Worked for me

This really did teach me almost everything I needed to know to spend three weeks in Italy. The phrases "is there a ______ near here?" and "Where is the_____?" and "How much does this/that cost?" and all of the pleases, thank yous, and good evenings were the most helpful. Most of the other lessons were used occasionally and helped me to understand the responses by training my ear to catch what people are saying. The first few listens I could barely identify individual words. This tutorial was well worth the time and money.

Also note that not "everybody" speaks English in Italy. Our first morning at our first hotel near the Florence Airport met with a hotel desk attendant who didn't speak a word of English. I was able to ask her where I could buy a bus ticket and find a bus stop nearby and ask for a restaurant recommendation. Yay! Highly recommended if you are traveling around by train and bus sans tour group. You will need something more if you are conducting business.

6 people found this helpful

Great Quick Learn for travel

Would you consider the audio edition of Learn Italian - Survival Phrases Italian, Volume 1 to be better than the print version?

I don't know but probably, since you can hear the phrases pronounced!

Any additional comments?

This audiobook moves at just the right pace and is pretty fun. It probably helps to have a little knowledge of Italian and/or a phrasebook handy so you can also see the words and phrases. For just a few hours of recording, this was pretty comprehensive of what you need to know to survive traveling in Italy, and my husband and I got around Rome for 8 days just fine after listening to this audiobook before we left.

6 people found this helpful

OK to refresh your Italian?

Any additional comments?

I found this useful to rather fast refresh the little Italian I know. Knowing some it is a bit slow here and there, but combining normal speech, slowly pronouncing an breaking down in syllables is very good for understanding and pronunciation. Explanations are mostly good and well distributed through the lessons, words, some grammar etc.

If you know some Italian, some breakdowns of the more simple words are repeated to often, and it's completely unnecessary to explain buena fortuna in every lesson! But one just uses these "pauses" to repeat the last sentences etc.

The English is rather amusing here and there both what is said and the pronunciation, but it's not an English course! And you learn well pronounced Italian.

3 people found this helpful

Survival Phrases is a great title!

What did you love best about Learn Italian - Survival Phrases Italian, Volume 1?

This audio teaches you the most important phrases in Italian to help you survive in the country. From "Where is the bathroom" to how to make dinner reservations and how to ride the bus.

3 people found this helpful

Definitely good as a review.

This is a couple hour review of key and core phrases in Italian, with very little grammar although they do walk you through what each word in a phrase means. Definitely this is first class for me: a review of basic Italian as I get ready for a trip. I've known a few thousand words of Spanish my whole adult life, and I've studied amateur French and Italian on and off. This is "30 lessons" but obviously each lesson is just 2 or 3 minutes long. Typical: "Vorrei fare una prenotazione per questa sera" I would like to make a reservation for this evening [at a restaurant.] If you don't know the first word word of Italian (or Spanish) my guess would be all these dozens of rapid fire phrases for two hours would be hard to really absorb and lock down. In that case (coming from a cold start) I always recommend Pimsleur, which is kind of slow and premium priced but the first 30 lessons of Pimsleur (=15 hours) ruthlessly and repetitively hammer about 10 words per half hour into your head like it or not. But back to the product under review: as a review audio course if you have basic kind of initial familiarity I can endorse this Survival Phrases course. Note there are two "volumes" each about 2.5 hrs.

2 people found this helpful

Great information and pronunciation but…

… this PDF seems to be outdated as it doesn’t match the verbal lessons well in the Italian version. In fact, it seems the whole section for ordering food is missing. Otherwise, this and similar languages in the series are all great to give us basic survival phrases when traveling.

Very helpful

Very helpful for my upcoming trip to Italy. Plus I will download the phrase guide.

Very Helpful

What made the experience of listening to Learn Italian - Survival Phrases Italian, Volume 1 the most enjoyable?

This book was very helpful for necessary phrases to travel to Italy on vacation.

What do you think your next listen will be?

Dracula with Tim Curry and Allen Cummins

What about Cinzia Guerriero???s performance did you like?

Very upbeat

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No