Italian the Easy Way [Paperback]

Marcel Danesi (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1996 | ISBN-10: 0812091469 | ISBN-13: 978-0812091465 | Edition: 2

An imaginatively presented course in Italian, for those who want to teach themselves and are outside a school environment--and also useful to students who need extra help in their studies. Grammar and vocabulary are clearly presented. Practice exercises and tests with answers help the reader to measure learning progress

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

back cover)
ALL THE ESSENTIALS
IN ONE CLEAR
VOLUME

by Marcel Danesi, Ph.D.

A discussion of Italian sounds, pronunciation, and spelling

Advice on stress and intonation in spoken Italian

Exercises and quick-check quizzes with answers

Italian “Culture Capsules” describing life and culture in Italy

Greeting people

Asking and answering questions

Counting

Making comparisons

Communicating in stores, hotels, restaurants . . . and much more --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Barron's Educational Series; 2 edition (January 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812091469
• ISBN-13: 978-0812091465
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 7.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,753,257 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brush up your Italian, August 12, 2003

By 

saliero (NSW Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Italian the Easy Way (Paperback)

I achieved a reasonable degree of proficiency in Italian several years ago, but through lack of use, have forgotten a lot. I bought this book with the intention of doing some self-guided study to "brush up". It is absolutely perfect for that use.

Each short lesson is followed by numerous written exercises. All the answers are in the back (no peeking!)

The book would be a useful supplement for anyone learning Italian through other means - in a class, via audio or computer-based courses. It would give the curious a basic understanding of grammar, but would not be a useful single tool for achieving spoken fluency or comprehension as it does not involve listening or speaking.

But for those in my situation, it is perfect, and much cheaper than buying a full grammar text and/or audio course, much of which you might not need.

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Very Good Book to Supplement Coursework, August 23, 2000

By 

Leonora "baseball nerd" (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Italian the Easy Way (Paperback)

I am an Italian student in college and bought this book to sharpen my understanding of Italian in general, and am very satisfied with the results. Both textual and graphical reinforcements are used here, which help when one is trying to learn vocabulary or increase his or her writing skills.

Each chapter is broken up into several sections where there is a short "lesson" followed by several reading, writing and vocabulary exercises. As you move on through the chapter you are expected to recall vocabulary and rules from previous chapters, further reinforcing these lessons while teaching new ones.

The exercises are very well put together and easy to understand. If one is having problems with a particular part of an exercise, it is also very easy to simply flip back and take a second look at a particular part of the lesson one is having trouble with. The organization is very clear, I did not lose my way at all as I very commonly do in these kind of books. In addition, the English/Italian, Italian/English mini-dictionaries in the back help immensely during writing exercises.

This is not a book I would recommend for people who are trying to learn Italian from scratch. It is built as a supplement for course and textbook work, and the mini lessons are exactly that: small and not detailed enough for someone who is not at least partially familiar with them. It is not a textbook and should not be taken as one.

For people who are looking to improve their understanding--or grades as the book promises--this is exactly what you are looking for.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great book to continue Italian studies, October 8, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Italian the Easy Way (Paperback)

This book is great for anyone who already has some working knowledge of Italian and wants to expand their skills. However, I would never recommend this book as a starting place to learn Italian from the ground up. It moves quickly and assumes some knowledge beforehand.