Italian Language Learning Reviews

Score: 8/10

Pros:
lots of time with a teacher who explains the Italian language in English; plenty of audio snippets from various native Italian speakers help you pronounce phrases; solid pacing & organization of material in each lesson, as well as across lessons; spoken dialogues highlight phrases used in practical situations in Italy; focuses on the kind of language spoken in daily conversation; in grammar & structure presented in context; exercises refresh the phrases you learn in each lesson; cultural info integrated into lessons; extra audio exposure with CDs & MP3 files

Cons:
fairly passive apart from the simplistic fill-in-the-blank exercises & short speaking activities; too much face time with the onscreen tutor if you’re looking for an immersion program; lengthy English explanations of words, phrases & language use won’t work for all students; demands a good amount of memorization; price tag

Dissatisfied with other available language courses, the creators of Fluenz Italian offer a software product with on-screen instructor led video lessons, conversational phrases & dialogues, and typing & speaking activities.

The main feature of this Italian lesson course is its focus on one-on-one instruction. You’ll spend time wearing a headset or turning up your speakers as you first listen to everyday, believable Italian dialogues/street conversations. Then, you’ll watch a woman talk you through Italian words, phrases and language functions. These tutoring sessions focus on the sentences you hear in each dialogue, but do a solid job of integrating that material into a broader understanding of the language.

The lessons present Italian grammar in conversational context without shirking the structural foundation of the language. You’ll learn to ask useful questions, give meaningful answers and use real-life phrases from the outset. The course stays determinedly focused on its goal of teaching you the kind of Italian you’ll need for participating in everyday conversations. You’ll also learn relevant facts about life, culture and society in Italy, which, in the best cases, manages to parallel and even integrate the linguistic elements you’re learning.

Practice exercises involve various types of type-in-the-blank activities. You’ll do things like match English words and phrases with Italian vocabulary or type the Italian translation of an English phrase or listen to an audio file and type what it says in Italian. These work as well as they ever do, but they certainly can’t be called innovative or, I would argue, highly effective. Sometimes, you’ll have the opportunity to use your microphone as you record lines from a dialogue in your own voice, allowing you to compare your pronunciation to a fluent speakers’.

The entire package, in how it looks and how it works, shows a degree of polish. The smooth interface, stand-out videos and images, and even interaction between your tutor and the Italian words on the screen all testify to a tight performance. The modular organization of the lessons sets the learner’s expectations from the beginning, and the software adheres to this organization, keeping the course evenly paced.

Although some of my comments above sound like a mixed review, my experience of Fluenz Italian was mainly positive. Students who learn well with audio lessons like Pimsleur Italian or even the less thorough Michel Thomas Method Italian might benefit from the Fluenz way of learning to speak Italian.

Score: 8/10

Pros:
plentiful advanced readings in Italian; Italian language used for all instructions & examples; themed by region of Italy for a fuller picture of the country and the Italian language; plenty of exercises & activities related to the texts; can listen to “ascoltiamo!” sections online; grammar appendix does a great job of relating to readings & offering further exercises; uniquely, suggests further Italian internet resources in each chapter; glossary

Cons:
for later intermediate & advanced learners; primarily helps with reading & writing without making this focus clear; intended for classroom use (still mostly useful to individual learners); no index; price

Parola a te! presents itself as a journey through Italy’s multifarious regions in textbook form. At its heart, though, it’s an intermediate/advanced language reader, with reading comprehension selections along with questions and exercises that complement those readings.

In each chapter, you will learn about a different region of Italy. Readings – all in Italian – range from overviews of the society and culture of a region to perspectives on specific cities, people or aspects of Italian life (like cars). The depth of regional Italian culture gives the course a lot to draw from, but expect the readings to sound a bit “standard” (stale?) and newspaper/textbookish.

The interspersed exercises support students well as you read through the book. Some test your reading skills, others listening comprehension, some build vocabulary, and still others give you a sense of Italy’s immense diversity. From instructions to answers, these are all in Italian. Consistent prompts to work “in gruppi” suggest a classroom situation, whereas many of us are learning da solo.

An exceptional grammar appendix, the “appunti grammaticali”, links Italian grammar topics to each chapter, includes verb & pronoun tables, and offers additional exercises to test your understanding of each grammar point.

