Italian [Abridged, Audiobook] [Audio Cassette]

Pimsleur (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0671315633 | ISBN-13: 978-0671315634 | Publication Date: May 1, 1998 | Edition: Abridged

SPEAK ITALIAN TO LEARN ITALIAN

The Pimsleur Method will have you speaking Italian in just a few short, easy-to-use lessons.

Learn at your own pace, comfortably and conveniently.

No books to study. No memorization drills.

LEARN ITALIAN AS YOU LEARNED ENGLISH

You learned English by listening. With Pimsleur, you listen to learn Italian. This Language Program was developed by renowned memory expert, Dr. Paul Pimsleur. His research led him to the realization that the most important use of memory is in language learning. Based on this, Dr. Pimsleur designed a learning program that works for any language. The Pimsleur Language Program is an integrated system which immerses you in the language, encouraging you to hear, understand and use the language all at the same time.

Now you can take advantage of Dr. Pimsleur's research. At the completion of these eight lessons you will comfortably understand and speak at a beginner level.

Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Pimsleur; Abridged edition (May 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671315633
• ISBN-13: 978-0671315634
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.5 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,166,572 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

87 of 91 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Molto Bene!!!, February 22, 2003

By 

Lobsta Johnson (Bruttenholm, TN) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Italian (Pimsleur Instant Conversation) (Audio CD)

I am going to Italy in 3 weeks, and was totally stressed about not knowing the language. I bought this Pimsleur course in desperation, knowing that a lot of the ambassadors use this method. I was prepared to be disappointed, but I was totally amazed at how effortless and natural this method is.

Basically, the Pimsleur method immerses you in a very small subset of the language at first, and runs you through EVERY permutation: "I don't understand english", "I understand english a little", "I understand italian a little", "do you understand english?"...etc. Once you've done this for a little while, it ramps up the vocabulary and the different verbs and usages. The progression is so natural, you'll be amazed at the sophistication of the conversations you will understand on the CD.

I can now ask my wife: "Vorrebbe mangiare qualcosa con me?" and to ask the waiter (il camierere) "Vorrei una birra nazionale, molto grande e molto freddo!" The first sentence is a standard Pimsleur construct, the second one I naturally constructed on my own with the knowledge I gained during the course.

Anyway, I can't wait to buy the rest of the series. Io parlo un po' l'italiano adesso!

Buona Fortuna!

41 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good teaching method, but content inadequate for travelling, July 8, 2000

By 

Sonja Kueppers (Takoma Park, MD USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Italian (Audio CD)

Before travelling to Italy last year, I used this program to learn a little bit of Italian. I had no previous experience with Italian. I found the CD's very well organized and easy to follow, and I thought the Pimsleur method made it easy to learn the material. While I was in Italy, my confidence was improved markedly because I had done this course before I left.

However, I wish it had focused more on topics I was likely to encounter as a tourist. I did supplement this program with a very simple Berlitz program for travellers that taught me more of the vocabulary I was likely to need.

Also, while I liked the Pimsleur method and found it to be a useful way to learn Italian, I think the prices they charge for the full version of their courses is too high. Cynically, I suspect that this product is part of a marketing strategy to get you enthusiastic about their program so you'll buy the full system. After getting my feet wet with this product, I would have enthusiastically purchased Pimsleur Comprehensive Level 1 for $75, but not for $300. However, I would probably purchase a full Pimsleur system, even at the prices they're asking, if I were going to be moving to a country where I didn't speak the language.

41 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Audio and Visual learners., February 21, 2005

By 

Elizabeth (Jamestown, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Italian (Pimsleur Instant Conversation) (Audio CD)

I think the course is great for audio learners. I realized about halfway through the course when I was becoming frustrated with the speed of the conversations, it is because as an artist, I'm a very visual learner. After I do some visual homework, this course will be more useful to me. Ask yourself before buying it, am I an audio or visual learner.