Italian Made Simple: Revised and Updated

Made Simple

by Cristina Mazzoni

Whether you are planning a romantic Italian getaway, packing a knapsack for your junior year abroad, or just want to engage your Italian business associate in everyday conversation, Italian Made Simple is the perfect book for any self-learner. Void of all the non-essentials and refreshingly easy to understand, Italian Made Simple

* basics of grammar
* vocabulary building exercises
* pronunciation aids
* common expressions
* word puzzles and language games
* contemporary reading selections
* Italian culture and history
* economic information
* Italian-English and English-Italian dictionaries

Complete with drills, exercises, and answer keys for ample practice opportunities, Italian Made Simple will soon have you speaking Italian like a native.

Genres: Reference, Italian Literature, Nonfiction, Amazon, Italy, Language

336 pages, Paperback

First published February 17, 1960

Reviews

[Sylvia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed using this book to learn Italian! Although it did have quite a few typos, after completing all 47 chapters over the course of over 2 years I would say I’m about a B1 level in the CEFR system. It is a great, well-rounded Italian workbook and I especially enjoyed the readings. 5 stars!

[Hiep Pham · Rating 4 out of 5]

My companion for self-learning Italian.
It takes 2 nights (30 minutes each night) for me for each lesson. There are a total of 47 lessons. So expects at least 3 months to finish.
As advertised, it doesn't supply nonsense knowledge but only provides you with the essentials: vocabulary, reading, grammar, chatting. For each session, there are some exercises to train yourself. It doesn't have listening exercises. Vocabulary is too dry to learn. Having no real teacher, I don't touch the chatting section at all. Luckily I'm currently living in Italy, so instead, I use all the chance to talk in real-life situations a lot.

In conclusion, it provided me with a guideline, a habit to do every day. I don't rely only on this but I have to supply myself with many immersion resources like Youtube videos and short Italian stories.

P.S: It is expected to pass A2 after finishing this book. But you have to review the grammar a lot and train more on listening and speaking exercises.

[Michael E. · Rating 1 out of 5]

I bought this book because it was recommended nearly everywhere, and I have completed working through it to the end. But I really hated the experience. The author depends on long lists of vocabulary and verb conjugations that often come after the readings that require them, making the readings difficult to follow. Grammar is treated perfunctorily. And the readings themselves consist of an inane story about boring people I would much rather not have spent time with. The image she conveys of Italy is of a nation of people preoccupied with superficialities and selfish overconsumption. The frequent typos and errors also often make understanding the instruction difficult. I recommend you find another way to learn Italian.

[Flo]

From piza o kudasai to pizza, per favore.

Feb 07, 18
No, I can't do this right now. I don't know why but I started a freaking literature course - when I already had a billion things to read; oh yeah, I thought it would be fun but books, deadlines and my attention span? WAKE UP - and I really want to finish it but I can't as long as I see this book on my currently-reading shelf. My mind is not in the right place to absorb another language for now. Maybe in a couple of weeks, reading just this one.