Unfortunately, you’ll find no index, but the table of contents is detailed enough to help you find specific readings. A short Italian-English vocabulary glossary will help with the readings, but you’re probably working with a good Italian dictionary at this point, right?

To be frank, the best way to learn (and conquer!) advanced Italian is to get out there, read and listen to things on your own. Still, for a structured, themed reading experience with activities and well-organized support, Parola a te! provides a good way to continue your Italian studies.

Score: 7/10

Pros:
ten themed lessons introduce a good – but not overwhelming – selection of everyday, casual Italian slang; not too bawdy or over-the-top, keeping it useful & realistic; dialogues showcase both the idiomatic & literal translations of Italian slang; routine exercises allow you to practice words you learn; glossary lists vocab words with example sentences & Italian synonyms

Cons:
not for beginners – you’ll learn vocabulary, but dialogues & exercises expect you to have a working knowledge of the language; since Italian slang is very region specific, it’s hard to study the Italian slang; no index; extended lessons in vocabulary only; no hand holding for those who need explanations or insights; you have to send away separately for the cassettes

There’s a seedier, mischievous side to Italian language learning books – the kind of book that teaches you slang, street lingo and naughty words. Street Italian 1 falls in that camp, teaching you Italian slang vocabulary in a way that’s more readable than vocabulary lists, and still “cleaner”, less outrageous and more useful than other slang guides and phrasebooks available.

In ten lezioni (lessons), you’ll encounter a range of everyday dialogues, vocabulary explanations and practice exercises. I can’t emphasize enough that vocabulary is the whole focus here. You won’t read explanations of grammar or structure, only learn slang ways of saying things in Italian. Because of this focus, the book cannot be used as a beginner’s course in Italian.

Lessons start with a comical drawing, theme in slang (like Francesca ha una cotta per Giovanni) and a dialogue. Dialogues are repeated three times on three pages. The first page gives the dialogue in Italian, with slang words & phrases conveniently bold (like ha una cotta). The second page sets out a translation of the dialogue, with the bold words in colloquial English (so “ha una cotta” is rendered has a crush). The third translates the bold terms literally (in the above case, the Italian literally means has a baking).

The next section, at the heart of the lesson, lists the slang vocabulary terms & expressions in dictionary-style entries. These include part of speech info, example sentences with translations, Italian synonyms, and other ways to use the word in question.

Finally, lessons end with practice exercises. These have you fill in blanks, match, and choose the right word, and even complete crosswords and word searches. It’s nothing new, but the activities help reinforce the vocab from each lesson as you learn. There are also two review exams (for lessons 1-5 and 6-10).

The end of the book has answers to the activities and an Italian slang glossary. The glossary is formatted like the vocabulary sections in each lesson, including sample sentences, synonyms and notes. Unfortunately, page or, at the very least, lesson numbers aren’t referenced, which could have made for a good index.

If you already have some experience in formal Italian, Street Italian 1 will supplement your core vocabulary with some colorful, useful slang. On top of that, its way of presenting vocabulary in dialogues and examples places it among the better vocabulary-building recommendations I’ve come across.

Score: 9/10

pros:
loads of usage examples show off modern Italian in context; grammar & explanations are descriptive and register sensitive; clear division between first half of the book, which discusses meaning, and second half, which discusses function; helps make sense of a complicated array of Italian words, phrases & expressions; examples really clarify grammar use; two great cross-referenced indexes make this book readily searchable

cons:
navigating the charts and info isn’t the most intuitive process; best if used by more advanced students; sometimes devolves into mere vocabulary lists

Kinder & Savini’s Using Italian: A Guide to Contemporary Usage noticeably separates itself from the majority of bookstore resources available to language learners. For starters, it’s aimed at late intermediate students, advanced students and teachers of Italian. Second, because it’s focused on use and function, it’s example heavy. In many ways, the book is a reference guide to Italian vocabulary and phrases, framed by explanations of their use, and topicalized based on meaning or function.

