Customer Reviews

The Pocket Idiot's Guide to Italian Phrases, Second Edition

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Excellent guide. I've studied Italian with varying success for trips that I've taken to Italy. I found this book helpful in refreshing what I'd learned previously and for teaching me new aspects of the language. The instructive material is meant to provide a high degree of functionality -- words and expressions you will likely use -- and is presented in an easy-to-understand manner. There are a couple of pages on expressions to use in the bedroom -- I couldn't help but chuckle, imagining someone in the heat of the moment reaching for the book on an end table, scrambling to find the expression they need. I'm sure singles are grateful for that information, but for the rest of us, the book also covers everything you might need, from ordering food in restaurants to asking for directions or help in medical and emergency situations. The book goes into quite a bit of depth on verbs, which are of course critical to effective communication. There are several pages listing commonly used verbs and their conjugations in several tenses. Pretty neat stuff for a relatively small language guide. I've purchased numerous books in my efforts to learn Italian, and among them, I'd say that, ounce for ounce, this one is among the most effective, especially if you're looking to learn enough to get by on a vacation in bella Italia!

We bought this book to accompany us on a trip to Italy this summer. Neither of us speak Italian and we hoped that this book, in conjunction with some rusty French would suffice. And, in fact, it might well have done but for the unfortunate experiences we endured as air travellers.

The book is well thought out, had a reasonable dictionary and covers most eventualities including flat tyres, medical issues, problems with hotel rooms and so on. However, there was nothing to help us as we tried to get help in locating lost luggage and seeking assistance from the air line.

The book is small enough to fit in a large handbag and still be useful. When added to a guidebook and a camera in a backback you don't feel that you're carrying an undue amount of weight. It is written to give you more than just the words and phrases you may need as a holiday maker - it tells you about the Italian mentality too. However nothing written could have prepared us for driving in Sicily - and we were just in a taxi!

We hope that the author considers expanding her book for the next edition and includes a section on air travel. (We'll be driving the next time we try Italy).

Just downloaded this on laptop and android phone and it is almost useless on both, because all of the phrases, verb charts, etc are image files that are too small to read. The regular text explaining the language, and the dictionary are fine, but as there is no way to enlarge the text in the tables (must be image files), you literally need a magnifying glass to see them. Worse, some are sideways oriented 180 in wrong direction and cannot be rotated. Someone should have checked this before marketing as an e-book. It is probably fine in print. Just requested a refund- first e-book I have bought that is not readable on my android phone, or even laptop.

Used this guide on my Kindle when in Milan and found the charts and phrases useful. I found myself remembering the groupings of themed words and was able to recall the pronounciation when needed. Good price and I used it!

I have several reference books for Italian and this one is my favorite because it is succinct, delightful, fits easily in my handbag and contains much more than just a bunch of phrases. My goal is to be able to communicate in Italian, and I want to learn the language rather than just look up/memorize canned phrases. It is useful for quickly looking up how to say something, but what I like best is that it also teaches the basic structure and other language elements that give me more confidence in constructing my own phrases. Ms. Euvino took all the most useful parts of a full Italian language course textbook and put them into this handy pocket guide. It is a wonderful learning companion - bellissimo!

I loved the Pocket Idiot's Guide to Italian! Not only did it help me learn Italian, but it helped me out of some very sticky situations during my trip to Italy.
Ms. Euvino presents the language so it is accessible for all levels of those learning Italian. In addition, I did not find myself falling asleep, as I did with some other language guides.
I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone.
Ciao!The Pocket Idiot's Guide to Italian Phrases, Second Edition

this is the best italian book ever. it has lots of parases and a english to italian glossery at the back of the book. you should by it if you want to learn italian. you should also bye a english to italian dictionary to improve on your italian learning.

this is the best italian book ever. it has lots of parases and a english to italian glossery at the back of the book. you should by it if you want to learn italian. you should also bye a english to italian dictionary to improve on your italian learning.

this is the best italian book ever. it has lots of parases and a english to italian glossery at the back of the book. you should by it if you want to learn italian. you should also bye a english to italian dictionary to improve on your italian learning.