Was It Something I Said?

Italian in 10 Minutes a Day: One of the “gimmicks” of this book is that it comes with stickers you can place on objects around your house, labeling them in Italian. It may sound silly, but it works. I will never forget what to call the door, the mirror, the cat (okay, he’s not really wearing a sticker), or dozens of other common items around the house. Writing a word or phrase over and over again and repeating it out loud may seem like tedious exercises, but there is a reason why these kinds of drills are used in schools throughout the world. Writing and saying words is an effective way to reinforce them. The pronunciation guide is helpful, although its big, very significant weakness is that it does not tell you which syllable gets the emphasis. This book is a terrific way to get started, but you will also need some kind of audio course, or a live teacher, to master the sound of spoken Italian.