How much Italian

Write phases out as flash cards. Make a game of it with friends and family.
We've found that mastering units of measurement are the most important.

Always start a conversation with

Buon giorno (good day) till early afternoon, or

Buona sera (good evening), from early afternoon

Next, say Per favore (please) if you are going to ask for anything

Grazie (thank you) always

You will probably not need any more Italian, though knowing more is very nice.

Also useful

Permesso - when you want to get past someone in a crowd. NOT to be confused with scusa (excuse me) if you step on their toes while passing

almost forgot - GELATO plural GELATI . This word should be used at least once a day.

don't bother with numbers, you can always write them down and they are about the hardest words to use/comprehend in any foreign language.

The BBC provides free coaching in Italian for visitors. Especially good for help in pronounciation.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/italian/

BTW, when I first visited Italy I learnt some stock phrases etc but soon found that I was completely floored when, naturally, I was answered in Italian!

There is a thread entitled "Not Speaking French in France" posted on "To the West" here on the Helpline. They are discussing French, of course, and not Italian, but the basic concepts and issues are the same. It might be helpful for you to take a look at that thread as well.

At my local library, there is a language series called something like, "learn this language on the plane". It is a language module for travelers. It is about an hour or so long. You can load it on an MP3 player. It also comes with a booklet that I photo copied, so I could read along as I listened.

A more expensive route would be Rosetta Stone, but that is heavy on grammar instead of basic travel needs. Who really needs to know that "the black cat is on the blue table"......But it makes you understand the logistics of the language for a more conversational situation.

Thank you so much for the tips. I am feeling more relaxed now. My Library has Pimsleur CD's. I am going to check those out as well.

I appreciate any other suggestions.

Thanks again.

Susie

Yes I agree with everyone thst not much (if any) Italian is needed to have a wonderful trip, but knowing a few key phrases adds more spice, entertaining/memorable moments and, in my opinion, makes the locals respect you for at least trying. If you learn ANYTHING, make sure it's the all-important "Do you speak English?" or "I don't speak Italian"...
Someone suggested Rick Steve's Phrase Book. I found it Half Price Bookstore for about $4 and it was the best aid ever. It divides the phrases into subject matter and it shows you how to say anything from "my passport was stolen" to "I am an alien" (true story). I found Rosetta Stone at my local library and I intend to use it because I plan on having an extended stay in Italy next year, but for an enjoyable trip, it's much too deep. Save it for when you buy your villa and more there :)
Also, I don't know if anyone else had this experience, but I took 5 years of Spanish in high school and THOUGHT I didn't remember much, but once I got to Italy, instead of using the Italisn phrases, I would subconsciously revert to speaking the Spanish that I thought I had forgotten. Strange, huh?

I agree that you need to learn enough basic phrases or words to be polite and give the impression that you are trying, though be incompetent enough to make people aware that you do not speak much if any Italian.

Every time I try to use more than basic phrases, like Linda pointed out, the response is a rapid fire string of Italian that I have little hope of understanding, even with months and months of study.

As a result, what I engage in is a mix of Italian and English on both our parts. I do spend more time learning Italian food item names and always have a menu decoder handy, since food is one of the great attractions of travel.

I agree with Linda & Paul. If you ask a question in Italian, you'll get an answer in rapid Italian and you're unlikely to understand a word.

Better to let them know that you're an American ("Sono americano") and that you don't speak Italian ("non parlo l'italiano").

And of course, do learn the everyday courtesy phrases as listed by Chani.

Sometimes we have the reverse problem. My wife is of Italian descent and looks Italian. Several times in Italy she's been approached by Italians and asked for directions or other info. That's when "sono americano" really comes in handy.

Definately true that you will be hit with rapid fire Italian if you use an Italian phrase. To me, that's all part of the fun and I felt completely flattered that someone actually thinks I know the language although I'm sure I botched up the 2 syllable word I just spoke. However if it's an emergency or you have run out of patience, it could get old really quick. I didn't have that experience, but depending on how you feel, maybe it is best to limit your use of the language to make life a little easier for yourself.

The Italians love it when you attempt to speak a few words in their language, even if you mangle them horribly. It also depends on where you are traveling. In big cities, you will probably be spoken to in English even if you try Italian (me: buona notte. shopkeeper: goodnight!) In smaller cities, we found people generally still speak english but not as well, which lead to a conversation of about 70% english, 20% italian and 10% waving arms in the air and pointing.

As the others have said, you don't really need to know any italian to enjoy Italy. But the more italian you know, the more you will be able to connect with people. Learning even a few phrases will likely enrich your experience.

Preparing for our first trip to Italy several years ago, my hubby learned some Italian.

In Pisa, he asked directions and the reply came back very rapidly. Hubby turned to me and said he hadn't picked up any of the answer. I told him, "we are to go one block to the left and the shop will be on the left" He looked at me in amazement - I told him, "the answer was in English".

Safe travels!

You don't need much but it makes such a nice impression if you know some basics and just try :) Especially to greet people and to say please and thank you.

I drove around for 4 weeks listening to the Pimsler's CD's in my car before my trip (not so smart in Miami traffic!) but I did feel a basic grasp of the language when I got there from all that practice. I thought it was a great series that is totally auditory, no books. But the RS language guide (pocket sized) was perfect for traveling around in Italy. I found in the big cities and even in CT, I would start in Italian and they would respond in English-but try, anyway!

I would hope Susie (and Tom's wife) would say "Sono americanA" or they will get some puzzled looks.

