The Pocket Idiot's Guide to Italian Phrases, Second Edition

I found this little book to be very very helpful for me when I was trying to tech myself Italian. It covers, succinctly, all of the mechanics you need to get by in most situations - conjugation, verb tenses, phrases, vocabulary, pronunciation, etc. I would say if you're just looking for a "phrase book" you might want to look elsewhere. It depends on how much you want to learn and how much time you are willing to put in. This was my primary text resource, along with a pocket sized Italian-English dictionary. I also used audio courses (Earworms) rather extensively for practice.

Excellent guide. I've studied Italian with varying success for trips that I've taken to Italy. I found this book helpful in refreshing what I'd learned previously and for teaching me new aspects of the language. The instructive material is meant to provide a high degree of functionality -- words and expressions you will likely use -- and is presented in an easy-to-understand manner. There are a couple of pages on expressions to use in the bedroom -- I couldn't help but chuckle, imagining someone in the heat of the moment reaching for the book on an end table, scrambling to find the expression they need. I'm sure singles are grateful for that information, but for the rest of us, the book also covers everything you might need, from ordering food in restaurants to asking for directions or help in medical and emergency situations. The book goes into quite a bit of depth on verbs, which are of course critical to effective communication. There are several pages listing commonly used verbs and their conjugations in several tenses. Pretty neat stuff for a relatively small language guide. I've purchased numerous books in my efforts to learn Italian, and among them, I'd say that, ounce for ounce, this one is among the most effective, especially if you're looking to learn enough to get by on a vacation in bella Italia!

this is the best italian book ever. it has lots of parases and a english to italian glossery at the back of the book. you should by it if you want to learn italian. you should also bye a english to italian dictionary to improve on your italian learning.