Best way to learn essential Italian for tourists?
 

I'm really not trying to beat the system. I am so busy that I don't have the time to thoroughly study Italian? I did borrow an Italian language tape from the library that is very thorough--I don't have the time to do it justice. <BR>So, what has worked for you? Has anyone used, for example, an interactive CD on their computer?

Before I went to Greece many years ago I bought a simple beginner's grammar book and just went through it by myself for about 3 weeks. It was just enough for me to learn the alphabet, get the feel for the vocabulary (though not acquire a working vocabulary), learn how to ask "where is..." "I would like..." "I don't understand ....", learn the names of water, various fruits, fish, meat,bread, various kinds of buildings and practical place words (e.g., street, church, monastery, restaurant, beach) and more or less get the point of the pronunciation from the description at the beginning. It did work, because I was understood when I went shopping for picnic lunch makings or asked where the bus stop was etc. A few years ago, before going to Greece again, I bought a teach-youself tape. That did not work for me. There were dialogues, followed by questions. But since I couldn't SEE what the people in the dialogues were doing and there was no clear book, I didn't know what they were saying. It seemed just plain silly to listen to the tape when I didn't understand it. So I dug up the book from 25 years ago and got through about 10 chapters again. I did NOT acquire a "working knowledge" of Greek!!! However, I did learn enough to read some signs, read a menu, ask for simple things, ask for directions and then sign language that I needed a written diagram or gestured directions because I wouldn't understand the words of an answer, say basic a.m. and mid-day and evening niceties, etc. and I enjoyed the little I knew. <BR> <BR>With French and Italian, my approach was completely different because I was just trying to revive knowledge that I had long ago, and ANY approach works to some degree-- classes, reading magazines, listening to tapes, watching movies, reviewing grammar. <BR> <BR>If you need to pick up a little Italian, depending upon where you live, you may be able to take an adult school class. I know any major city should have classes. If you happen by chance to live near Trenton or Princeton, NJ, please say so and I can tell you where there are classes. <BR> <BR>Also I think there are free "lessons" on the internet via www.parlo.com, but I doubt that they would be TOO helpful.

I found the greatest language series. Its called "Language Now" and is interactive. It comes with a CD and microphone and allows you to repeat the phrases and be exaluated on your pronounciation. <BR> <BR>I bought them at my local computer store ... here's the web-site. <BR> <BR>http://www.transparentstore.com/v2.0...esc/index.html <BR>

How to learn "essential" Italian? A lot depends on "where you are" in your language skills (with any other second languages) and your general travel survival skills. <BR> <BR>If you have modest fluency in another Romance language (250+ word vocabulary, ability to conjugate 20+ verbs), then I recommend flash cards, and doing some written exercises, along with 5-10 hours of listening to audio (tape, CD, doesn't matter) and REPEATING ALOUD (this is VERY important). You will do much better if you write out your own flash cards by hand. And don't set standards too high for yourself: remember that it ie easiest to attain reading comprehension ability, then writing, then speaking - - and listening comprehension is the hardest of all to acquire. <BR> <BR>I'm going to go way out on a limb, here Joe, and assume that life has treated you reasonably well, since you are a "C.C.C.N." - - (curious about this? see www.ultranet.com/~jm-dw/ME.HTML for more info). You can afford to invest 6 hours a week for three weeks, and I submit that you are smart enough, over that commitment of time, to master 250+ words vocabulary in Italian and 20+ verbs in one or two tenses. <BR> <BR>That's enough to communicate a little bit in writing, and to be able to read far more than you might imagine. <BR> <BR>Want to take it a step further? Find yourself a chat room in Italian. It's easier than you might suppose, and it can be enormously helpful. You will learn 10-20 new words or phrases an hour, and it won't seem like studying at all. <BR> <BR>And last of all, try to use what you have learned as much as possible during your first 48 hours in Italy. If you have spent the 20 hours preparation I recommend - - and if you know 100+ words solidly and 150 words marginally, I can almost guarantee than your "solid" will double within 48 hours, and your marginal will grow as fast as you let it. <BR> <BR>Best wishes, <BR> <BR>Rex <BR> <BR>P.S. My career and yours have one or more common links, at least if you go back 50 years in history. Her name was Virginia A, and her "scores" are just about as useful now as they were then. <BR> <BR>Feel free to write me directly, if this postscript interests you.

