language lessons right now and I have purchased many many Italian books and I still keep referring back to this Italian For Dummies. It is very useful and very easy to use. Which is what the "For Dummies" series is all about. If you want a start-up book which will help you learn the language this is the one. If you are looking for a traveler's guide to Italian I would suggest another book. Berlitz makes a nice Italian phrase book if you just need to learn a little Italian.

Italian for Travelers, November 22, 2000

I really like the set up of this book. I have been listening to Italian audio tapes and that has helped with my Italian accent but I did not know how the words were spelled. In some cases, I was mispronouncing the words because I did not hear them correctly. Also, the tapes did not deal with all of the things that I will have to know when I travel to Italy next spring.

This book addresses the topics that I think I should know - how to check into a hotel, order food, ask for directions, make a phone call, go to the bank, go shopping, use a credit card, deal with an emergency, talk to a doctor, etc.

The CD is a great bonus because you can listen to the conversations along with the book. Overall, I did not feel overwhelmed because I can look at a section at a time before my trip. Learning a foreign language without attending a formal class is very difficult so I will be using this book to supplement my audio tapes.