Berlitz Italian Phrase Book

This little book is a great companion to the Italian class that I am taking, but would be equally helpful just on its own. Also, all of the words have an easy-to-understand pronunciation guide next to them, so you won't make a fool of your self when you get there!

The Berlitz Italian offers a ton of ready information at your fingertips for those who have never been to Italy. The book is useful for getting around Italy by rail, bus, or plane. There is so much information which makes living in Italy as smooth as traveling in any English speaking country only without the English. Buy it.

BERLITZ HAS DONE IT AGAIN!, THIS IS A GREAT PHRASEBOOK!, IT'S MORE UPDATED THAN THE PREVIOUS BERLITZ PHRASEBOOKS, AND THEY EVEN ADDED MORE INFO., AND TALKS ABOUT STUFF YOU DON'T SEE ON THE PREVIOUS VERSIONS, HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT!

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!

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.