Da Capo (World Languages)

The book is a good textbook: I have used earlier editions for years. This copy is a bit battered from use, but not beyond the condition claimed by the seller.

Book is in very good condition.

I got this book for an Italian class, and it has been incredible. I went to Italy several years ago, and my Italian was pretty fluent by the end of that time, but since then I haven't been speaking much and needed a refresher. I would say this is great book if you want to work refresh your grammar as it is very neatly laid out and very easy to find information. (In most of the beginners Italian books I had, I learned through conversational practice and topics, so it's nice to have a book completely organized for grammar.) I would also say that this is NOT a good book for beginners as many reviewers have stated below because it doesn't provide as much information as to how the grammar is used in conversation.But whether you're looking for a good Italian grammar reference book, or looking to refresh your Italian, this is definitely a solid choice.(Also, for those of you trying to refresh vocabulary, pick up a book or short story in Italian and just try reading through it, looking up vocab words after reading through a chapter or segment. Or just read one of the Italian papers like Repubblica or Corriere della Sera online.)

Da Capo, as the title "From the Begining" states, does start with basic Italian essentials; it is not, however, a true beginner's text. It is an excellent text for intermediate students who have had classes, had some working knowledge of Italian, or had finished using a primary test. The book offers vocabulary, dialogues, reading pieces and exercises which showcase Italian culture. It does not, as do some of the other Italian texts, offer inane conversation or translation pieces simply to illustrate the lesson's grammar and vocabulary. The lessons include day-to-day speech patterns, not just the stiff grammatically correct phrases that one is unlikely to hear in everyday Italian conversation. The grammar lessons are well designed in a concentrated fashion. Da Capo is a worthwhile follow-on textbook for students who are both serious about studying the Italian language and putting some effort into that study.

Da capo is a very useful book but not geared to only English speakers. It is geared to Italian language schools in Italy. There is no English in the books only Italian. I don't find these to be the most approachable of my school text books but they do have a totally different style than any other Italian language book I have used. It's not full of pictures and tons of text about culture but it does have examples like no other book and I find that to be refreshing and useful.I no longer take the classes in which I used these books but I still refer to them when I study.

I am an intermediate Italian language student and find that Da Capo is an invaluable resource when studying Italian or writing emails/ letters in Italian. I have a few grammar books, but this one is the most complete and has the best explanations for congiuntivo, “ne” “ci” and other grammatic elements. If you buy this you won’t be sorry. Even if you don’t study it start to finish, you’ll find it a review manual worth keeping!

Very comprehensive book for the intermediate or advanced learner. Unfortunately, some of the principles of Italian grammar are either not optimally explained, and example sentences and phrases are too few.

if you know your italian its a great refresher and i actually like having all the intext examples and all, just wish it had the answers to know if you are actually doing it right.

Excellent reference guide to Italian grammar. Very comprehensive and thorough in the correct application of Italian grammatical structure. Well presented.

NOT AS ACCESSIBLE AS YOU MIGHT THINK

The book is really interesting and useful, but compared with those accompanying more recent publications, the CD is not really adequate for private study.

As described.

Fantastic new edition!