Lonely Planet Eastern Europe Phrasebook (Lonely Planet Phrasebook: India) [Paperback]

Angel Pachev (Author), Pavlinka Georgiev (Author), Katarina Steiner (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1864502274 | ISBN-13: 978-1864502275 | Publication Date: February 2001 | Edition: 3rd

Contains all the essential languages for the independent traveller, including Albanian, Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Hungarian, Macedonian, Polish, Romanian, Serbian, Slovak and Slovene. There is also a special focus on local dishes, holidays and festivals.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

That high school French or Spanish isn't going to do you an iota of good in most of Eastern Europe. Bulgarian, Czech, Polish, and Slovak are all members of the Slavonic language family, while Hungarian is a unique European language with Finno-Ugric roots (which don't grow out). English is a good bet in many cities, and knowing some German helps in the Czech Republic, but nothing wins goodwill like an attempt in the native tongue, no matter how mangled your grammar and pronunciation. In Eastern Europe Phrasebook, Lonely Planet provides easy phrases for Eastern European travel necessities, such as "cabbage and potatoes," "excuse me" and "please," "I'd like a double room," and "How much does it cost?" With a healthy smattering of vocabulary and phrases, the book fits neatly in a back pocket to accompany you everywhere you go. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Language Notes

Text: English --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 544 pages
• Publisher: Lonely Planet Publications; 3rd edition (February 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1864502274
• ISBN-13: 978-1864502275
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 3.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #129,874 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars In Hungary and Romania this Book was Completely Useless, September 19, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Lonely Planet Eastern Europe Phrasebook (Lonely Planet Language Survival Kit) (Paperback)

This is NOT the phrase book that you want to buy for your trip. The best thing that can be said about it is that it is compact and fits into a pocket or small bag easily. The layout of the book is its biggest problem. The people at Lonely Planet need to go back and try to use it themselves. The sections on food are incredibly limited and gives only a few of the dishes that appears on most menus. Take my advice -- save your money and carry a book that has a little more substance even if it doesn't fit in your front pocket.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The book is very useful and it has six Languages in one book, March 6, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Lonely Planet Eastern Europe Phrasebook (Lonely Planet Language Survival Kit) (Paperback)

The Phrasebook is very comprehensive and easy to use. For anyone traveling to Eastern Europe it is a must. It includes common phrases and small talk with pronunciations and how it is written. I would recommend this book and other books from Lonely Planet Languge kits.

15 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Don't bother, July 12, 2003

By 

Mark M "Mark M" (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lonely Planet Eastern Europe Phrasebook (Lonely Planet Phrasebook: India) (Paperback)

If you're going to a major city in Eastern Europe, say Prague or Budapest, don't bother with this book. Almost everyone there speaks English anyway so to the extent that you need to learn phrases like "thank you", "please", etc. just to be polite, you can use the language index from a regular old guidebook like Fodors. Even if you do go out into the country, you won't be able to use much more that what's in the guidebooks anyway. After all, a few key phrases and lots of pointing and smiling will get you farther than being able to say "You should visit us in Scotland sometime when you're in the area". And you'll never ever ever understand anything that's said back to you based on a book like this. The motto "Don't just sit there, say something" is meaningless. Sure I can phonetically babble all the mumbo jumbo I want, but that doesn't mean that I can actually communicate something with someone in Eastern Europe in their language. And we couldn't find how to ask for the check in a restaurant anywhere in this book, which is one of those useful phrases when you head to places like this.