Italian readers

[Machiavelli]

Just wondering if anyone can make recommendations... I have Easy Italian Reader (A 3 part text for beginning students) by Riccarda Saggese. It's anything but for beginners in my opinion. The first chapter , Due Amici, is easy enough to read but after that in the next chapter , Gli Studi, gets way harder for a beginner like me. It's like they went from beginner to intermediate in the first 2 chapters. They should of done easy passages for say 5 or so chapters and then move on from there. My other complaint with it is that it doesn't have enough exercises at the end of the chapters. Anyways i will continue with it for now and see if i can get around it somehow. Any other recommendations for readers?

[brindge]

Are you looking for a textbook for Italian? If so, I can recommend the Prego series! The new versions are quite pricey, but I found older (and used) versions on ebay for $1!!! I figure the language hasn't changed between versions 4 and 7!!

Anyway, the series comes with audio cassettes and workbooks, if you are so inclined.

Hope this helps!!

~Barbara

[Machiavelli]

Oh, no, not textbook. In fact I have an old Prego one already as well as others (living language etc.). A reader is usually a dual language book that you immediately start to read. No grammar rules and such. This is the one I have:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss? ... ian+reader

Just before I spend any more money (not much really because i buy used), I wanted to see if anyone can recommend others or if i should stick it out and continue with the one I have.

[jade]

Hi Machiavelli,

I have that book too and I agree with you, the third part of the book is way too hard for a beginner. The first part is very easy though. Even for the second part, one of my Italian friends did not think some sentences were very easy for a beginner to read. I guess the author meant to gradually increase the level of difficulty in that book.

Anyway, I don’t try to read the third part of the book anymore. I read Italian newspapers online and found my reading has been improved a lot. Here are two newspapers I read almost daily:

http://www.corriere.it/ and http://www.repubblica.it/
Or you can try more from this link: http://www.onlinenewspapers.com/italy.htm

[Machiavelli]

Hi Machiavelli,

I have that book too and I agree with you, the third part of the book is way too hard for a beginner. The first part is very easy though. Even for the second part, one of my Italian friends did not think some sentences were very easy for a beginner to read. I guess the author meant to gradually increase the level of difficulty in that book.

Anyway, I don’t try to read the third part of the book anymore. I read Italian newspapers online and found my reading has been improved a lot. Here are two newspapers I read almost daily:

http://www.corriere.it/ and http://www.repubblica.it/
Or you can try more from this link: http://www.onlinenewspapers.com/italy.htm

Yes, the author meant to gradually increase the level of difficulty but imo there was not enough beginner material. Jumped too fast in levels.

I like the newspaper idea but how do you go about it or for a beginner like me with very limited italian reading skills? and which sections of a newspaper should i read to begin with etc.?

[emma]

hey have you tried the New Penguin Parallel Text Short Stories in Italian?
They are all a about 3-6 pages long but are all translated into english page by page so on one side you have the italian story and on the other the english translation- im only a beginner myself and only know the present and past tenses but the book helps with learning vocab without the need to constantly refer to a dictionary
Emma x

[Davide]

I don't know where you're located, but you might try searching on Amazon for the 'Easy Reader' series' They come in Italian versions in various grades. Grade A is based on a vocabulary of about 800 words and should be accessible to a beginner. Here's an example from the UK Amazon site:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Easy-Readers-It ... 059&sr=8-6


This particular one is by Natalia Ginzburg who is particularly suitable for beginners because her syntax is very straightforward.

Davide

[jade]

Yes, the author meant to gradually increase the level of difficulty but imo there was not enough beginner material. Jumped too fast in levels.

I like the newspaper idea but how do you go about it or for a beginner like me with very limited italian reading skills? and which sections of a newspaper should i read to begin with etc.?

Well, I have to admit the first two weeks were very hard. I literately had to check each word from the dictionary, it was awful. But I figured that I had to go through this painful process if I wanted to build up my vocabulary, so I kept on. After two weeks it got better, after one month I was more comfortable with the newspaper reading.

I generally select the short news reporting the killing, murder or accident to read, they are terrible news but easy to catch my attention. The “ucciso” was the first “outside textbook” word I have ever learned. I don’t read politics, it is just simply too hard to comprehend for me. I think reading newspapers has three advantages: No.1, the language is up to date; No. 2, it cannot be overall too difficult because it is said the general rule for the newspapers is they have to be readable for a person who has only a sixth grade reading level; and No. 3, they are plenty and always give me something new to read. Ah, also, they are free.

[Machiavelli]

I don't know where you're located, but you might try searching on Amazon for the 'Easy Reader' series' They come in Italian versions in various grades. Grade A is based on a vocabulary of about 800 words and should be accessible to a beginner. Here's an example from the UK Amazon site:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Easy-Readers-It ... 059&sr=8-6


This particular one is by Natalia Ginzburg who is particularly suitable for beginners because her syntax is very straightforward.

Davide

Definetly sounds what I am looking for but the Amazon site for U.S. only has that book in the German version..

[Machiavelli]

hey have you tried the New Penguin Parallel Text Short Stories in Italian?
They are all a about 3-6 pages long but are all translated into english page by page so on one side you have the italian story and on the other the english translation- im only a beginner myself and only know the present and past tenses but the book helps with learning vocab without the need to constantly refer to a dictionary
Emma x

what is the official title of the book so i can do a search on amazon... ?

[Machiavelli]

Yes, the author meant to gradually increase the level of difficulty but imo there was not enough beginner material. Jumped too fast in levels.

I like the newspaper idea but how do you go about it or for a beginner like me with very limited italian reading skills? and which sections of a newspaper should i read to begin with etc.?

Well, I have to admit the first two weeks were very hard. I literately had to check each word from the dictionary, it was awful. But I figured that I had to go through this painful process if I wanted to build up my vocabulary, so I kept on. After two weeks it got better, after one month I was more comfortable with the newspaper reading.

I generally select the short news reporting the killing, murder or accident to read, they are terrible news but easy to catch my attention. The “ucciso” was the first “outside textbook” word I have ever learned. I don’t read politics, it is just simply too hard to comprehend for me. I think reading newspapers has three advantages: No.1, the language is up to date; No. 2, it cannot be overall too difficult because it is said the general rule for the newspapers is they have to be readable for a person who has only a sixth grade reading level; and No. 3, they are plenty and always give me something new to read. Ah, also, they are free.

I will give it a shot for a month and see...