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Books : Italianissimo: Intermediate No.2 (BBC Intermediate Language Packs)
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Rating: 
- Italianissimo 1: Cassettes
Compared to previous BBC and other language courses, this course is poor. Having lived abroad for nearly 8 years, foreign languages are something that I am used to and learning a new language should be a pleasure. This course made it hard work. It is bitty and has little flow. The book has been designed to attract the buyer rather than teach the language. There is a massive amount of wasted space and information that I could do without. Facts like "Bologna was the first Italian city to close its centre to traffic" or "everything you want to know about naming your baby in Italy" which is obviously a must know item before you reach page 25. Many of the settings for dialogue are unrealistic and irrelevant. How many of you are regular mushroom pickers?
The quality of recordings vary considerably but in some places they are awful. Trying to understand a new language and having cars and lorries thundering by in the background is a joke. I don't care if it is supposed to be realistic. I am not trying to learn "How not understand someone due to background noise". We need to hear the words being spoken and we need to hear them clearly.
I took this course as part of an evening class and most of the benefit gained came from using the BBC's other course for beginners "Buongiorno Italia". In the end I gave up using "Italianissimo". I find the the BBC's older course and the Michel Thomas CDs (recommended by a Cambridge language teacher) far more useful.
Rating:
- Perfect quality and structure. Best language course.
I find the quality of the recordings absolutely perfect. All the recordings are made in real situations, sometimes with background noise, sometimes faster or slowly - just like people speak in different situations. In addition, you would have full transcriptions for them in the course student book. Very useful exercises are provided on these tapes (CDs) with necessary pauses. One more advantage is that 4 cassettes for each level (beginners and intermediate) are rather extensive sets providing you with enough listening material for successful studying either self- or in-class.
Rating: - Perfect quality and structure. Best language course.
I find the quality of the recordings absolutely perfect. All the recordings are made in real situations, sometimes with background noise, sometimes faster or slowly - just like people speak in different situations. In addition, you would have full transcriptions for them in the course student book. Very useful exercises are provided on these tapes (CDs) with necessary pauses. One more advantage is that 4 cassettes for each level (beginners and intermediate) are rather extensive sets providing you with enough listening material for successful studying either self- or in-class.
Rating: - The best language course with incredible audio recordings
Italian is not my first foreign language I have ever learnt. And I don't really understand why people would turn this course down. I have seen quite a few language materials available here on Amazon. There are two types of them: 1) "super-modern" solutions (Michel Thomas, Learn Italian in your car) or "modest-size" materials (phrase books, short self study courses -e.g. "Teach yourself Italian") - these are, probably, make good choice for beginners or one-time travellers to Italy;
2) "traditional" courses - some of them are obsolete and boring but not all of them.
Whilst mentioned materials from the first type can make you progress in relatively little time, give self-confidence or only satisfy your needs occasionally, only "traditional" courses can really teach you the language. Only they involve you into all language activities: reading, writing, listening, speaking. Only they can teach you in a consistent way. Italianissimo is, in my view, an example of the best language course of the second type. Nearly all the drawbacks of traditional approach seem to be considered. To name a few: lack of listening material or non-real sound - gone (4 cassettes of CDs for each level), need for external help (like in a classroom) - gone, small vocabularly - gone, boring studying - wouldn't even mention it. Local information, jokes, tongue twisters, common confusions explained - to name just a few advantages.
One thing I find disappointing is the absence of exercise book similar to the beginners level one.
I am only sorry about the time I have waisted on other courses.
Rating:
- Great for just listening and learning
In quick response to an earlier reviewer, I found the quality of the recordings to be remarkably good. The conversations can have a certain amount of background noise and the speaking be rather quick but that's just realistic.
The situations on the tape are varied and interesting and the two native-speaker hosts are well enunciated in both languages when explaining and reinforcing words and phrases. The conversations are thoroughly worked through and all new phrases explained and put into context (during explanations the background noise is removed to make it all clearer).
The only issue some may have is that the standard of conversation does get quite high quite quickly, but if you like a challenge then the knowledge does come quickly. I don't use these tapes once or twice but have listened to them over and over on the 30 min walk to work. After a few times the words really do become clearer (and not just because you know what's coming) and progress has been good. Highly recommended.
