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Introduction 1 About This Book 1 Conventions Used in This Book 1 Foolish Assumptions 3 How This Book is Organized 3
Part I: Getting Started 3
Part II: Italian in Action 3
Part III: Italian on the Go 4
Part IV: The
Part of Tens 4
Part V: Appendixes 4 Icons Used in This Book 4 Where to Go from Here 5
Part I: Getting Started 7
Chapter 1: Saying It Like It is 9 You Already Know Some Italian! 9 Cognates 11 Popular expressions 11 Mouthing Off: Basic Pronunciation 12 The Alphabet 13 Vowels 13 Consonants 15 Stressing Words Properly 19 Using Gestures 20
Chapter 2: Jumping Into the Basics of Italian 21 Setting Up Simple Sentences 21 Coping with Gendered Words (Articles, Nouns, and Adjectives) 22 Nouns and gender 22 The indefinite articles 23 Definite articles 24 Adjectives 25 Talking about Pronouns 26 Personal pronouns 27 Saying "you": Formal and informal 27 Verbs 28 Introducing regular and irregular verbs 28 Idiomatic uses of avere 32 Having to, wanting to, being able to 37 Presenting the Simple Tenses: Past, Present, and Future 38
Chapter 3: Buongiorno! Salutations! 43 Looking at Common Greetings and Good-byes 43 Deciding between formal or friendly 45 Replying to a greeting 45 Specifying your reuniting 46 Making Introductions 47 Introducing yourself 47 Introducing other people 50 Getting Acquainted 53 Finding out whether someone speaks Italian 53 Talking about where you come from 54 Extending and responding to invitations 60
Chapter 4: Getting Your Numbers and Time Straight 63 Counting Numbers 63 Times of Day and Days of the Week 66 Using the Calendar and Making Dates 68 Making dates 69 Telling time 70 Chatting about the Weather 72 Familiarizing Yourself with the Metric System 77 Length and Distance 78 Weight 78
Part II: Italian in Action 83
Chapter 5: Casa dolce casa (Home Sweet Home) 85 Ordering Ordinals 85 Inhabiting Your Home 87 Hunting for an apartment 87 Sprucing up your apartment 92 Furnishing your new pad 93 Housekeeping in style 95 Cooking and cleaning 98 Doing household chores 100
Chapter 6: Where is the Colosseum? Asking Directions 103 Finding Your Way: Asking for Specific Places 103 Mapping the quarters and following directions 105 Verbs on the Move 109 Locations You May Be Looking For 113
Chapter 7: Food Glorious Food -- and Don''t Forget the Drink 119 Eating, Italian Style 119 Drinking, Italian Style 119 Expressing your love for espresso 120 Beverages with even more of a kick 121 The Start and End of Dining Out 123 Making reservations 124 Paying for your meal 125 Having Breakfast 126 Eating Lunch 127 Enjoying Dinner 129 Shopping for Food 132 Al macellaio (ahl mah-chehl-lahy-oh) (at the butcher''s) 132 Pesce (fish) (peh-sheh) 133 At the panetteria (breadshop) 134
Chapter 8: Shopping, Italian Style 139 Clothing Yourself 139 Deciding between department stores and boutiques 139 Sizing up Italian sizes 143 Talking definitely and indefinitely 144 Coloring your words 145 Accessorizing 147 Stepping out in style 148
Chapter 9: Having Fun Out on the Town 151 Acquiring Culture 151 Going to the movies 154 Going to the theater 156 Going to a museum 160 Going to a local festival 161 Going to a concert 162 Inviting Fun 164
Chapter 10: Taking Care of Business and Telecommunicating 173 Phoning Made Simple 173 Connecting via cellphones, texts, and Skype 174 Calling for business or pleasure 176 Making Arrangements over the Phone 178 Asking for People and Getting the Message 179 What Did You Do Last Weekend? -- Talking about the Past 182 Discussing Your Job 186 The human element 187 Office equipment 187
