Conversational Italian
 

Sorry for repeating this topic, but: Please recommend a good tape or CD set for learning traveller's Italian. Want to be polite and do reasonable amount with Italian language while I'm there, but don't plan to read Dante in Italian. Living Language looks perhaps too intensive, Pimsleur too simplistic unless one goes in for the $200+ version. Suggestions? Thanks.

ditto

I used several sources, but one good one with 2 90 minute cassettes is "Getting By In Italian"-a quick beginner's course for tourists and business people, by Barron's. Be sure to try your public library, as they may have some materials. Also, go to www.firenze.net they have a weekly newsletter that includes an Italian lesson.

We used the Dorling Kindersley (DK) cassette tape and phrase book. It was great, very useful phrases. I listened to the tape nearly every day for months in the car on the way to work and absorbed quite a lot. I bought it at Borders book store.<BR>Kay

I've been listening to the Pimsleur tapes on my commute and they are great, although the beginners tapes and the one for travellers is pretty simple. They do start out slow, but once you get into Beginners Part 2 things speed up a bit.<BR><BR>The local library has the complete set, so I've been checking them out there. They are fantastic if you have the time.

Not tapes - but my favorite way to learn languages (I'm on my 4th): Italian in 10 minutes a day. The book has little stickers for EVERYTHING in your home (and lots of other things) so you can sticker objects and repeat the word every time you see it. Very elementary-school style, but it works surprisingly well. I also stick all of the numbers and colors stickers on my bathroom mirror and repeat them to myself when I'm washing my face etc. They compliment tapes quite well. <BR><BR>For tapes, I've used Barrons, Living Language and Pimsleur, and don't have a strong preference. Success is more a matter of working at it steadily, I believe.

I think I've either checked out from the library or bought most of the favorite ones for Italian. I like the Pimsleur because they go over it and then periodically repeat so you learn that way, but my absolute favorite is Michel Thomas' CDs. They are a little expensive but I truly wanted to learn it and they were worth the investsment. Don't buy the ones made for foreign embassy personnel (I don't remember who did them) because they are BAD. You spend two tables learning to pronounce Amanda in Italian. M.

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I think all the tapes mentioned are good. However, I tend to stick to the Berlitz tapes simply because they use an approach that has been proven to be effective over many years. They tell a story using travelers who interact with various people (even have a romance) during a trip. You get the interest of a story with the effectiveness of a lesson. And the books that come with each Berlitz course are very good in teaching the basics as well as the commonly used expressions. The tapes are all in the foreign language, but the books are in English with explanations and translations of the words, phrases, and structure of the language. The courses are typically contained on 6 to 8 two-sided cassettes (and now I think on CD's too) and they progress from simple to difficult at a very sensible pace. I have used the Berlitz lessons in Italian, German, and French, and have been able to communicate effectively (though with limited vocabulary) in all 3 languages.