Pimsleur Italian Basic Course - Level 1 Lessons 1-10 CD: Learn to Speak and Understand Italian with Pimsleur Language Programs

The Italian Basic Course is the second language I purchased a course for from Pimsleur and it's just as good as the other language/course I bought. I'm very pleased with it. The Pimsleur method of teaching new languages is one that really works with the way I best comprehend & retain what I'm learning. In high school I failed multiple years of Spanish, so I always assumed I could never learn another language, because Spanish is supposed to be the easiest language to learn, right?! I also thought I couldn't learn another language because I've heard it's more difficult to learn another language as an adult compared to a child...I can confidently say that this is not the case! In addition to using Pimsleur, it's a good idea to immerse yourself in the culture of the language you're learning by listening to music/podcasts and watch movies/shows/news in the language you're learning. I also find that if I am not certain of the pronunciation of a word (an 'n' versus an "m", or "v" versus "b", etc), which isn't often because the speakers usually have clear pronunciation, I will google translate the word so I can see it.

I thought this was a great program. It focused on practical things first like saying "I don't understand" and "I speak English" and finished up with "I'll have dinner/drinks with you at nine o'clock". I liked the format, often the narrator asked you in English to say things and then you had a chance to do it in Italian before the speaker gave you the response so you weren't just using repetition. As other reviewers have noted, it would be nice to have a booklet with the words for review... I spent two lessons not sure I was hearing a certain verb correctly. I have had a lot of Spanish lessons so found a lot of similarities between Italian and Spanish and the format of their sentences and conjugation of verbs so perhaps the CDs were good for me because I wasn't exactly starting from scratch. I have since purchased the Italian I course to further work on my Italian. It should be noted that the 5 CDs (i.e. first 10 lessons) in the Basic Italian are also the first 5 CDs out of the 16 CDs in the Italian I. So if you think you'd like to learn past the "I'll go out to dinner with you", you might want to just buy Italian I and skip the Basic Italian.

These CDs would be fantastic if you are just starting to learn - very, very basic for level '0' beginners. The price is right for $20; and it is a fabulous deal if you know nothing about the language! Do love the way that these are set up - audio is clear, quick lessons, verbal repetition, pronunciation, building on each lesson, and reinforcement of memory with previous learned vocabulary - all the right stuff! The CDs even come in a nice zip case. Note: there is NOT an on-line visual supplement to these particular "basic lesson" CDs as mentioned in other reviews. The on-line access is only a 1 page 'how-to' use this course which is explained verbally in the beginning of the first CD. I purchased these to supplement/reinforce a local community Italian class I am taking and to try to hone my listening skills with faster speech. I consider myself a beginner, but these were much too, too basic for me. Only got to the 3rd disc and felt that I personally needed slightly more advanced lessons (somewhere slightly higher than their version of basic beginner). Sadly will return these discs. Would love to purchase Pimsleur for next level since the learning structure & process seemed to be good, BUT their prices are much to high for the next advanced sets!!

I just finished going through the first CD of this set and feel like I'm learning quickly and slowly getting a feel for the sound of the language. I also think it helps that I studied Spanish in college and there's a lot of similarities in the language. All the lessons on the CD start off with a conversation in Italian that you listen to. Then, you learn what each part of the conversation means and practice saying the phrases. At the end, the conversation replays and you practice supplying the answers. The CD always eventually gives you the answer, but the audio pauses to give you time to try and come up with it on your own. Overall, I think these CDs will serve the purpose I need them to. I'm not looking to become fluent in Italian any time soon, but just to gain enough knowledge to be able to get around on a short trip to Italy I'm planning. I think these lessons will help a lot!

it's an okay book with very basic information. it's a good start

My husband and I are learning together and it's fun for an upcoming trip to Italy. Basic conversation, multiple disk, we have listen in the car, but prefer our office. Great way to learn if you prefer to hear it, disk are not visual if that's your way of learning

My wife works for an Italian food company and is literally the only person who does NOT speak Italian. GReat gift for her to listen while she's driving all day. It starts off easy and kind of goes a bit FAST but I guess if you listen to it a million times you'll get used to it

This is an excellent course that teaches you to learn Italian or any other language very easily. Great audio course.

Last year I bought the Pimsleur Brazilian Portuguese Course and it was a life saver when we travelled to Brazil! Locals even commented that I have a perfect accent! So the Pimsleur Italian was a no brainer! I'm loving it so far! It's the best way to learn!

ピンズラーは英語を学んだ時にとてもよかったので、イタリア語が出ないかなとずっと待っていました。英語によるイタリア語ならあると分かり、チャレンジすることに。英語が得意なわけでもないので不安がありましたが、流れが英語を学んだ時と同じなので、全く大丈夫でした。 ピンズラーは本当にわかりやすく、車の運転をしながら繰り返し聴いて話すうちに文型や発音を覚えて、自然と口をついて出るようになるのが嬉しいです。 ただ、CD5枚はあっという間です。この次の段階はないのでしょうか？

I like Pimsleur's method of learning as I drive a lot on highways and can learn in the car. You learn like you did as child, buy listening and repeating. Lots of opportunity to repeat back. No reading or writing, just learning to speak and understand.

Easy to understand and follow.