I think once we get to the point where we can automatically conjugate 20+ verbs correctly without checking, our over all vocabulary will be hundreds more than 250. And conversely, I think one can easily pick up around 100 vocabulary words in a few days but not learn to conjugate a single verb correctly in the process. Or at least that's how it has always been for me. However, I do know that Rex speaks from experience (or at least I think so, because despite all his you-know-what..., I believe him when he describes his foreign language skills).

Thanks, xxx (I think), a hint of a positive remark can be detected there - - and yes, I have lots of both: you-know-what - - AND experience in learning a new language. <BR> <BR>Learning to conjugate 20 verbs (in present tense) is probably one of the most under-valued skills in learning any new language. Learn "to go" and you have a rough approximation of future tense. Learn "to come (from)" and you can vaguely convey past tense. But realistically, present tense will suffice SO much of the time. <BR> <BR>"Yesterday, I lose my glasses" - - no one has trouble understanding that. And yes, you can reasonably argue, that the concept gets across okay even if you just use the infinitive, and don't even try conjugating - - "Hier je perdre mes lunettes" - - might get a snicker, but it's just as comprehensible as "j'ai perdu" or (the incorrect) "je perds". <BR> <BR>Learn 20 verbs - - and if it's a language similar to (a second) one you already know (for example, from one of the three major language "families" in Europe - - Romance, Germanic or Slavic) - - you can do this in one single four hour sitting - - and you will be ready to start speaking simple sentences that same day. <BR> <BR>Unless you're Rick Steves. <BR>

Oh, I thought you meant conjugate in ALL the basic tenses. Yes, if you mean conjugate regular verbs and very common irregulars, in present tense ONLY, and in a language of a family that you're ALREADY somewhat familiar with, then I'd agree (assuming we make an effort). But that's a lot of "ifs" which did not apply to my brief do-it-yourself crash Greek lessons. <BR> <BR>P.S. I don't understand how to make those alt + numbers come out typed as letters.

xxx again - - yes, perhaps it is a lot of "what if"s. And not so applicable to Greek (though my one time in Greece, I though it was fun just how much Greek I could learn in five days; certainly enough to use a phrase book, and to read simple signs). <BR> <BR>My point is that people ask all the time, "how is it possible to get familiar with 3 or 4 or 6 languages?" <BR> <BR>It requires effort, but people put this much effort in to their golf game, or buying clothes, or tending the flowers in the yard - - and the payoff of 20 hours worth of learning a language is wonderful. <BR> <BR>I don't delude myself that I will convert many people into learning a third or fourth language. But I do believe that you can and should RE-learn that second language that you once knew well enough to pass the language requirement for your bachelor's degree, right? Didn't we all do that? (wink...) <BR> <BR>Meilleurs voeux, <BR> <BR>Rex <BR>

I've tried <BR> <BR>http://www.travlang.com/languages/ <BR> <BR>And if all else fails, I use, "Non capisco! Non bene Italiano."

Try Pimsleur's or Michel Thomas' all-audio course, or any other all-audio's. Make sure you get completely ALL-AUDIO courses- the part-audio ones are taught very differently. As for not having enough time, just 1/2 hour a day is enough. Also, tapes are very handy, since you can use them whenever you're in the car, doing housework, jogging, whatever... <BR> <BR>I must stress, speech and listening are the most important things in language learning. You don't really need to learn grammar and things unless you're planning to go for a long time or if you actually want to learn Italian for real. <BR> <BR>Classes are good, but they are usually much more expensive and are less convenient than learning by yourself. <BR> <BR>So, summary: for quick learning use an all-audio course + phrase book when you're there, for medium commitment then learn from part-audio, part book courses, and if you're serious, go to classes. <BR>

As a total "foreigner" to foreign languages (except for two years of Latin in high school during the dark ages) I bought interactive CD programs called "transparent language" in both Italian and French. I bought them at a "Best" store with rebate coupons that made them almost free! With a microphone you repeat words or phrases and it even shows you how close you are to the correct pronunciation. I have not taken the time to go very far with them, but found the program exceptionally good.

