Rick Steves Italian Phrase Book & Dictionary (Rick Steves Travel Guide)

Good and handy

Really excellent inclusions, from maps to mini dictionary to hints about logistics of travel. This should be great for any traveler. I'm using many other resources to learn italian more thoroughly, but this is more useful for that than I predicted. There's past, future, conditional phrases, direct and indirect pronouns, all used correctly, and as you learn the language better, you appreciate the inclusion of a variety of sentence structures here. One way a person might use this would be to highlight the sentences that apply to them, and do flashcard work with a free app. Most people under 30 will know English, and all the waitstaff, but its polite to try and communicate in their language first, even if you are the most casual 6- day traveller. I'll probably read it through 3 times before i go & practice saying the sentences I'll use most frequently more than that. For the price? A great deal

Great size when traveling. The various sections make it easy to find the right words or phrases, to review in advance or when needed. Translator apps are useful but having a conveniently sized, handy resource that anticipates the typical scenario's with dialog, is definitely worth keeping in your purse or backpack as you explore and enjoy the foods, sights and sounds of Italy! Buon Viaggio!

I liked the detail of Rick's phrase book more than the DK phrase book, but the downside is that it could be overwhelming at times to find what I was looking for. Both books were about the same size, which was about twice the size of what I previously used. In Rome, Florence, and Venice, the locals seemed to appreciate my attempts to speak in Italian, but most people quickly offered to speak English instead. So I found myself either regretting carrying in my day bag, or deciding to leave it at the hotel. I did pick up some useful phrases ("Che cosa raccomanda?" "What do you recommend?") when I reviewed it on train rides, and Rick's sense of humor was entertaining ("Nothing with eyeballs"). For the next trip, I will make the effort to review it ahead of time. But it is so easy to look things up online or with an app, and so many Italians speak excellent English, that I may decide not to bring a physical book on the trip.

Best basic phrase and ease of use source there is out there in my estimation. All you need for a short stay to get by.

Great book that gives you a lot of information for your travels to Italy.

Exactly as expected.

This is a great little book! It’s really small and will fit in my purse/backpack. We are going to Italy this summer and it will be a big help with basic phrases. It’s easy to use and has a lot of phrases and words you might need while traveling.

size of the book and print difficult to read also some pronounciation.

Nice pocket sized book to help with travelling to Italy.

Rick provides the essentials for basic words and conversation in Italian. What he does well is provide pretty clear and accurate pronunciation help that makes sense for native English speakers using sounds that English speakers make and can read. Some phrase books use weird ways to describe and help with pronunciation that is no where close to the actual way it should be pronounced. Rick's book provides easy to understand pronunciation help that will get a speaker fairly close to the actual pronunciation and most Italians will understand what's being said.

Just what you need. Really relevant and helpful.

Read the dictionary section when you want just that, otherwise this book is great light-read with nice puns, humorous one-liners here and there to keep you engaged while learning things about a foreign culture that you aren’t likely to know otherwise