Rosetta Stone is nothing compared to this book!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Rosetta Stone takes a lot of guess work and to me that is a waste of time. This audiobook makes so much sense and I was making sentences that I can retain after the first two chapters. I speak English and Spanish and working on Italian and Portuguese through this same author. I wish I knew about this audiobook when I was learning Spanish.
You will not be disappointed with this audiobook. Rosetta Stone uses a lot of marketing hype, but looking at pictures and trying to guess exactly what the picture is supposed to say is ridiculous.

24 people found this helpful

Listen, Repeat, Recall, and Don't Worry About It

Power Italian 1 Accelerated – Listen, Repeat, Recall, and Don’t Worry About It.

I am so impressed with myself (and, oh yeah, with the Power Italian Accelerated audio program, too) that I feel compelled to write a review. I like stuff that works and this Power Italian Accelerated audio program really works. The material may seem a little overwhelming at first because there are a whole lot of words and phrases that are thrown at you right off the bat. But there’s a reason for that.

The narrator uses what he calls ‘audio snapshots’ to introduce new material. These are sections where the listener is instructed to simply listen without repeating. The first audio snapshot comes right after the program begins and lasts for several minutes. My first reaction was that this is way too much material and I’m never going to remember all of it. And that’s true. I didn’t remember hardly any of it at first. But I kept listening. It wasn’t until I was a couple of hours into the program that I realized that remembering all of it is not the point; at least not in the beginning. I, and probably most people, have always assumed that learning a new language was about memorizing words and sentences. And it is. But what I have come to realize, my own personal epiphany, is that listening is just as important and I think even more important than intentionally memorizing. I’m not saying that you don’t have to remember anything; of course you do. But one of the keys to remembering is just simply listening. You have to ‘tune in’ to a language, that is, to the peculiar sounds of a language, in order to be able to speak it and to understand it.

The relatively short time that I have spent listening to Power Italian has given me a new perspective on learning languages and I have some advice that I’d like to pass along: Just do what the program narrator says to do and just keep listening and repeating. The words and phrases get easier and easier to remember as you go along and the correct pronunciation gets easier and easier the more you repeat the words and phrases. If you just follow along and don’t worry about what you know and what you don’t know you’ll soon be surprised at what you know - and equally surprised that you came to know it without a lot of mental or emotional sweating. Power Italian really works for me. No worries!

45 people found this helpful

Made Me Semi-Fluent

Any additional comments?

I learned so much from Power Italian 1 that I almost feel fluent. I know that I am not “native” in Italian, but my ability to converse with native Italians took a giant leap forward with Power Italian 1 Accelerated.
Warning. If you do not really care about truly learning to speak and understand real Italian the way the Italians speak it, then don’t bother with Power Italian. There are lots of other “feel good/teach nothing” programs out there, believe me, I have used them all.
On the other hand, if you really want to work at it a little, and “enjoy the process” as the program says, then you’re going to speak Italian very soon with Power Italian.

8 people found this helpful

Great Italian Instruction Aimed at Fluency

What did you love best about Power Italian I Accelerated - 8 One Hour Audio Lessons - 144 Study Units?

I went from being a complete novice to actually conversing in Italian with natives with this little $19.00 program. It's amazing effective if you use it every day.
I loved the fresh and intense approach which forced me to recall and really learn how to speak Italian. I have read reviews that state the contrary, but I have listened and relistened to this program and the material is always new, fresh, and then it is all strategically reviewed so you get strong at speaking, responding, creating original sentences.

What did you like best about this story?

The teaching approach and technique used in Power Italian is the best I have yet experienced. No guessing. Everything is explained clearly in English by the American instructor and then spoken slowly then quickly by the native Italian speaker. Then the best part. You get repeated chances to get the questions right, to remember correctly. You literally fail your way to fluency with this program just like a little child is allowed to stumble, fall, get up and try to walk until he or she finally makes it.

Have you listened to any of Mark Frobose’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes. I have tried a number of Mark's programs and they are all fantastic. I just have to repeat that it's an unbelievable value to get this kind of effective instruction for so little money, and then have so much fun learning it. The best part is showing off in front of your friends.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I had an extremely happy response to Power Italian Accelerated. The first time you listen you learn enough to say "Where is the bathroom" and "I would like to order now please".

Any additional comments?

Don't waste your money on all of the bizarre language programs out there. Language Audiobooks really makes great programs and I highly recommend you try Power Italian.
You'll be speaking Italian fast and enjoying that process they use!

15 people found this helpful

BEST FOR BEGINNING TO INTERMEDIATE

Would you listen to Power Italian I Accelerated/Complete Written Listening Guide-Tapescript/8 One Hour Audio Lessons again? Why?

I started from zip (niente) in Italian with this course (Power Italian) and now I feel that I am at least speaking and understanding Italian at an intermediate level. I say this because my wife’s family now understands me when I talk and I can actually converse with her nonna – grandmother in Italian.
Of course, their accents all vary and I speak slowly compared to her native Italian speaking family. BUT … come on man. For $19.00 bucks, this course is a dream. It’s fast and easy enough for me to understand and learn to speak some Italian. If this works for me, then anybody can learn with this method.

6 people found this helpful

High reviews are warranted

I've been using different Italian language audio guides for six months now, including a bunch of Pimsleur and Innovative Language, and this is hands down the best I've heard yet for quick conversation acquisition. The repetition definitely helps. Most of the material wasn't new to me, so can't be 100% about how it would sound to a beginner, but I found the review very powerful and the new material well presented. Much like learning a language from an Italian speaker. Wish I'd found it earlier.

5 people found this helpful

Like the Listening Guide Approach

Any additional comments?

I really liked the approach with the Italian lady and the guy explaining it in English.
For me it works better than most of the other stuff I’ve used to learn Italian.
My wife likes Pimsleur too, but they don’t have the written material that Power Italian has. It helps me to be able to see the words written and to follow it that way at home, so I go with Power Italian and the listening guide approach.

5 people found this helpful

Mark Sounds Like Anthony Bourdain

Any additional comments?

I LOVE Power Italian. Mark’s voice is deep and clear and the Italian speaker goes slowly at first and then speaks at native speed on the second round so you can practice.
Massive amount of vocabulary, but you never feel overwhelmed because of the pleasant tone and the way they break it down so you understand how to put it all together into original sentences in the past, present, future. All situations are covered. Very useful stuff.
This is by far the best Italian language program I have tried and the most effective and enjoyable method.
I agree with another reviewer that Mark’s rich deep voice sounds like a multilingual Anthony Bourdain. So enjoyable to learn Italian this way. I’m getting more fluent by the day.

5 people found this helpful

Molto Bene - Benissimo

What made the experience of listening to Power Italian I Accelerated/Complete Written Listening Guide-Tapescript/8 One Hour Audio Lessons the most enjoyable?

From the excellent voice of Hilaria to Mark's explanations to the culture to the idioms and the simple sentences all I can say is that this program simplifies speaking Italian so much that I think even my dog could learn to speak Italian with it. Love it.

Who was your favorite character and why?

4 people found this helpful

Best Italian Course So Far

Power Italian by Language Audiobooks is by far the best beginning Italian program I have used so far. Very intense but so easy to understand, to practice and to improve. The native Italian speaker is so considerate and really teaches the correct accent, and Mark really explains things completely in English. I really think all language programs should be structured this way to people like me don't have to guess anymore. I'm remembering almost everything because these two don't let you forgot. Lots of memory review, great vocab. I really like it.

4 people found this helpful