Customer Reviews

See It and Say It in Italian

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The author claims that the user will be "pleasantly surprised at how easy it is to learn Italian with the method used in this book." I must say that truer words were never written. This little book will somehow have you "thinking" basic Italian very quickly.

I guess that the pictures help reinforce the learning process, but that's not what makes this book great. It's the grouping of the ideas on the page that makes it so comprehensible. Not only do the "lessons" logically progress, each one also stands on its own as a useful learning experience. This confirms the author's claim that each page is a lesson unto itself.

The book has a pronunciation guide, a limited but useful index, and a small Italian to English dictionary. There are also a number of "Everyday Expressions," that are just what the doctor ordered.

This is a "must have" book. Yes, you may quickly outgrow it, but you will find yourself referring to it often as you continue your studies.

My husband and I review this book from cover to cover each year before we go back to Italy. We have been doing this for 20 years. I am about to order another paperback as I use it so much. This is a classic book. So easy to learn with pictures and words. For someone who knows no Italian, it is the perfect book to start with.

I first bought this book when I was 11 years old. thinking I could teach myself Italian all by myself. This was in 1966! Unfortunately, it didn't work out as planned since at that age you really need someone to work with you. But as an adult many years later, I have been seriously studying Italian and found that my mother still had that old book at her house! I wanted to take it with me but she seemed to like it so much that I decided to leave it with her. I figured it was no longer being printed but much to my surprise I happened upon it in a local bookstore. So I bought it and am thoroughly enjoying it. I like the way it takes verbs and conjugates it with many nouns and pronouns repeatly until it really "sinks in"! I have many books I use that are much more detailed than this one but I love this book! It gets right to the point and in such a way that you do remember the phrases. The pictures help too. For the money, you can't go wrong! So consider adding it to your Italian book collection. It's great for travel.

I've used many language help books but this one is my favorite. I felt like I could indeed self teach Italian. And when I went to Italy my cousins there did understand me (for the most part). It's a great book for slowly building to a conversational understanding of the language.

This is one of my favorite study books (and I have many). If you are using audio tapes to learn Italian, then this is the perfect companion for those people (like myself) who are "visual" learners. Just about every page has several small pen & ink illustrations. The book is organized into short lessons/chapters, followed by short question & answer pages. It is all kept very simple and is geared for the traveler. A great bargain at this price, too.
As for the "inferior printing job" as described by another reviewer: This paperback IS printed on inexpensive, newsprint-type paper, and occasionally the dot on top of an "i" will connect to the bottom and it will come out looking like an "l". I personally didn't find it much of a problem.

Even though it looks like a kids book, it helps you to learn the words and phrases much more easier.
I think that this was a great buy, it's also small so you can carry it around in your purse or backpack. I recommend it!

A friend from Italy introduced me to this book in 1973. It's excellent for any beginner. If you study the letter sounds at the beginning, you can speak Italian with no trace of accent. Since so many words in English & Italian are both based upon Latin or Greek, most words are easily translated. This should be your 1st Italian book. You can also skip around. You don't have to start at the beginning and go to the end. The grouped sections in the back are GREAT! This book is usually hard to find in bookstores.

The conversational nouns and verbs were very well chosen. This book is the perfect starter book for children and adults. You should grow out of it in three months, but it makes the transition to a more advanced Italian learning book much easier.

I like the pictures, I like how each page provides a dictionary for any words used on that page. It is simple, well explained process. It does not inundate you with details and conjugations. It just gives you what you will need to communicate in basic Italian.

This book is loaded with helpful information about the Italian language. My misgivings with this book has to do with the inferior print job. In some instances, it's hard to tell the correct spelling of some words due to smudgy printing.
Still worth the price.