Customer Reviews

Berlitz Rush Hour Italian (Berlitz Rush Hour All-Audio) (Italian Edition)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This language course has 2 CDs with text and songs, plus a third CD with songs only. The accompanying book covers the first two CDs, not the third, but includes a short grammar and a vocabulary list of all the words used in the lessons. Each of the 10 lessons includes conversations in English to set the stage, then the new words and phrases in English and Italian.

The course is advertised as a rush hour course to be used in the car. I think, the lessons require too much concentration to be used while driving.

Some of the words are used in songs and repeated over and over again -- so you will definitely remember those at the end of the lesson -- others are used in conversations with some opportunity to repeat the phrases after the speaker. Lessons 1 through 3 make sense. After that, the course brings lists of words, e.g. all the days, then all the months, then all the seasons, etc. without much repetition. So, in order to memorize those words, you will have to listen to the same lesson many times. Which would be okay, if the lists were not interrupted by one song that comes again, and again, and again until you are oversaturated.

Although all Italian conversations are spoken by native speakers, the American student often repeats phrases in an American accent. I found that distracting because I really wanted to hear correct Italian only.

The cover text says that the course teaches Italian through songs. In reality, only very few words are used in songs, primarily the easy ones. Why would I need so many repetitions for "andiamo" or "ciao", while I get hardly any for more complicated words and phrases?

I basically was disappointed, although the course does give a basic introduction to Italian. In order to really profit from the conversations and lists, you need to read along in the book. Which means, please don't drive.

Does anyone really need to know how to say nice purple tie? I wanted to learn basic italian, but what I got instead was annoying songs that got in the way of learning the language. My kids were laughing so hard at the lame songs that we forgot what we were trying to learn! While it was good to have the book that goes along with the CD, the formate and the some of the first lessons were not where I wanted to start out (scrambled eggs vs fried?). The lessons did get better as you went along. If you don't mind learning italian Sesame Street style, then this is the CD for you.

Good things--the songs will stick in your head, and this will help memorization. There is a logical progression. The accompanying book generally helps, especially if you're like me and want to see the word as well as hear it. It is espeically useful in some of the pronunciations not always covered in guide books.

Bad parts--the main male character has an awful pop voice. The romance story-line can get uncomfortable; when he is singing about how he wants her to kiss/hold/touch him now, I wanted to leave the room. And some of the choices are foolish. If you are only going to learn the basics, wouldn't you rather know how to talk about sights than how to leave a message or tell someone they have a nice refrigerator?

Since I expected the songs to be cheesy, I can't hold that against them. But I expected better thinking of what lessons would be covered. My advice to Berlitz would be to skip having a plot and focus on what we actually need to know.

I found the CD songs fun and they really stuck in my head. I did use the book to follow along at first - and loved that it was word for word with the CD. I agree that at that time I had to concentrate too hard to be driving and learning - but once I learned the basics and didn't need the book, just listening to the music CD was enjoyable - and "do-able" while driving.

This program has some fun songs, but is not for beginners. I found myself singing what I THOUGHT were the words, only to find out that I was pronouncing them wrong (they sing awfully fast sometimes!). You can look in the listener's guide, but unless you know how to pronounce the words, it won't really help.
Also, unless you're in stand-still traffic, you probably shouldn't try to listen to this too seriously in the car. Instead of focusing on driving, you'll be trying to pronounce that one word you just can't seem to understand!

This set of CDs were upbeat and told a story while teaching common Italian words. It provided all the elements for learning, a story, music and multiple voices. Although, I listened to it multiple times, it was still enjoyable. For a quick study of everyday Italian I would recommend this CD set.

This is a great introduction and easy to listen to. The songs really help reinforce the language. One hour is just enough but not too much. My child has learned a lot from this CD and sings some of the songs! I would advise this for children over the 'teach me....' series by Judy Mahoney (although they are good too) but usually skip over a lot of the last chapter, 5 as it is a little 'romantic'.. in a veiled way.

Cute songs, provides English translation along with the Italian. It made me look forward to my commute home!