Italian Language Learning

Hi Shellie,

I just completed Level 1 of the Rosetta Stone Italian. We are going to Italy in about 3 weeks time for our first trip and I wanted to have a bit of a "feel" for the language before we left. I already speak some French and my boyfriend speaks a lot of Spanish. I actually found more similarities to French than he did to Spanish, though there are definitely similarities to both languages. I feel confident with what I learned that I can have "mini" conversations, order food, shopping, read signs etc...though I guess I'll see how well it actually works once we get there. ;-) It's been a fun program and is very easy to use.

Enjoy your trip!

This has been discussed in numerous threads. (You might want to do a search.)

But, the three most common programs for conversational Italian are Pimsleur, Michel Thomas, and the BBC.

Rosetta Stone, etc., are pretty expensive programs. Before I went to Italy I took a short class in Italian through a local language-specialty bookstore in Washington. The instructor used a cheap book and cassette called, I think, Italian in 7 Days, and I must say I thought it was excellent. It covered just the right level of vocabulary and grammar to let me carry on short conversations with several Italians. It wasn't more than $20 (back in 2001).

The King County Library System used to have Rosetta Stone programs available on its website, and I thought it was a pretty cool way to learn. I appreciated that it taught vocabulary with pictures and sounds. You might check the Whatcom County library to see if they have any Rosetta Stone CDs available for check-out.

I love usign the PIMSLEUR CDs - im using the Italian now myself for my own trip coming up! Used all 4 sets for Spanish, and have used some ofthe french, protugese and bought norwegian too.

If you need the short 5 cd - they are not $$$. I bought the larger sets when i had more time on Ebay then sell them back for about the same 100-120$ (16cd) and bought the next one! But they work well for me so far. If you have time to sit infront of a PC each day - Rosetta may be better - but for those that dont - a CD-works best on a commute or walk!

Shellie,

I've been using the Pimsleur "Bookchips" (Levels 1-4) that fit into my PDA. That way I can listen to them anywhere and don't have to carry a bulky CD player. I really like the teaching method they use, and find that I've been retaining a lot of the material between lessons.

You might also try your local community colleges or whatever for night school courses. Having a "live" Instructor is the best way to get feedback on your pronunciation and grammar.

Although it's a bit of a drive from Bellingham to Edmonds, you might also consider one of Rick's Beginning Italian for Travellers courses. Unfortunately, the March 27th class is completely booked. Check with the office at ETBD for dates of future courses.

Buona Fortuna e Buon Viaggio!

Check out what your local library has to offer. I took out Berlitz for Travelers and Pimsleur. In my experience the Berlitz style worked better. Found it easier, too, when I started to teach German (my mother tongue)

Thanks to all of you who took the time to share your expertise with us! I love this community. I found some items at the library and have ordered a couple of other ones, so we shall see which fits our lives and learning styles best. Again, thank you.

For learning languages while in your car I recommend the Berlitz "Rush Hour Italian." It is just a two cd set with a funny little story and silly songs incorporating the language, but it helps you with the pronunciation and you get to hear both male and female speakers. Your Spanish will help recognize words. The CD's help me learn the differences in spelling and pronunciation. I also have taken community ed courses and enjoyed the interaction with native Italian speakers, most of whom also have a wealth of information and tips because they were born there or lived there. Italians are very forgiving with our attempts to speak their language and I usually find with their 'leetle bit' of English (the answer you usually get when you ask if they speak English) and my 'leetle bit' of Italian we get along fine.

We use Pimsleur. We have used them for Italian, Spanish and now for our upcoming trip to Paris. They work great for us. I even found a set of 8 CD's for French 1 at an estate sale for $4.00.

I'd recommend the 1st 30 lessons from Pimsleur, which you can often get at your local library. I listed to 1 lesson each day, repeating it twice (once in the am, once in the evening). The instructions say you only need to do them once, but I found twice was better.

After that, if you just want a little more vocabulary you can do the 2nd 30. But while Pimsleur is great for starting out, I'd recommend Assimil after the 1st 30 to learn more quickly. And with your background in Spanish it will probably come easier to you than to most people. The set of 100 or so lessons is only around $30 on amazon; be sure you get the edition with the sound CD included.

I'd recommend looking into an actual class - CDs/videos are great for learning tools, but in my experience nothing beats an actual class with a real live teacher who can explain where you have questions and will correct you as you speak and make mistakes. Check out local classes at either Western or the community college, or look to see if there are any private language schools in the area. I found a great private class in Seattle just a few blocks from my work that meets once a week and I've been attending classes for two years now. I'd also recommend podcasts - most are free, and you can download archived episodes. One I really like is Learn Italian Pod (www.learnitalianpod.com), they do a pretty good 10 - 20 minute lessons, stories, vocabulary, verb conjugation, etc. They recently changed their format which I'm not that crazy about, but the old episodes are great and still available. Buon viaggo!

Shellie,
"you tube Pimsleur Italian lesson" you'll be able to try one full lesson free on line....they also have 4 CD's you can order with no tax or shipping...$9. Just received mine to day, you can't go wrong. Pimsleur "Quick & Simple". This is basic, what we need for our trips, Rosetta stone is more like if you want to stay for months.

Hi Shellie,
I've used Tell Me More for the PC (excellent) and Pimsleur (great, but not much help in reading) in my truck while driving to work. I have Spanish, French and German. I've found that I use the Pimsleur much more since I can listen to a lesson to an from work getting 2 reps of each one. I've done 90 lessons of each language mentioned above and they make a big difference in your ability to pick up the language. Italian is my next one that I'm picking up, since that's my next trip. My list trip to Italy, I relied solely on Ricks Phrase book and I communicated really well over the 16 days. Definitely get yourself that book. If your library has it (or you want to spend it), get the Pimsleur. Much of the vocabulary is helpful to a tourist.