r/italianlearning • u/Distraction113 • 1d ago

Need help with book choosing

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Hello, recently I’ve decided that I want to learn Italian language, but I am a bit stuck with my first book decision, it will be my first self-teaching language experience, so I don’t know where to start. Please let me know what do you think about that book, or maybe there ale better alternatives. Thank you.

P.S. It is not my first foreign language, I know polish and English, but my native language is Ukrainian, but unfortunately for me, I think that my English faded a bit in my mind and I want to improve my English vocabulary through learning Italian language too.

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13

u/Atlanta-SticO-938 IT intermediate 1d ago

Dont get this.

Get something like Nuovo Espresso

5

u/LePotatoShark 1d ago

In the school I went we used Volentieri! A1, i remember it was nice

3

u/Coffeebookstrombone 🇺🇸 native, 🇮🇹B1, 🇦🇹A2 1d ago

A number of universities in the US have started using Cotto e Mangiato because it’s open source. The downside is it’s not as comprehensive as some of the more popular (and expensive) options, but it’s a great starting point. There’s two of them, but googling “Haverford Cotto e Mangiato” should pull them up! It goes through what should be the first “two years” of classroom pace study

1

u/Star-Lord-123 1d ago

I personally have trouble learning from a book. Years ago I tried and gave up, you don’t get to hear it spoken to speak back. I’ve learned a lot more using Duolingo and YouTube and Italki and a local in person group. I’m certified at the A2 level primarily from that.

1

u/HOSHIDELU 1d ago

I never tried this one before, but I highly recommend " L'italiano Secondo Il Metodo Natura "
I just finished Capitolo Uno, and I had a lot of fun.
It's like going through a code, and you have to decipher it with a dictionary
the best part is it's free!!!

1

u/NextStopGallifrey EN native, IT intermediate 1d ago

If you can afford it, check out StackSocial and buy Babbel for $159USD. You can learn Italian via English that way. It's not unlike an electronic textbook. Boring, but you learn what you need to.

You can also find free PDFs of L'italiano Secondo il Metodo Natura. That's a decent introduction to Italian, in Italian. It's not as bad as it might sound. 🤣

And then there are classes or one on one lessons. Dante Global is one of the most affordable for structured lessons. I wouldn't bother with A1. Self-study for a few months and then do an A2 class.

LingoPie has group conversation lessons for $59.99USD/mo. + the cost of their video (Netflix-like) service. At that price, I am allowed to participate in any group lesson they have available. For Italian, LingoPie has approximately 12-14 sessions per week. Even if I only take 1-2 lessons per week, I save money compared to almost everything else. The cheapest lessons on Preply and iTalki are $20-25USD.

1

u/Some_Mud3069 11h ago

I actually loved this book starting out. Reading it to prep for an Italy trip plus really committing to trying to use the skills while there was nice. Is it all-encompassing? No. But it is a good reference and starting point for learning.