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M. S.

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M. S., 648d ago

July 23, 2023

best book to self-study italian

I researched the best books to self-study Italian by analyzing discussions on Reddit and examining curated lists from language learning websites. The sources provided various recommendations based on individual preferences and learning styles. While there was no clear consensus on the absolute best book for self-study, several options were repeatedly mentioned across multiple sources. Here, I will discuss these recommendations and the reasoning behind them.

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L'italiano secondo il metodo natura

L'italiano secondo il metodo natura is an entirely Italian book that utilizes natural language acquisition. It was recommended by Reddit users in a discussion about self-studying Italian. This book is praised for its effectiveness in teaching Italian without initially understanding the meaning of any word, as it gradually builds understanding as you read.
Assimil

Assimil

Assimil is a fully Italian textbook series highly recommended by Reddit users. One user stated that the series is great and really well done, while others suggested sharing sample chapters with those unsure about purchasing a book. It is an option for learners who prefer fully Italian textbooks and is considered achievable even with just fluency in Spanish.
Nuovo Espresso and Nuovissimo Progetto Italiano

Nuovo Espresso and Nuovissimo Progetto Italiano

Alma Edizioni textbooks, including Nuovo Espresso and Nuovissimo Progetto Italiano, were suggested on Reddit as alternatives to the Living Language course books. These textbooks come with audio files and are available in fully Italian versions. They have curriculums corresponding to each CEFR level, making them suitable for learners of different proficiency levels.

Italian: A Self-Teaching Guide (2nd Edition)

This book is recommended as the first purchase for complete Italian novices. It covers basics like telling the time and days of the week, and goes into fundamental grammar rules. According to a language learning website, it should be the first book you purchase if you're completely new to Italian.
Short Stories in Italian by Olly Richards

Easy Italian Step-by-Step

Easy Italian Step-by-Step is a highly recommended option for individuals who want to approach Italian grammar in a more accessible way. This book introduces Italian grammar rules and vocabulary simultaneously, making it less overwhelming for beginners.

Italian in 10 Minutes a Day

Italian in 10 Minutes a Day is part of a series of books designed to help you learn languages quickly. It is an excellent choice for beginners who want to cover the basics of grammar and verb tenses.

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Research

"Make Power Query Faster"

  • User has about 18 types of Excel reports that are stored in a single folder as text files.
  • They have a workbook containing 25 queries that connect to the folder, filter for a certain type of report, and apply various transformations (such as new columns and pivoting).
  • For a few reports, the user has multiple queries that connect to the same folder and filter for a certain type to pull out different metrics because different steps need to be applied to the same report type.
  • The user has a “merge” query which merges all of the 25 queries together and loads them to the data model.
  • In the merge query, the user starts with a table of all their departments with an index for the order they need to be in. They then merge the 25 queries to each department by expanding the table and merging the queries.
  • Performance issues arise because when refreshing, the user is connecting to the same folder for each query and even the same groups of reports for a few of the queries.
  • The reports are saved for the last 12 months in this folder. On the first of every month, 18 new reports are added, and the 18 oldest reports are deleted automatically.
  • User seeks advice on how to make sure their process is running as fast as possible.
  • Recommendations include using query caches, building a custom cache, upgrading to 64-bit Excel, and using Access to store data before importing into Excel.
  • The user has some issues with one query that filters for a type of report in the folder that is considerably larger than the others (100,000 KB each) and combines them and then pivots on a column that has only two possible values.
  • Finally, the recommendations include using List.Buffer and Table.Buffer to alleviate issues when reading data and using CSVs instead of XLSX files to improve performance.

"https://learnlanguagesfromhome.com/books-to-learn-italian/"

  • The webpage is a curated list of the 20 best books to learn Italian for beginners and beyond.
  • It highlights the importance of being prepared with the best possible chances of mastering Italian, and to do that, you’ll need some books to learn Italian.
  • The recommendations include grammar books, textbooks, audiobooks, and some extras to help you out.
  • It also recommends popular apps such as Babbel, Mondly, the famous Pimsleur audio course, or comprehensive courses like MosaLingua, to combine with the books for faster fluency.
  • It advises individuals to start with the right book to prevent any frustration and select the books and resources based on their Italian level to make a significant impact on their learning.
  • The webpage recommends “Italian: A Self-Teaching Guide (2nd Edition)” for complete Italian novices, as the first book to purchase. It covers basics from telling the time to the days of the week, and goes into basic grammar rules.
  • “Italian Vocabulary Builder: 2222 Italian Phrases To Learn Italian and Grow Your Vocabulary” is a great option for someone who is overwhelmed by dictionaries when learning a new language. This book contains practical phrases, and each chapter focuses on words and phrases you’ll need, applicable when reading longer Italian texts.
  • “Easy Italian Step-by-Step” is a great option for anyone who wants to take on Italian grammar. This book takes a gentle approach to introducing Italian grammar rules and vocabulary simultaneously, making it accessible and not overwhelming for beginners.
  • “Practice Makes Perfect: Complete Italian All-in-One (1st Edition)” is a self-study guide and textbook that is lightweight and easy to carry around. It contains numerous lessons in one place and caters to beginners in need of an Italian workbook that doesn’t throw around complex grammatical terms or vocabulary lists.
  • “Italian Short Stories for Beginners: 20 Captivating Short Stories to Learn Italian & Grow Your Vocabulary the Fun Way!” is a great way to expand your comfort zone by challenging yourself, expanding your knowledge of the Italian language and seeing yourself learning new vocabulary. Each story highlights useful vocabulary, and readers can read Italian and English summaries at the book’s end, to ensure they understood the gist properly.
  • The webpage also recommends several grammar books to learn Italian, such as “Practice Makes Perfect: Complete Italian Grammar (3rd Edition)” for Italian learners who prefer working on paper, Schaum’s Outline of Italian Grammar (4th Edition) for beginners and intermediate-level learners and “Practice Makes

