! Whether you re learning Italian for the first time or just brushing up on your skills, this updated edition of the bestselling Italian: A Self-Teaching Guide is the ideal way to master the language at your own pace. In fifteen simple lessons, you ll learn how to engage in everyday conversations from ordering at a restaurant to asking for directions to making special arrangements with a hotel concierge. Written in a lively, personable style by a native Italian, this practical guide combines the quick-reference virtues of a phrasebook with the learning tools of a full-fledged language course. Designed to acquaint you with the basic skills you need to speak, read, write, and understand the language, Italian: A Self-Teaching Guide, Second Edition demystifies grammar, common usage, and pronunciation with step-by-step lessons on numbers, days of the week, telling time, and special rules of speech. It also includes extensive vocabulary and culture notes. Mini-dialogues from real-life situations provide a vibrant introduction to Italian culture and customs while a fun assortment of exercises, self-tests, and practice activities constantly reinforces your reading and conversational skills.