Introduction 1 About This Book 1 Conventions Used in This Book 2 Foolish Assumptions 3 Icons Used in This Book 3 Where to Go from Here 4 Chapter 1: I Say It How? Speaking Italian 5 You Already Know Some Italian 6 Words that sound familiar 7 Popular expressions 8 Mouthing Off: Basic Pronunciation 10 The vowel "a" 10 The vowel "e" 11 The vowel "i" 11 The vowel "o" 11 The vowel "u" 11 Consonants that sound the same in Italian as they do in English 11 The consonant "c" 12 The consonant "g" 13 The consonant "h" 14 The consonant "q" 14 The consonant "r" 14 The consonant "s" 15 The consonant "z" 15 Double consonants 15 Consonant clusters 16 Stressing Words Properly 16 Chapter 2: Grammar on a Diet: Just the Basics. 19 Setting Up Simple Sentences 19 Coping with Gendered Words (Articles and Adjectives) 21 Definite feminine articles 21 Definite masculine articles 22 The indefinite feminine article 23 Indefinite masculine articles 23 Adjectives 23 Talking about Pronouns 25 Personal pronouns 25 Direct object pronouns 27 Indirect object pronouns 28 Saying "you": Formal and informal 30 Asking Questions 31 Introducing Regular and Irregular Verbs 33 Regular verbs 33 Irregular verbs 36 Presenting the Simple Tenses: Past, Present, and Future 38 Past tense 38 Present tense 42 Future tense 42 Chapter 3: Numerical Gumbo: Counting of All Kinds 45 Counting Cardinals 45 Ordering Ordinals 49 Talking about Time 50 The four seasons 50 Decades 51 Months of the year 51 Days of the week 52 Times of day 53 Being early or late 54 Getting Addresses and Phone Numbers 55 Talking about streets 56 Describing your home 56 Using the verbs "vivere" and "abitare" 57 Money, Money, Money 58 Going to the bank 59 Changing money 61 Chapter 4: Making New Friends and Enjoying Small Talk. 63 Looking at Common Greetings and Good-byes 63 Deciding whether to address someone formally or informally 65 Responding to a greeting 65 Specifying your reuniting 66 Finding Out Whether Someone Speaks English 67 Begging Your Pardon? 69 Making Introductions 69 Introducing yourself 70 Introducing other people 71 Getting Acquainted 73 Talking about where you come from 73 Being you, being there: Using the verbs "essere" and "stare" 78 Talking about yourself and your family 81 Chatting about the weather 82 Chapter 5: Enjoying a Drink and a Snack (Or Meal) 85 Eating and Drinking, Italian Style 85 The Start and Finish of Dining Out 90 Making reservations 90 Paying for your meal 91 Having Breakfast 92 Eating Lunch and Dinner 93 Savoring Italian soups and pasta dishes 94 Using the verbs "prendere" and "volere" 95 Ordering from the menu 97 Savoring Dessert 99 Chapter 6: Shop ''til You Drop!. 101 Departmentalizing Your Shopping 102 Talking with a Sales Clerk 104 Sizing Up Italian Sizes 105 Choosing Colors and Fabrics 106 Accessorizing 108 Stepping Out in Style 109 Shopping for Food 109 Meats 110 Seafood 110 Produce 111 Baked goods 113 Paying for Your Purchases 114 Chapter 7: Making Leisure a Top Priority. 117 Acquiring Culture 118 Going to the movies 119 Choosing your seat at the theater 121 Going to a concert 122 Inviting Fun 123 Getting Out and About 125 Enjoying the wonders of nature 125 Taking a tour 127 Playing sports 128 Chapter 8: When You Gotta Work 133 Talking Shop 133 Common professions 134 The human element 135 Office equipment 136 Chatting on the Phone 137 Calling from a public phone 138 Calling for business or pleasure 139 Asking for People and Leaving a Message 141 Chapter 9: I Get Around: Transportation 145 Getting through the Airport 145 Checking in 146 Waiting to board the plane 147 Taking care of business after landing 148 Going through customs 148 Renting a Car 149 Navigating Public Transportation 151 Taking a taxi 151 Getting around by train 152 Going by bus or tram 153 Asking for Directions 154 Asking for specific places 155 Getting oriented 156 Asking how far something is 159 Verbs on the move 159 Locations you may be looking for 161 Chapter 10: Finding a Place to Lay Your Weary Head. 163 Reserving a Room 163 Checking in and Getting Settled 166 Using Plurals and Pronouns 170 Making more in Italian 170 Personalizing pronouns 173 Chapter 11: Dealing with Emergencies 177 Dealing with Car Trouble 178 Talking to Doctors 180 I''ve Been Robbed! Knowing What to Do and Say When the Police Arrive 185 When You Need a Lawyer 187 Chapter 12: Ten Favorite Italian Expressions 189 Mamma mia! (My goodness!) 189 Che bello! (How lovely!) 189 Uffa! (Aargh!) 189 Che ne so! (How should I know?) 189 Magari! (If only!) 189 Ti sta bene! (Serves you right!) 190 Non te la prendere! (Don''t get so upset! / Don''t think about it!) 190 Che macello! (What a mess!) 190 Non mi va! (I don''t feel like it!) 190 mi raccomando! (Please, I beg you!) 190 Chapter 13: Ten Phrases That Make You Sound Like a Local 191 In bocca al lupo! (Good luck!) 191 Acqua in bocca! (Don''t say a word!) 191 Salute! (Bless you!) 191 Macché! (Of course not! / Certainly not!) 192 Neanche per sogno! (In your dreams!) 192 Peggio per te! (Too bad for you!) 192 Piantala! (Stop it!) 192 Vacci piano! (Slow down! / Take it easy!) 192 Gatta ci cova! (There''s something fishy going on!) 193 Sono nel pallone! (I''m flustered!) 193 Index 195.