"https://www.mezzoguild.com/books-to-learn-italian/"

  • There are many great books to help you learn Italian and make your dream a reality.
  • Books are excellent tools to help you learn Italian because they’re a visual learning guide.
  • Using Italian books and self-study guides allows you to learn and acquire skills at your own pace.
  • Some language learning books are designed like textbooks and organized by skill.
  • Starting by skill is an excellent way to cover the basics of grammar and verb tenses at the beginner level.
  • When you get started learning Italian, you’ll need the basics.
  • Once you have the basic skills and some essential vocabulary in place, you can move up to books focused on Italian dialogues and conversation starters.
  • As you continue your Italian language learning journey, you’ll want to use some listening resources like audiobooks.
  • Another important reason that Italian books are an excellent tool is to learn new vocabulary in context.
  • Learning words in context is the best way to retain what you learned.
  • You can connect the vocabulary with the idea that the word represents, which helps you remember what you learned.
  • In addition, language learning books have illustrations and graphics that further reinforce new vocabulary.
  • The article provides a list of seven excellent books to help you learn Italian.
  • Each book is described and comes with its features and recommended audience level.
  • The article also attributed importance to choosing a book based on personal learning style and goals.
  • For visual learners, creating visual notes is recommended to aid in the recall of new vocabulary.
  • For audio learners, apps and audiobooks are useful tools.
  • For those willing to engage more in the cultural side, reading short stories can help explore the country, culture, and people of Italy.
  • One of the books recommended, “English Grammar for Students of Italian” is also a helpful resource.
  • The book is an English grammar book but it helps you connect grammar points in English to Italian.
  • This collection of short stories is curated for beginners.
  • If you love to read and dive into character and story, you’ll enjoy exploring Italian culture through these short stories.
  • The Practice Makes Perfect series is dedicated to following the five Cs of Foreign Language Education, including communication, culture, connections, comparisons, and community.
  • The book provides opportunities to review vocabulary and work on comprehension.
  • The best part of this book is an extensive list of idioms.
  • Ecco Italian In Depth is a superb resource for those that are intermediate to advanced.
  • It’s well-organized by theme, so you are not stuck looking for

"What is the best book to study Italian on your own?"

  • Original poster asked for advice on a book to self-study Italian for one hour a day.
  • A Reddit user recommended “L’italiano secondo il metodo natura,” an entirely Italian book that utilizes natural language acquisition.
  • Another user recommended “Short Stories in Italian” by Olly Richards, suggested creating flashcards with new vocabulary and then rereading chapters.
  • User 1 reiterated the effectiveness of natural acquisition with L’italiano secondo il metodo natura over translation.
  • A different user suggested “Basic Italian: a grammar and workbook” by Stella Peyronel and Ian Higgins.
  • User 2 recommended the same book and said that they have used it to learn Italian.
  • There was a brief discussion on short stories available in easy Italian with users recommending Alma’s short story books.
  • A user recommended supplementing reading with audiobooks, movies, podcasts, and other media in Italian.
  • Another user advised watching Italian shows with Italian subtitles.
  • More recommendations for immersion were given such as finding an Italian-speaking buddy over Skype.
  • One user recommended varying study materials to avoid burnout.
  • A few users suggested Duolingo.
  • A user cautioned against relying too much on grammar but opt for a mix of writing, reading, listening, and speaking exercises.
  • Another user recommended finding videos on Youtube where the speaker only speaks in Italian.
  • Several users cautioned against preemptively trying to learn too many grammar rules.
  • Other users recommended “Madrigal’s Magic Key to Italian” and “Essential Italian Grammar.”
  • A user recommended the frequency of studying is less important than consistency.
  • Users recommended using spaced repetition apps for vocabulary memorization such as AnkiDroid and Quizlet.
  • Another user shared they’ve found success using a combination of graded readers and listening to Italian speakers on Youtube.
  • Suggestions include using online resources such as Italki, HelloTalk, and language learning Discord channels.
  • A user provided several recommendations for YouTube channels to watch for Italian content such as “Learn Italian with Lucrezia.”

"What books to use for learning Italian?"

  • Original poster dislikes the Living Language course books because they throw phrases at you without telling you what they mean.
  • Suggested alternatives include: Alma Edizioni textbooks (Nuovo Espresso and Nuovissimo Progetto Italiano) which have audio files and a fully Italian version, also Italian-only textbooks like Assimil.
  • Another user recommends Oggi in Italia, but states that the sentences can be forced-sounding for native Italians.
  • They also recommend using Gramm.it solely in Italian to learn more about the language, but note that it can be difficult if you don’t already have a grasp on the language.
  • L’italiano per la cucina is suggested for practicing grammar and food vocabulary.
  • One user recommends sharing sample chapters for Assimil with others who are not sure if they want to buy a book or not.
  • Nuovo Espresso and Nuovissimo Progetto Italiano have curriculum corresponding to each CEFR level.
  • One user recommends fully Italian textbooks, stating that they can be accomplished even if you only have fluency in Spanish.
  • The user who recommended Assimil stated that the book series is great and really well done.
  • Living Language courses were once good, but now the “Complete” courses are looked down on.
  • The publishers Alma Edizioni and Edilingua have many books available for learning Italian other than their textbooks.
  • Some Italian classes use both Oggi in Italia and Gramm.it.

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Overcoming challenges in self-studying Italian

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5 best books to self-study Italian and why