Rick Steves' French, Italian, and German Phrase Book and Dictionary (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

If you're planning your Continental tour, or just heading Europewards and letting the winds of fate waft you this way and that, you'll want some language assistance, preferably in a form that doesn't require an extra set of luggage. Rick Steves, noted Europe expert and writer of candid, accurate, and entertaining guide books, has a phrase book and dictionary that contains the three major languages you're likely to encounter in ramble around Europe or a trek in the Alps.

For each of the three languages, there are chapters on basic survival phrases, numbers, money, and time, transportation, sleeping, and eating, plus activities such as sightseeing, shopping, and nightlife. There are also sections on phoning and mailing, health and emergencies, and making small talk--including the essential section on animal noises (because what's woof woof to you is ouah ouah to the French, bau bau to Italians, and wuff wuff in German). There are also lists of the animal noises made by humans (also known as profanity) so you can enjoy the linguistic color as the man next to you drops his fragile souvenir, or swear like a Roman when you stub your toe in the Coliseum.

The menu decoders are quite useful, and, despite the book's small size, it covers most contingencies--from bartering over hotel-room prices to rental-car considerations, interpreting train schedules to discussing medical conditions such as constipation and diarrhea, hemorrhoids and indigestion, body odor and the giggles. The dictionary in the back shows the English, French, Italian, and German for each of 1,200 words, and there's an appendix of useful information, including the European phone numbers for various calling-card operators as well as their international access codes and country codes, a chart of monthly temperatures for each country and a metric conversion table, as well as tongue twisters in French, German, and Italian, to while away the train-travel hours and impress your compartment mates with your willingness to launch into their language and dare to sound like a fool. --Stephanie Gold --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description

From ordering cafe au lait in Paris, calamari in Venice, or bratwurst in Munich, it helps to speak some of the native tongue. Rick Steves, bestselling author of travel guides to Europe, offers well-tested phrases and key words to cover every situation a traveler is likely to encounter. This handy guide provides key phrases for use in everyday circumstances, complete with phonetic spelling; an English-French/Italian/German dictionary; the latest information on European currency and rail transportation, and even a tear-out cheat sheet for continued language practice. Informative, concise, and practical, Rick Steves' French, Italian and German Phrase Book and Dictionary is an essential item for any traveler's backpack.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Avalon Travel Publishing; 4th edition (May 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566915341
• ISBN-13: 978-1566915342
• Product Dimensions: 5.9 x 4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #434,568 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

53 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It was my best friend in Europe, November 26, 2000

By	Alexandra Beaubien (Tampa, Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rick Steves' French, Italian & German Phrase Book & Dictionary (Paperback)

Rick Steves' phrasebook was my best friend during a recent three- month tour of Europe. This book is perfectly written for the budget traveler with clear pronounciations and slices of Rick Steves' humor that his readers have come to love. The book even includes a bit of a "script" for reserving a hotel room over the phone by including the exact phrases in the logical order. Thanks to the book, I was able to eat well in Nice, sleep cheap in Provence, chase the casanovas away in Florence and much more. Overall, this book is probably not essential for those who are only traveling in major cities where travelers are apt to find plenty of English spoken. However, this book is a bible in small towns where no English is spoken. In addition, the book helped me to show most locals that I was taking an interest in their language and not making the assumption that others could speak mine. As a reward, I believe that people were more helpful, more likely to carry on a conversation with me and, when applicable, more likely to respond in English. This was especially true in Paris.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Make Three Books Out It, October 24, 2004

By	Terry Smith "http://terrysmith.net -- http:/... (Little Rock, AR USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I took the Italian section of this book with me on a two-week backpacking trip through Italy. It was highly-useful, especially in the restaurants. It's well-organized with all the phrases you'll need. The "Menu Decoder" section is great for looking up words in a dictionary format. Since I was traveling light and only needed the Italian section, I cut the book into three parts and bound each with duct tape. Now I have three phrase books!

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best phrase book, July 19, 2000

By	Econ PhD Student (Cornell University) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rick Steves' French, Italian & German Phrase Book & Dictionary (Paperback)

Easy to find what you are looking for. Has all of the truly importaint words and phrases. I think that the food translations were used the most, by me and anyone else that figured out I had this book. You really do not need a phrase book if you are traveling from big city to big city, but if you find yourself in a small village or town, this book will be very handy. If you want a phrase book, this is the one. Next time I take off over seas, this book will make its way into my backpack.