Customer Reviews

Oxford-Paravia Italian Dictionary (English and Italian Edition)

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This dictionary is a great resource, covering contemporary English and Italian. The word list and examples in the Italian-English section are backed by the work involved in preparing the Italian dictionaries edited by Tullio De Mauro and published by Paravia in 2000. It is matched with the Oxford University Press word list and examples. In both Italian-English and English-Italian sections, a triangle marks the 7,000 core words of the language. The most frequent 3,000 words are marked with a black triangle and the next most frequent 4,000 words are marked with a white triangle. The explanatory chart just inside the cover is an easy to find and use resource, provided in English behind the front cover and in Italian at the back cover. The middle section has many useful examples, such as "Condoglianze (formal)" in an English format on the left page and "Condolences: formal" in an Italian format on the right page.

My wife and I are taking Italian classes to prepare for a summer trip. It's a big, heavy book, so we don't move it from the desk where we work. We refer to this book frequently as we progress through our class.

Being an American, I found it difficult to understand the British English translations. I was also disappointed that there aren't as many entries under the main word like there are in the Oxford French and German dictionary, but the Oxford Italian dictionary from Amazon is much more expensive ($43.55) than the others. Even though it costs more, it is much smaller than Oxford's French and German dictionary, the pages are very thin, and the binding is bad. I had to have the dictionary replaced twice, because the binding separated from the backing. The third time I sent it back, Amazon's customer service emailed me that this was a persistent problem with this dictionary and that the company was not going to send a replacement. Meanwhile, I'm using Webster's New World Italian dictionary which is excellent for a paperback.

It's not only a great dictionary for translation but also a very good source of information about meanings and usage of the language. This is a must have for every italian student.

This is the most complete and up-to-date Italian-English dictionary I've ever used, and it represents a major upgrade from the first edition. The inclusion of a large number of sample letters in both English and Italian is a great help to those who must communicate in writing in either language, and the inclusion of computer-related and military jargon as well as innumerable colloquial expressions is extremely helpful.

This is just what I was looking for. I am trying to learn Italian and have used an assortment of smaller dictionaries. I was constantly looking up words which were not there. I have not had that problem with this comprehensive dictionary.

What a pleasure to have this book. If you follow the directions for using this book I don't think there is a phrase you couldn't translate. Just don't use the Vernacular.

One might sometimes think that this dictionary is meant for government clerks talking about the EU--there are many entries that seem to me more descriptions of bureaucratic functions than lexicography. But this is a cavil--those things are there if you want them. It's fine for Dante's Italian too. It is a very good, thorough dictionary for anyone with serious needs in the language. Its grammatical articles (a pure extra, after all, in a dictionary) are plentiful and crystal clear. Its tables of verbs, clothing sizes, conversions, you-name-it, are likewise. It's a bit big to carry around, of course.

Short take: ordered based on description and previous reviews (2) to use this as support for college-level conversational Italian courses. Absolutely worth the price and then some -- especially compared to the cost of course textbooks at the university book store.

Book is not only a full-blown English-Italian/Italian-English dictionary but also contains a center reference section of topcial, conversational-usage phrases.