Berlitz Italian Phrase Book and Dictionary (Paperback)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Famous for containing a wealth of information, all Berlitz phrase book include a pronunication guide, basic grammar, useful expressions for getting around and meeting people, plus a 3,500-word dictionary and a map of the respective country. Many other languages, in addition to Italian, are available. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

In January 2003, the renowned Berlitz Publishing became part of the Langenscheidt Group. The Langenscheidt Publishing Group, the premier group of map and travel companies, offers over 4,000 North American and international street maps, road maps, atlases, language-learning, bilingual dictionaries, and travel-related products covering countries, cities, and languages in every continent. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Berlitz; 21st Revised edition (March 1998)
• Language: English, Italian
• ISBN-10: 2831562414
• ISBN-13: 978-2831562414
• Product Dimensions: 5.6 x 4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #942,196 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

130 of 130 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you take one reference book to Italy, take this one!, January 17, 1999

By	[e-mail] (Waukegan, Illinois) - See all my reviews

I had a previous edition of this phrasebook/dictionary when I was stationed in Naples, Italy, and this one is even better! The book will walk you through all of the situations you could expect to encounter on a trip (including emergencies, car repair, car rental, shopping, introductions, etc.). It gives you the phrase to use along with phonetic spelling for pronounciation. A very practical book which, in addition to language, gives you the responses to questions you may encounter. It also gives you technical terms you might not find in a regular dictionary such as a list of automotive components in the section on auto repair or a list of foods in the restaurant section (especially helpful when ordering food). The book is organized by sections (i.e. "Dining Out," "Meeting People," "Renting a Car," "Emergencies!" etc... This saves you from flipping around the dictionary looking up individual words and ushers you methodically through a conversation. Highly recommended.

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not user-friendly, October 13, 2000

By A Customer

If you are planning to use this book as a tutorial for an extended stay in Italy, then this book just might be helpful. However, if you want to use it as a simple phrase book AND as a dictionary, it is completely frustrating. Even the most basic words are not located in the dictionary section (most likely because there were included somewhere else in the book). Thus, if you need to quickly look up a word, it is incredibly annoying to sift through all of the sections of the book to figure out where that particular word might be defined.

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Italian phrasebook for navigating and eating!, July 31, 2000

By	Paul Bobbitt "Pobbit" (Toronto, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews

While the title of the review sounds a bit narrow in focus, you'll probably be spending most of your time in Italy doing one of these things - navigating or eating. Don't even try going to a restaurant without a phrasebook with a thorough section of food like this Berlitz guide has. North Americans may think they have a grasp of Italian dishes, but go to Italy and you'll find out how little we know! I also brought along two other phrasebooks. One of them was written for British tourists, where you'll find eggplant translated as aubergine, and all sorts of other lovely surprises. If you buy one of these phrasebooks, you'd better bring one along that translates dialects of English. :) I highly recommend the Berlitz book for its thoroughness and usefulness. Your time in Italy will be a lot more enjoyable if you bring it along for the ride!