Italian in 10 Minutes a Day

The workbook was entirely filled out and the flash cards were ripped out. This was definitely not worthy of a "good" rating.

This is excellent for the tourist. Not for someone studying for university credit. But you must do as the title suggests and study for at least 10 minutes a day, and be consistant!

I used this book in preparation for a trip to Italy last Spring and I found it very helpful. At first I wasn't expecting much from a work book, but they do a very good job at helping you understand the relationships between words, places, and things. I found it a good compliment to also listening to audio learning guides such as Pimsleur or Michel Thomas (you can borrow these from your local library!). I definitely used this book for more than 10 minutes at a time!

Last April I spent 10 days in Italy with my family. I am a language fanatic so I used the trip as an opportunity to try out a new language similar to two that I had already studied (French and Spanish). This book really helped me learn the basics of conversational Italian, without being bogged down by intense grammar sessions and cumbersome textbooks. It is arranged like a children's language book with pictures and workbook pages that really help you become interactive with your learning. Despite some reviewers, I enjoyed the fact that there were no tapes or CDs attached to this book. Listening to tapes for long stretches of time is, frankly, boring, and I know that I can just as easily fall asleep listening to tapes than actually learn the language. This book is fabulous for learning some Italian for a trip, but probably not for a long term study of the language. It is only an introduction and I know that I said I like the minimum amount of grammar in the book but a serious student would be stunted by those missing lessons. One more comment that I would like to add is that I did not have the recommended amount of time to study with this book before my trip. Nonetheless, I learned Italian that helped me be polite, but maybe not a stellar conversationalist. The people there (and I would guess just about anywhere) appreciate visitors attempts at the native language. It shows common courtesy and acknowledges that you are visiting them, and not vice versa. There is too much Anglophone superiority in our country and, no matter which book you choose, learning some Italian is really appreciated.

The "10 minutes a day" books are a simple introduction in learning the basics of a foreign language. The layouts are in a workbook format that include puzzles, cut-out flash cards and sticky labels that you can place around your house to help you build your vocabulary. Easy to read, easy to follow and enjoyable. You'll build a vocabulary foundation that includes numbers, colors, how to tell time, the question words (who, what, when, where, how)and more. The simplicity of the books makes learning fun and you'll find your are spending more than 10 minutes. As a beginner in learning Italian myself, I paired this book with the Pimsleur Italian CD's. Reading vocabulary is one thing, but Pimsleur is really idea for comprehending how the language is spoken by native speakers.

I really enjoyed Italian in 10 minutes a day. It is well laid out, and fun to study. A perfect introduction to learning Italian. After this book I can recommend Italian Made Simple, which will then take you through most of the Italian grammar.