Customer Reviews

Rick Steves' Italian Phrase Book and Dictionary

5 star:		(65)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

A friend bought Rick Steves' Italian Phrase Book & Dictionary for me last summer before I embarked on my first trip abroad. My Italian speaking friend had actually lived in Italy for a few years, and after careful consideration, felt that this phrase book/guide would be useful for me. He was absolutely right.

The book proved to be invaluable. It was compact enough that I could carry it around with me in a small purse/backpack that I carried with me throughout my entire trip. I did not speak any Italian whatsoever, and found the words and phrases in the book to be exactly what I needed to get around and communicate effectively. I especially appreciated the pronunciation guide to each Italian word in the book- that was extremely helpful. The practical advice given throughout the book proved to be invaluable, as well as humorous, and the menu decoder was also of particular help. I quickly got over any "qualms" I may have had over appearing too "touristy" on my trip and used the phrase book repeatedly as it proved to be a most definate asset. Thank you Rick Steves' for so accurately predicting the needs of the average beginning traveler. The book greatly enhanced a most wonderful traveling experience. In fact, I am still studying it in anticipation of my next trip to Italy.

Now if you read this book, you'd know what that means (Can I help you. Do you speak Italian? Here it is). It's not a high school langauge class, but it's a lot more fun, and with some time you'll get pretty good.

I think Rick does a great job is laying out the phrases that you'll need if you go to Italy. We're going in a few weeks, and it's really helping. Now if he could only improve the memory.

The book is small, will fit in a shirt pocket. It's broken down into sections (basics, eating, chating, etc.) so you can focus in on a section that you need, master it, then move to another section. After you've been through it all, you can then start combining different phrases and make some great sentences. It's got a lot of mnaterial in it, so start early when you decide to use it.

Thanks Rick, I actually feel that I can go into the Italian world and be somewhat understood. And, not to worry, I'll smile as I butcher the language, use my hands a lot, and laugh at the whole thing.

Admittedly, maneuvering your way through the sections may be a little tricky at first, but we found that most relevant phrases and lingo was repeated in several different sections to reinforce the learning process. We had looked at and even purchased a couple of other phrase books and dictionaries but found this to be the best one overall. Great pronunciation guides, common everyday conversational items and even the humor is a good break in the studies. I already speak decent Italian, my wife did not, and she found Rick's guide to be much better in format and usability and was the one we chose to take to Italy with us.

I purchased Rick Steve's Italian Phrase Book & Dictionary in preparation of my trip to Rome. Rick not only makes Italian easy, he makes it fun. This book spells out hundreds of everyday words and phrases, as well as the common phrases and words that will be used by a tourist. He gives helpful hints on how to speak with the locals and make the most of your experience. He also includes many words/phrases that many people would want to know how to say but would be embarrassed to ask someone to translate for them. His attention to detail is fantastic. Although this book will not teach you fluent Italian, it gives you a great foundational vocabulary to start you on your way. A must for anyone planning to travel to Italy! Buon viaggio!

This is a nice way to start to learn "By the Phrase" Italian. Having just been to Italy, I can vouch for the generally friendly and helpful nature of most of the residents. Also, in most of the more popular tourist destinations, English is often spoken. So, if you were to work with this book and learn some of the useful, ordinary phrases, it would probably make a nice impression on the native Italians and would make you feel less like a clueless tourist. This book will not make you really fluent, nor will it teach you the real mechanics of the language. Keep in mind this a phrase based, quick start approach that is easy to read and should help the average tourist.

This book has all the basics including a few that you may need to use but hope you never have to. It is well organized. Better than the Berlitz books I thought. Some things seems goofy- why do I need a translation for I have a social disease? Then I found out - it is perfect for the gross old man trying to grope you on the train in Milan - that's why. Not to make Italy sound bad. They just have their fair share of perverts riding on local trains hitting on young women just like my home city does. Anyway, where I found this book lacking was food. As you travel around Italy, the dialects change fairly dramatically. So, sometimes it can be tricky figuring out what it is that you just ordered until you have it in front of you. In Germany I bought a language guide that was just for food (not by Rick Steves) and that helped. I wish he would write an Italian food translation book. The good thing is that a lot of people in Italy speak some English. If they don't they often understood my mix of Spanish and French vocabulary. I recommend Rick Steve's phrase book because he encourages you to speak to the people in the place that you are visiting - perhaps even thumb wrestle.

I love Rick Steves, but this book is too broken up into categories to use very well. We read all the great reviews on this prior to our trip and bought it - mistake. Any time we wanted to look up a word it wasn't in there (first example coming to mind, BLACK! - it was in the Italian to English, but you'd have to be translating that direction only). It's good for a laugh and has funny translations, like slow down the car or i will vomit, but realistically, will you really use that (OK, in Italy if not elsewhere, but it's not something you'd look up at that moment feeling that way). Impractical is the best description of this book

This book was a great help during my recent trip to Italy. I liked that Rick Steve's would also add a little bit of the culture and things you should note in here. In the restaurant guide he gives you suggestions, and the fact that your going to pay a bread charge when you sit down at a restaurant. While this book is not complete with all of the words you may need. This coupled with patient folks, you will get what you need.

I think this book is a good starting point, and certainly helped me out as a tourist. I was able to order in a restaurant, get subway directions, receive assistance in a shop without too much trouble. This was one of my best investments on my trip.

Contains the words and phrases you will actually use on a trip. Organized for easy, quick reference. Highly recommend Rick Steve's guidebooks as well. Have used them with great success in the past!

I have used many different language products in the past and I am well-versed enough to make semi-intellligent comments about the books and courses I am using.
Rick Steves' Italian Phrase Book and Dictionary is a great and useful book, but it is even greater and more useful when used in conjunction with Behind the Wheel Italian.
You learn Italian through hearing native speakers speak the language.
Behind the Wheel Italian has the added advantage of an English speaking instructor that explains what you are learning in English and then Ana reinforces the material in her native language.
Rick Steves guide is a gem of phrases, words, pronunciation guide and endless info. When used with a course like Behind the Wheel Italian, you can actually learn to speak the language in a meaningful way.