ABOUT THE BOOK

You're traveling through a small mountain town in Italy by yourself, and you're hopelessly lost. To make things worse, you accidentally left your money back in your lodgings and you don't speak a word of Italian. What should you do?

In this worthy-of-a-nightmare scenario, it's not about what you should do; it's about what you should have done before you even left home. Many travelers don't realize the importance of learning a few words and phrases in the primary language of the country they're going to.

This is especially important if you're backpacking, because chances are you'll be far removed from metropolitan tourist areas where you might be able to find a fellow American.

If you plan on backpacking through Italy, the most important thing you can put in your backpack is an English-Italian phrase book. You don't need a large dictionary; just a compact book that gives you the most important, day-to-day living phrases to help you get around.

EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK

Consonants: Hard And Soft Sounds

One “c” consonant is pronounced hard, like a “k.”

Two “c” consonants together are always pronounced as “ch.”

The consonant “g” is pronounced like a hard “g,” unless it's in front of the vowels “i” or “e,” when it's pronounced soft, like a “j.”

There is no “w” in the Italian language; the “w” sound is indicated by the two vowels, “u” and “a,” together.

“Sc” is pronounced like “sh” when it's followed by an “i” or an “e.” Otherwise, “sc” is pronounced like “sk.”

“Sch” is pronounced like “sk.”

“Gh” is pronounced with a hard “g.”

“Z” is pronounced “ts.”

The “h” is silent in words like “ho” («io ho” mean “I have”)

When “n” follows a “g,” the sound is “nyo” (as in the Italian word for bath, “bagno,” which is pronounced “bah-nyo”).

“S” between two vowels is pronounced “z.”

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CHAPTER OUTLINE

250 Useful Italian Phrases while Backpacking

+ Introduction

+ Consonants: Hard and Soft Sounds

+ Vowels

+ Common Situations

+ …and much more