Chapter 11: Recreation and the Outdoors 191 Taking a Tour 191 Speaking Reflexively 195 Playing Sports 196 Talking about Hobbies and Interests 200
Part III: Italian on the Go 207
Chapter 12: Planning a Trip 209 Deciding When and Where to Go 209 Taking a Tour 211 Booking a Trip/Traveling to Foreign Lands 213 Arriving and Leaving: The Verbs "Arrivare" and "Partire" 216 Going to the Beach and Spa 217 Using the Simple Future Tense 217
Chapter 13: Money, Money, Money 221 Going to the Bank 221 Changing Money 224 Using Credit Cards 226 Looking at Various Currencies 228
Chapter 14: Getting Around: Planes, Trains, Taxis, and Buses 233 Getting through the Airport 233 Checking in 234 Dealing with excess baggage 236 Waiting to board the plane 237 Coping after landing 238 Going through Customs 240 Losing Luggage 241 Renting a Car 243 Navigating Public Transportation 245 Calling a taxi 245 Moving by train 246 Going by bus or tram 249 Reading maps and schedules 251 Being Early or Late 253
Chapter 15: Finding a Place to Stay 255 Choosing a Place to Stay 255 Reserving a Room 256 Checking In 259 Personalizing pronouns 262 This or these: Demonstrative adjectives and pronouns 263 Yours, mine, and ours: Possessive pronouns 263 Bending Others to Your Will: Imperatives 267
Chapter 16: Handling Emergencies 271 Talking to Doctors 272 Describing what ails you 273 Understanding professional medical vocabulary 277 Getting what you need at the pharmacy 277 Braving the dentist 279 Reporting an Accident to the Police 280 I''ve Been Robbed! Knowing What to Do and Say When the Police Arrive 281 Dealing with Car Trouble 285 When You Need a Lawyer: Protecting Your Rights 287 Reporting a Lost or Stolen Passport 288
Chapter 17: Small Talk, Wrapping Things Up 293 Discovering Interrogative Pronouns 293 Asking simple questions 295 Taking care of basic needs 296 Talking About Yourself and Your Family -- Possessives
Part 2 300 Speaking Reflexively 305 Talking shop 307 Discussing your job 307
Part IV: The
Part of Tens 313
Chapter 18: Ten Ways to Pick Up Italian Quickly 315 Read Italian Food Labels 315 Ask for Food in Italian 316 Listen to Italian Songs 316 Read Italian Publications 316 Watch Italian Movies 316 Tune in to Italian Radio and TV Programs 317 Listen to Italian Language Tapes 317 Share Your Interest 317 Surf the Net 318 Cook! 318
Chapter 19: Ten Things Never to Say in Italian 319 Ciao-ing Down 319 Don''t Be Literal 320 Five Fickle "False Friends" 320 Food Faux Pas 321 The Problem with "Play" 321 Being Careful of "False Friends" 321
Chapter 20: Ten Favorite Italian Expressions 323 Mamma mia! 323 Che bello! 323 Uffa! 324 Che ne so!/Boh! 324 Magari! 324 Tista bene! 324 Non te la prendere! 324 Che macello! 325 Non mi va! 325 Mi raccomando! 325
Chapter 21: Ten Phrases to Say So That People Think You''re Italian 327 In bocca al lupo! 327 Acqua in bocca! 328 Salute! 328 Macché! 328 Neanche per sogno! 328 Peggio per te! 328 Piantala! 329 Vacci piano! 329 Eccome! 329 Lascia perdere! 329
Part V: Appendixes 331 Appendix A: Verb Tables 333 Italian Verbs 333 Irregular Italian Verbs 336 Italian -IRE Verbs with a Special Pattern (-isc-) 343 Common Irregular Past Participles 345 Appendix B: Dictionaries 347 Appendix C: About the CD 359 Track Listing 359 Customer Care 360 Appendix D: Answer Keys 361 Index 369