Re prices: Classes in my area are $40 for ten weekly one-hour classes in a small group. That's less than some big tape-plus-book packages. I'm taking advanced Italian to help me relearn what I used to know. The beginner class is the same price. Tapes alone do not work for everyone, and grammar books alone do not work for everyone. Classes combine lots of audio with grammar, and with real native speakeers and real-life visual experiences to make the audio make some sense (unlike in a tape). So they can be good for people with a variety of learning styles, if they have a certain time slot available for class on a regular basis. <BR> <BR>P.S. Is the original poster still alive and well and reading any of this?

Hi, <BR> <BR>If you the kind of person who learns all the words to songs, I have great tape. It is from www.pentonoverseas.com. It is designed for high schoolers so it has lots of youngish words (concert, stadium etc), but the tune is catchy and you will find yourself singing along (if that is the kind of person you are, my kids hate the tape). It has really helped me, more than the Berlitz (listen and repeat style). Now I have moved onto Michal Thomas, and I am taking night school, but listening to that tape is the greatest for my pronuciation, cadence and confidence. Unfortunately it is not available in CD, and they use the same melody for French, Spanish, German and Italian. So it get confusing if you try to use it for more than one language.

I've learned French and Italian, and am now learning German. My favorite tapes are Pimsleur - expensive, but completely worth it. And get the book Italian in 10 Minutes a Day - and put the stickers all over your home that give you the Italian words for things - they do eventually sink in.

Parlo.com has a lot of good language resources, including online lesson series you can buy. I haven't spent any money on any of them, but they also have a fun "French lesson a day" that's e-mailed to you for free. (I don't think they have this for Italian yet though, unfortunately.) I've found it a great way to pick up little idiomatic turns of phrase, vocabulary, and other language tricks in context.

to the top - - for Joe... <BR>

I like the Fodors site; used it for trip to Italy last fall and was able to ask for the basics. Scroll down the intro. page to resources and click on languages and choose one you want and type things you wish to learn to say. You get both a visual and audio pronunciation guide.

Joe, a couple years ago before a trip to Germany I found a tutor who came for a couple hours once a week. While I didn't need to learn all she wanted to teach (that song, for instance - even though I did manage to sing it in a German brewery), it was good (and fun) to speak to someone who could help with pronunciation and answer the questions about why things weren't the way I figured they should be. At the same time I used tapes and dictionaries and studied maybe 1/2 hr a day. I got along amazingly well in Germany where everyone DOES NOT speak English - and was even able to understand what people said back to me in German - then got home and promptly forgot it all. Can't even count to one. But I think the tutor was the way to go and would try that again. You don't say where you are, but if I could find a German tutor in Greenville MS, I think one can be found just about anywhere.

Hey Joe! Where art thou? <BR> <BR>If time is *really* your problem, multi-task and listen to a language CD or tape in your car. Of course, this only works in Southern California where we spend a great deal of time in our cars so if you live somewhere else this may not be so effective. <BR> <BR>When I was preparing for our trip to France I wanted to at least be polite and to be able to try simple phrases so I started about 3 months before we left listening to a CD EVERY moment I was in my car. IT WORKED! I was very comfortable with pleasantries and asking for things once I was there. <BR> <BR>Since I wasn't looking to master the language, simple repetition worked for me. The first few days in the car I thought I was wasting my time and would never get it but I kept with it and it was amazing how it eventually pounded its way into my overloaded brain and forced a space in my memory bank and even managed to stay up front where I could retrieve it when needed. <BR> <BR>You may have to try a couple of different CDs to find a good match for you. They all have different styles and the first one I bought I didn't care for but the second one I tried was really good. I liked the voice, I liked their style, the phrases they covered and the time they allowed for repeating. It all makes a difference for an effective CD. And like a previous poster stated, repeat it OUT LOUD! Everyone will think you're talking to yourself but that's OK. Your talking to your self in French! Or Italian in your case. Anyway, if you're looking for a quick, easy, non-time consuming way to pick up basic phrases, I highly recommend maximizing the time spent in your car. <BR>

Everyone goes on and on but this Joe person must never have read any of it since he never posted a comment after his original question.