I read this book as if it has two parts. The first 200 pages discuss words and their meanings. There you’ll find lists of words including false friends, synonyms, idioms, proverbs, cities & countries, acronyms, names, political organizations, grammatical terms, numbers, weight and time. All lists are tabular, detailed and lengthy. They include Italian words in bold, English translations, and some indication of the function of each word or phrase. Take, for instance, this example from the “synonyms” section on page 128:

POLICEMAN

The list continues to give more general terms, specific terms for types of police, as well as derogatory terms. The R1-R3 allude to registers, which, as the introduction explains, rest on a scale of formal (R3) to familiar (R1) and even vulgar (R1*).

The second part of the book deals with language use as framed by grammar rather than meaning. Chapters and sections tackle topics like “pronouns and verbs”, “impersonal objects”, “noun and adjective” and loads of prepositions in Italian. You’ll read through more explanations in this part, but the authors still focus on sample Italian sentences and phrases.

The explanations in this grammar are descriptive, relating how Italian is used in Italy, and by modern Italians. The book ends with a list of interjections and filler words, and two great indices: an index of every Italian word discussed in the book, and an index of grammar topics.

Sophisticated and advanced language learners will find this Italian grammar refreshingly relevant. Linguists, even those with little knowledge of Italian, also stand to benefit. Using Italian puts so many examples of tricky Italian usage at your fingertips. It’s sound, pertinent, well organized, hard-hitting Italian. Highly recommended if you could use such a resource.

Score: 10/10

pros:
huge number of entries & translations; key words make choosing the right translation easy; example phrases & sentences clarify potentially troublesome translations; lots of depth on each word; IPA pronunciation for every Italian word; great formatting & organization; verb charts (irregular and regular); useful middle section gives tons of help on tough-to-translate Italianisms, sample letters & important expressions for written and spoken activities

cons:
this is BIG (a factor of how much material squeezed into it); perhaps better for later students, but anyone learning Italian can get a lot out of it

The Italian College Dictionary is a thick, hefty dictionary with hundreds of thousands of words and translations. You’re bound to find most any word you’re looking for translated from Italian to English or English to Italian.

The Eng-It section comes first, followed by It-Eng. In both, main entries are listed in bold text, followed by IPA pronunciation (Italian spelling is fairly transparent, but it’s nice to see how to pronounce your e’s and o’s, when to double the length of your consonants and where to stress each word). The part of speech is abbreviated, then translations are given.

Key words help you find the right translation when there’s more than one to chose. If you look up speak, perhaps you’re thinking of words or lines, in which case you’d say dire in Italian, or speaking a language, which is parlare. The dictionary presents such choices like this: (words, lines) dire; (language) parlare.

What’s more, any potentially confusing entry offers you the chance to read the word in context, with useful translations of functional language, not just individual words: she speaks Italian lei parla italiano; dire quello che si pensa to speak one’s mind.

Even though this dictionary confronts you with a monstrous number of words, these nice features make it hard to get lost or confused. Meaning helpers like (fam!) for slang/inappropriate, (fam) for familiar and (fig) for figurative cue you into how to use words.

Although the sheer number of words and translations here, combined with ease of search, are the star, this dictionary brings along some extras. The introduction has an irregular English verb chart, along with regular and irregular Italian verb tables. The gray-edged pages, smack dab in the center, demonstrate “language in use” with examples. Those examples include loads of tricky-to-translate phrases between English and Italian. These phrases cover topics like requests, suggestions, apologies, thanks, invitations, and more.

The editors also took the time to include samples of written Italian – typical letters, a resume and cover letter, commercial and personal correspondence, tips on essay writing. There’s even a page full of standard expressions for talking on the telephone in Italy. Rest assured, you won’t be at a loss for words in Italian.

The introduction does an excellent job of explaining how to use the dictionary – every last piece of it – including visual examples of dictionary sections.

You may not be ready for it yet, or you may be looking for something smaller and pocket-sized for now, but the Italian College Dictionary will kick your dictionary experience up a notch. Not only does it include words your current dictionary lacks, but it gives more and better translations of even the most basic words. Among the most highly recommended Italian dictionaries I’ve come across.

If you’re skeptical about this resource, or want to do some comparison shopping, check out Oxford-Paravia Italian Dictionary for a similarly weighty and lexically abundant tome. On the other hand, you might be considering a purchase in the exact opposite direction: check out my review of the Beginner’s Italian Dictionary.