- Italianissimo 1: CassettesCompared to previous BBC and other language courses, this course is poor. Having lived abroad for nearly 8 years, foreign languages are something that I am used to and learning a new language should be a pleasure. This course made it hard work. It is bitty and has little flow. The book has been designed to attract the buyer rather than teach the language. There is a massive amount of wasted space and information that I could do without. Facts like "Bologna was the first Italian city to close its centre to traffic" or "everything you want to know about naming your baby in Italy" which is obviously a must know item before you reach page 25. Many of the settings for dialogue are unrealistic and irrelevant. How many of you are regular mushroom pickers?
The quality of recordings vary considerably but in some places they are awful. Trying to understand a new language and having cars and lorries thundering by in the background is a joke. I don't care if it is supposed to be realistic. I am not trying to learn "How not understand someone due to background noise". We need to hear the words being spoken and we need to hear them clearly.
I took this course as part of an evening class and most of the benefit gained came from using the BBC's other course for beginners "Buongiorno Italia". In the end I gave up using "Italianissimo". I find the the BBC's older course and the Michel Thomas CDs (recommended by a Cambridge language teacher) far more useful.
Rating:
- Perfect quality and structure. Best language course.I find the quality of the recordings absolutely perfect. All the recordings are made in real situations, sometimes with background noise, sometimes faster or slowly - just like people speak in different situations. In addition, you would have full transcriptions for them in the course student book. Very useful exercises are provided on these tapes (CDs) with necessary pauses. One more advantage is that 4 cassettes for each level (beginners and intermediate) are rather extensive sets providing you with enough listening material for successful studying either self- or in-class.
Rating:
- Perfect quality and structure. Best language course.I find the quality of the recordings absolutely perfect. All the recordings are made in real situations, sometimes with background noise, sometimes faster or slowly - just like people speak in different situations. In addition, you would have full transcriptions for them in the course student book. Very useful exercises are provided on these tapes (CDs) with necessary pauses. One more advantage is that 4 cassettes for each level (beginners and intermediate) are rather extensive sets providing you with enough listening material for successful studying either self- or in-class.
Rating:
- The best language course with incredible audio recordingsItalian is not my first foreign language I have ever learnt. And I don't really understand why people would turn this course down. I have seen quite a few language materials available here on Amazon. There are two types of them: 1) "super-modern" solutions (Michel Thomas, Learn Italian in your car) or "modest-size" materials (phrase books, short self study courses -e.g. "Teach yourself Italian") - these are, probably, make good choice for beginners or one-time travellers to Italy;
2) "traditional" courses - some of them are obsolete and boring but not all of them.
Whilst mentioned materials from the first type can make you progress in relatively little time, give self-confidence or only satisfy your needs occasionally, only "traditional" courses can really teach you the language. Only they involve you into all language activities: reading, writing, listening, speaking. Only they can teach you in a consistent way. Italianissimo is, in my view, an example of the best language course of the second type. Nearly all the drawbacks of traditional approach seem to be considered. To name a few: lack of listening material or non-real sound - gone (4 cassettes of CDs for each level), need for external help (like in a classroom) - gone, small vocabularly - gone, boring studying - wouldn't even mention it. Local information, jokes, tongue twisters, common confusions explained - to name just a few advantages.
One thing I find disappointing is the absence of exercise book similar to the beginners level one.
I am only sorry about the time I have waisted on other courses.
Rating:
- Great for just listening and learningIn quick response to an earlier reviewer, I found the quality of the recordings to be remarkably good. The conversations can have a certain amount of background noise and the speaking be rather quick but that's just realistic.
The situations on the tape are varied and interesting and the two native-speaker hosts are well enunciated in both languages when explaining and reinforcing words and phrases. The conversations are thoroughly worked through and all new phrases explained and put into context (during explanations the background noise is removed to make it all clearer).
The only issue some may have is that the standard of conversation does get quite high quite quickly, but if you like a challenge then the knowledge does come quickly. I don't use these tapes once or twice but have listened to them over and over on the 30 min walk to work. After a few times the words really do become clearer (and not just because you know what's coming) and progress has been good. Highly recommended.