Italian

Rating:
Summary: Real conversations
Review: A magazine article rated Pimsleur highly and their recommendation was very accurate. Great conversational learning tool. Very helpful on my recent trip! 1/2 hour sessions make it great and you can repeat them easily if you need too.

Rating:
Summary: Molto Bene!!!
Review: I am going to Italy in 3 weeks, and was totally stressed about not knowing the language. I bought this Pimsleur course in desperation, knowing that a lot of the ambassadors use this method. I was prepared to be disappointed, but I was totally amazed at how effortless and natural this method is.

Basically, the Pimsleur method immerses you in a very small subset of the language at first, and runs you through EVERY permutation: "I don't understand english", "I understand english a little", "I understand italian a little", "do you understand english?"...etc. Once you've done this for a little while, it ramps up the vocabulary and the different verbs and usages. The progression is so natural, you'll be amazed at the sophistication of the conversations you will understand on the CD.

I can now ask my wife: "Vorrebbe mangiare qualcosa con me?" and to ask the waiter (il camierere) "Vorrei una birra nazionale, molto grande e molto freddo!" The first sentence is a standard Pimsleur construct, the second one I naturally constructed on my own with the knowledge I gained during the course.

Anyway, I can't wait to buy the rest of the series. Io parlo un po' l'italiano adesso!

Buona Fortuna!

Rating:
Summary: Audio and Visual learners.
Review: I think the course is great for audio learners. I realized about halfway through the course when I was becoming frustrated with the speed of the conversations, it is because as an artist, I'm a very visual learner. After I do some visual homework, this course will be more useful to me. Ask yourself before buying it, am I an audio or visual learner.



Rating:
Summary: Excellent Customer Service
Review: I was so excited to start learning Italian with Pimsleur's tapes, but when I received them one of the tapes was damaged. I contacted Pimsleur and they got the problem taken care of ASAP. The tapes themselves are easy to follow and great quality. I would highly recommend Pimsleur to anyone who want to learn quickly and efficiently.

Rating:
Summary: Great program
Review: I went to Italy on a study abroad program and I am a firm believer in learning some of the language before visiting. Therefore I purchased this CD program to listen to in my car. It was extremely helpful in some areas, others not so much. I felt this program was more towards those who plan on having long, pronouned contact with others. It tells you how to ask people if they want to go eat something with you and where. I was hoping for more of airport language, what to say in a resturant or hotel. Still, this helped greatly because even though I was not going to ask someone "do you want to eat dinner at my place", I picked up on some of the words.

The best part of this CD is it helped me a TON with my dialect and my accent. The things I did know how to say, I said well and many times people thought I spoke fluent Italian (until I got a blank look on my face as they spoke to me).

I highly reccomend this CD to anyone but also, I would buy a Italian dictionary as well! It is wonderful hearing the language but seeing the words are very important too!!
A definite bargain for the knowledge you will gain!

Rating:
Summary: Really terrific!
Review: The Pimsleur method is really terrific! On 8 CDs, there are 16 lessons which are 30 minutes each. There is enough repetition in later lessons to help you retain what you've learned in earlier lessons. You'll learn the differences between masculine and feminine nouns, adjectives and responses. Questions asked require thought and response, and there are even explanations for the little piccadiloes found in the language. You'll learn the pronunciation because the speaking is both very clear and concise. I've visited Italy many times, have even written a book about Italy, and am moving there next year. In the mornings as I drive to work, I listen to the CDs and do the lessons. All in all, a very excellent way to learn conversational Italian. However, if you really want to learn Italian beyond just conversational Italian, I recommend "Italian Verb Drills" by Paola Nanni Tate and a good grammar book. Do these in conjunction with the CDs and you'll master the language before you know it!