Crash Italian for Travelers

My Italian friend says, "You only need to know two things to get by in Italian, O fame (Oh Faahmay, I'm hungry) and O sete (Oh Setay, I'm thirsty)." I learned a little more using several language programs that I checked out from the library and BBC's free online language courses. Our youngest had her 8th birthday in Italy. She had "O fame" down pat. We watched from across the square as she had an hour conversation with two middle-aged Italian ladies who spoke no English. The conversation started over the affection she was showing some local cats. Somehow she communicated it was her birthday. They bought her Kindereggs as a present.

BBC Steps has a good starter course, or your local community college. If you really want to get into it, Pimsleur's Italian I is easily done in your car during your commute.

There was a recent thread on this subject. Enter "learn Italian" in the search box. An advantage of programs on cd's is that you can use them on the go as well as convert the lessons to mp3 format. Not everyone learns the same way, of course, so a more visual approach via computer works better for some people. Check your local library. I like Pimsleur (cd's) for a good intro course.

Ludovico, I would also recommend the Pimsleur courses, as that's the method I've been using. You won't be able to carry-on a conversation, but will be able to get by to some extent. There are four levels with about 30 half-hour lessons in each level. I use "Bookchips" (SD cards) in my PDA, rather than CD's (I usually do a lesson at the Gym, as that's the most efficient use of my time). I looked at Rosetta Stone but it appears to be primarily computer-based and that won't work as well for me (they're also very expensive!). I don't want to be "tied" in front of a computer, so the audio solution is better for my circumstances. With the Pimsleur lessons, it's important to work on them every day as it's easy to forget. As you'll be travelling in May, it would be a good idea to start working on these NOW. You may be able to find the CD courses at your local Library. Buon Viaggio!

Geesus, Pimsleur is at my local library... Great suggestion! Thanks all. We just booked our flights...

All my St Petersburg Florida based libraries have these language CD's that you can burn into your computer and onto your MP3 PLAYER/iPOD. It is called something like "learn the language on the Plane". It gives you travelers basics in about an hours length lecture. Comes with a booklet that you can photocopy and read along as you really learn on the plane like I do. So check your local library and see what they have. IMO, Pimsleur is very good but it takes forever to get thru all the lessons. Rosetta stone does not give you the basics of traveler's lingo. But it does teach you that the black cat is on the blue table in any language that you want. Rosetta is good if you are moving to that region or staying there a reasonable time that you would need some local language communication skills.

There are also aps that you can put in your IPad in which you type in a phrase in English and it translates it into Italian.

Ho fame and ho sete (the H is silent) are good to know, but equally necessary is "Dov' e` il bagno?" or "Per favore, ho bisogno di un bagno" (Where is the bathroom? Please, I need a bathroom"). If your local Adult Ed program offers Basic Italian I suggest taking it. They are usually very inexpensive. Ours is about $90 for 8 or 10 weeks. My wife and I have used the Pimsleur cd's. They are very basic and are effective and are available for free at many local libraries. However, we much prefer the Berlitz cd's which are both computer-based and also include cd's you can use in your car or on your iPod(download thru iTunes). I bought ours at Borders on sale for less than $40. I also recommend having a small dictionary with you on your trip. I strongly favor the "Berlitz Italian Compact Dictionary". It has a sturdy blue plastic cover, fits in my sports coat, windbreaker, and vest pocket. It has some rudimentary grammar and some basic verb conjugations. Leave it to the Italians to complicate verb tenses!
Hope this helps...

I am trying Rocket Italian now and like it so far. It is a bit expensive though ($99-Level 1, $69-Level 2) , and requires internet access. I found a real gem for iPad/iPod called ItalianPod. It is entertaining (check out the episode on Dante's Divine Comedy), and really works I think as an adjunct to a regular course. Still no luck, however, finding a system that actually teaches you while you sleep. That would be nice... 8-)
Cheers

Ludovico, if you find a program that teaches language while you sleep, please pm me so I can buy stock in the company. ;)

By asking about traveling off the beaten path, do you mean destinations in addition to the cities you've mentioned already, or do you mean places WITHIN those cities that are off the tourist path? If you're asking about the latter, keep in mind that you'll see tourists everywhere. But on the other hand, I've also found it relatively easy to visit meaningful or interesting places that either have fewer tourists, or it's so worthwhile to visit that I don't care about the other people! I found Milan to be relatively untouristy. Even their smaller but very good museums had fewer tourists. In Venice, just walk, especially in the sestieres (neighborhoods) other than San Marco or Castello. Though even Castello, if you go far enough away from Piazza San Marco, feels very local and neighborhood-like. A book called Venice for Pleasure, by J.G. Links, has fun walking tours that include paintings of Venice hundreds of years ago, but shows you where to see those places today - there's very little change! Many tourists visit the Trastevere area in Rome, but it felt to me that there were fewer tourists there. Keep in mind that if you only have 14 days and you'll be in 4 cities already, you don't have much time for places that are off the beaten path.

While I agree with everyone else about the value of learning from the Pimsleur CD's, don't expect to retain too much with just a few months before you leave unless you have a LOT of time to study or unless you are a very fast learner with a great memory.
I'd recommend that you carry Rick's Phrase Book with you. It could be very useful!

The Pimsleur language-learning system is excellent. You learn the language naturally the way children do. I've used it for French, Spanish, Swedish and, now, Italian from audiotapes or CDs checked out from the library. It works great if you do it a little bit every day for a month or so before your trip while driving in your car, etc. I've tried a lot of systems (including Rosetta) and this is the only one that works for me. Plus, it concentrates on stuff you will use while you are traveling. It won't make you fluent, but you will be able to make yourself understood (with the help of a small language handbook like Rick Steve's) and understand a little of what is being said. I can't recomment Pimsleur enough. Good luck!

I'm traveling to Italy in May and have been using My Daily Phrase Italian by Radio Lingua. Its a series of 100 podcasts (less then 5 minutes each), and best of all its free! You just download the podcasts to your iPhone, iPod, etc. They do have a premier membership for around $40, which I find to be beneficial because I'm a visual learner and the premier gives you PDF guides for each lesson. So far, I've learned days of the week, numbers, how to check into and out of a hotel, and how to ask for directions. I'm somewhere around lesson 30. I also just found out that my library provides an online language program, also free. Its called Mango. They offer a basic (shorter) program as well as a more comprehensive (longer) program, but they both appear to be quite conversational and useful for traveling.