Just want to learn some basic phrases such as “may we have the check please”, “two scoops of gelato”, “is this the train to....?”, “how much is taxi to....?” That sort of thing.
I did this before traveling to France a few years ago and it really helped. The French were very nice as it seemed they knew I was at least trying.
Grazie
We used Duolingo
Is this a free app
I use duolingo, its a free app. I'm also using mango languages, free from my library. Not sure if there's an app but I access it thru Safari on my iphone. Also, you can look in the back of guidebooks and there are typically key words and phrases.
Google translate is pretty good and you can download the info for a particular language so that you don't need wifi to access it.
I had good luck with Microsoft Translator on our trip. It has a phrase book that’s helpful and you can bookmark phrases/words you want to remember. Prior to the trip I tried to learn a little Italian using RS Italian for travelers. It’s on the website and YouTube. Also used other YouTube Italian for Travelers to reinforce what I was learning. I have no ear for languages but the little I gleaned was helpful. All were free.
This doesn't answer your question directly, but the link below is to a "point to" communication guide. Obviously, it's not the best solution, but it is incredibly effective for its simplicity and it requires no iPhone or other electronic device. Coupled with a simple phrasebook and the memorization of 50 words and phrases in Italian, you are good to go.
I like SpeakEasy. It’s basically an audio phrase book. I found it perfect for practicing those little interactions. It’s cheap too, think it’s $5 for the full app.