My husband and I used the Oxford "Take Off in Italian" course (available for around $30 from Amazon). It includes both CD's (four) and a study guide, plus a phrase book and dictionary. We studied in the car on the way to work several days a week for about four months. It really paid off for our recent trip---we could read a lot of Italian, phrase questions properly, make dinner reservations, and understand most of what was said in response.

Everyone really appreciated our efforts to speak their language and said so. And in some circumstances--at the farmacia, for example---we encountered people who did not know English, so the Italian was necessary.

While basic italian is not "necessary" for a good trip, it can greatly enhance your enjoyment and understanding. At least we thought so.

Nine months is plenty of time to gain a good grasp of basic Italian vocabulary and grammer. And it's lots of fun to speak it. We now banter back and forth in Italian, and can cheer each other up when things seem to be going wrong by repeating "Numero uno non c'e!" (shrug). But that's a story for another time. . .

I have more than two years before my trip and am using Rosetta Stone now. I'm hoping to have a solid enough base by the time I go for Italy to enhance my skills. What I need now is someone to speak Italian with here. I'm considering taking a class just for that. I'm sure you don't need to learn as much Italian as I am but if you want to I highly recommend Rosetta Stone. It is expensive though.

You don't need to know any before you get there. Once there, however, a few phrases help out dramatically (hello, thank you, please, excuse me, do you speak english). With these five, you'll be appreciated by just about any Italian. Rick's phrasebook will prove indispensable while over there, so you should pick one up. I've learned 4 different languages using Pimsleur, so I recommend it highly. It doesn't help much with reading though, so Tell Me More is better for that. Rosetta Stone is also highly regarded (best marketing of the bunch). If I had just one, though, it would be Pimsleur. Don't forget the phrase book!

With 9 months, it comes down more to "how much do I want to learn". How much you "need" depends on where you're going; in larger cities or more touristy smaller places like the Cinque Terra the people who deal with tourists generally speak english, although knowing a few polite phrases is always appreciated (and may allow a local tired of everyone expecting she/he speaks english to remember the language). If you're going to the Adriatic side of Italy or some of the more out-of-the-english-tourist-path places then you'll need to know at least a survival level (but that's only 100-200 words).

But as I said, you can go a decent way with learning with 9 months. Start with Pimsleur and do a lesson a day. They say only do the lesson once; like many people I found doing it twice in a day helped tremendously. After the 1st 60 lessons which will only take you 2 months if you go that far, you have 7 months left. Don't bother with the last 30 lessons; instead get the Assimil "Italian with Ease" book and CD which is only around $30. You can find lots of discussion on how to use it here (http://how-to-learn-any-language.com/forum/default.asp) and if you do go this route PM me and I'll be happy to chime in with my suggestions.

If someone is looking for a place to practice their Italian they could see if there is a local Italian Society in their area. They might have conversation meetings. I know that a French restaurant near my house has monthly conversational nights.

Don't know of you want to spend the money on Rosetta Stone "Italian" but if you are interested enough in learing the Italian language it is the easiest and the best.

Before our first trip to Italy, we took a 4-week evening course in "Italian for Travelers" at a local community college. It was perfect -- taught us the words we'd need most often and gave us a chance to hear (and practice) the language. We did a similar course for French. Extremely helpful. We probably only remembered a handful of words, but they came in very handy.

You might check your area for classes like this.

I honestly wish I had thought to learn quite a bit more than I did. I didn't feel much need in Rome and Venice, but in CT and in bouncing around on the trains it would have helped IMMENSELY.

It depends a great deal on where you're going. If you're staying in tourist centers, you'll be fine. Otherwise, do learn the basics -- such as ordering food and asking for directions (although, as other posters have said, you might not understand the response!) Bring good maps and a guidebook with you, and you'll be fine. It's Italy, not the Amazon.

www.revealedrome.com

Amanda - How much Italian do you need in the Amazon?

Great blog, by the way.

honestly I speak no italian other than "scuzie" which is a very very useful phrase, and I have been from Rome to Assisi, to Florence, to Cinque Terra, and Florence and had no problems. Italians are wonderful people who like to show off their english and most speak it very well. Rick's phrase book is great for ordering food, buying goods etc. but you can do fine without speaking the language. I have tried rosetta stone and it is a decent but expensive program

Ditto on what others posted. If you are going to be in the more touristy areas than you could get by with nothing. Getting out in the not so touristy areas could be a hassle. Either way most Italians like it when you at least try.I've been mangling Italian for 5 months now and they still appreciate it.

I took a 6-week online Italian for Travellers course through my community college and it was a great help. Not that I was a whiz at Italian when we went, but we were received very warmly just for trying. One of our hostesses told me that she found it very refreshing for a guest to try to speak some Italian, as it isn't as widely known as Spanish or French and that very few of their guests even bothered.

Some perks we enjoyed for trying to speak the language (at least I think that was why - mainly): a restaurant owner in Venice presented me with a bottle of their house olive oil one evening after a wonderful meal, the salumeria man gave me a hug and kissed my cheeks when I left his shop in Trastevere, and our hostess in Venice spent 20 minutes giving us her insider tips to the city and carefully marking a map for us.

I just returned from Italy and found that on the west coast of the country, you can get away with little to no Italian.

On the east coast however it was a totally different story. In Pescara and Ortona for example, there were a lot fewer people with english. That is a small sample size so maybe it was just the case for us.