Customer Reviews

The Standard Deviants - Parla Italiano (Learning Italian - The Basics)

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

 

 

It's simple and painless, but not perfection. In fact, as another reviewer noted, it often sounds as if no experienced Italian speaker was around for the final edit. The Deviants cast read the prompter well, but there are inconsistencies in pronunciation that might confuse a novice - and this really is beginner's level. I studied Italian with a native-speaking Italian tutor, and am a Spanish speaker, so I warn newbies that consistency is really important, and it's lacking here. With no expert was on hand to fix the mistakes, or catch simple nuances that are missing, you might learn a few things you have to unlearn later. Many of the company have no command of the language at all - it's funny to hear a guy say he speaks "only Italian" with a heavy American accent. To sum up, not a waste of time, but hardly a gem.

The instruction of pronunciation is wrong, especially with single vs double consonants. The instances that comes to my mind are r/rr and z/zz. With the r/rr, they pronounce "caro" and "carro" the same way, with the trilled sound. In reality "carro" has the trill whereas "caro" does not. The "r" in "caro" is pronounced more like the "dd" in the English word "ladder".

The other single/double consonants also taught incorrectly are "z/zz". A single "z" in Italian has a "d" sound in front of it, like in "ad zone". The "zz" is taught to sound the same as the single "z" when in reality it has a "ts" sounds like in "hits" or "ritz".

Even though I'm from an Italian-American family, I know minimal Italian but enough to know how letters are pronounced. Personally, I wouldn't waste my money with this DVD.

This DVD is heavy on the English and short on the Italian. It spends way too much time on the word "ciao" and cute skits
(mostly in English) on its pronunciation. Meanwhile, it gives
you a very complicated set of rules (again primarily in English) for the pronunciation of vowels and consonant combinations which it whips through in blinding speed and are probably only appropriate for persons wishing to major in Italian as a career. Its very short on vocabulary building and you will learn only a very few words of Italian and Italian phrases. Its filled with fluff and skits which try to be cute (and usually fail) and are mostly in English. I really cannot recommend this DVD to anyone. You won't learn much Italian words and phrases from it.

If you are looking for an extremely basic Italian lesson this is it. The tape covers the following:
1. Italian alphabet
2. Pronouncing vowels
3. Pronoucing consonants and double consonants
4. The formal/informal distinctions
5. Days of the week
6. Months
7. Numbers to 100
8. Subject Pronouns

Beyond this there is very little on the DVD.

Pros:
1. It covers the basics in detail
2. Since it is a DVD you will see the word while hearing the word which is useful

Cons:
1. There in not enough on the DVD for even a basic conversation
2. The DVD is taught by native English speakers so the accent is not correct.

Overall, I do not recommend this DVD unless you have no background with Italian. However, if you are looking for something that covers the most rudimentary basics you might enjoy this DVD. Just be warned, it will teach you Italian as spoken by Americans not by Italians.

While watching this DVD, I have discovered several inconsistencies (and I haven't even finished it yet). I was hoping to learn Italian in an entertaining way, and to learn to speak it like a native (with correct pronunciation and emphasis). They got it half right. The DVD effectively uses visuals, repetition, and dialogue to make learning some basic Italian easy and memorable. But in the first three lessons I have already found a multitude of examples of words or letters that were pronounced in at least two different ways each, which is sloppy, to say the least. The problem for a new student is knowing which is the CORRECT pronunciation (and, YES, there IS a correct pronunciation). I will have to rely on OTHER sources to teach me which is the correct pronunciation. I wonder how much else they got wrong? Ultimately, there are some valuable tidbits of information on this DVD, but don't expect to sound like anything but an American speaking Italian.

We bought this DVD based on the idea that it would be an easy and fun way to learn conversational Italian. Big bummer! We watched over 1/2 an hour and at the end of the time didn't know a single word in Italian -- but we COULD tell you which letters are not innate to the Italian alphabet.

Too much focus on the finer points of the language (the aforementioned alphabet issue as well as long, drawn-out sections on the difference in pronunciation of various vowels but no context in which to place them) and not enough on the nuts and bolts, like "Where's the bathroom?" "How much does that cost?" or even, "Do you speak English, please?"

Also, I found the constant change of narrator to be quite confusing and even irritating.

A good idea -- to make learning another language fun -- but it somehow got lost in translation (pun intended!). It doesn't make a difference if the tape is entertaining if it doesn't teach you anything of use!

Learning a language is difficult enought without all the "cute" comments and bits in this DVD. You can learn as much, for a lot less money, from an Italian phrase book.

It is very simple, but if you are just starting, as I was, simple can be a good thing. It's unlikely this DVD alone will have you speaking Italian, but it will give you a foundation. It explains the rules for pronouncing words as they are spelled, and offers a small starter vocabulary and some grammar. I used it as part of a larger program that included a variety of books and tapes. It is not as detailed as the second DVD in the series, and you probably skip this one go to the second one if you have already started with other materials. Still, I enjoyed it.

Well organized, entertaining and chock full of useful pointers in learning Italian. I recommend this to all new students of Italian.

I loved these tapes. It really broke Italian down for me and made it seem so easy! I honestly recommend them a great study tool.