start

italian
speak Italian instantly
no books
no writing
absolute confidence
To find out more, please get in touch with us.
For general enquiries and for information on Michel Thomas:
Call: 020 7873 6400 Fax: 020 7873 6325
Email: mtenquiries@hodder.co.uk

To place an order:
Call: 01235 400414 Fax: 01235 400454 Email: uk.orders@bookpoint.co.uk
www.michelthomas.co.uk

You can write to us at:

Hodder Education, 338 Euston Road, London NW1 3BH

Unauthorized copying of this booklet or the accompanying audio material is

prohibited, and may amount to a criminal offence punishable by a fine and/or
imprisonment.

First published in UK 2000 by Hodder Education, an Hachette UK Company, 338 Euston Road,
London NW1 3BH.
Start Italian Copyright 2000, 2006, 2011, Thomas Keymaster Languages LLC, all rights reserved.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by
any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and
retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher or under licence from the Copyright
Licensing Agency Limited. Further details of such licences (for reprographic reproduction) may be
obtained from the Copyright Licensing Agency Limited, Saffron House, 610 Kirby Street, London
EC1N 8TS, UK.

Typeset by Transet Limited, Coventry, England.

Printed in Great Britain
Impression 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Year 2014 2013 2012 2011
ISBN 978 1444 13310 3
Welcome to the Michel 1

Thomas Method
Congratulations on purchasing the truly remarkable way to
learn a language. With the Michel Thomas Method theres no
reading, no writing and no homework. Just sit back, absorb, and
soon youll be speaking another language with confidence.

The Michel Thomas Method works by breaking a language

down into its component parts and enabling you to
reconstruct the language yourself to form your own
sentences and to say what you want, when you want. By
learning the language in small steps, you can build it up yourself
to produce ever more complicated sentences.
Perfected over 25 years, the all-audio Michel Thomas Method
has been used by millions of people around the world.

Now its your turn.

To get started, simply insert the CD and press play!

2
About Michel Thomas
Michel Thomas (19142005) was a gifted linguist who
mastered more than ten languages in his lifetime and became
famous for teaching much of Hollywoods A list how to speak
a foreign language. Film stars such as Woody Allen, Emma
Thompson and Barbra Streisand paid thousands of dollars each
for face-to-face lessons.

Michel, a Polish Jew, developed his method after discovering

the untapped potential of the human mind during his traumatic
wartime experiences. The only way he survived this period
of his life, which included being captured by the Gestapo, was
by concentrating and placing his mind beyond the physical.
Fascinated by this experience, he was determined that
after the war he would devote himself to exploring further
the power of the human mind, and so dedicated his life to
education.

In 1947, he moved to Los Angeles and set up the Michel

Thomas Language Centers, from where he taught languages for
over fifty years in New York, Beverly Hills and London.

Michel Thomas died at his home in New York City on Saturday

8th January 2005. He was 90 years old.
Start Italian index 3

Track 1
0:00 Introduction. How to use this course

Track 2
0:00 Italian language: similarities to English. A few thousand words are very
similar in English and Italian so vocabulary is not a problem.
The important thing is to learn how to formulate your own thoughts
using the language, i.e. structure, which you will get here.
0:44 English words ending in -ible end in -ibile in Italian.
0:48 possible possibile
0:55 it is
1:00 It is possible. possibile.
1:05 it is not non
1:08 It is not possible. Non possibile.
1:14 for me per me
1:20 It is for me. per me.
1:24 It is not for me. Non per me.
1:30 It is not possible for me. Non possibile per me.
1:37 for you per lei
1:42 for her per lei
1:45 It is for you. per lei.
1:49 It is not for me. Non per me.
1:54 It is possible for you. possibile per lei.
2:01 To ask a question use inflection.
2:05 Is it not possible for you? Non possibile per lei?
2:14 why? (= for what?) perch?
2:24 because perch
2:27 Why isnt it possible for you? Perch non possibile per lei?
2:41 like that / that way cos
2:53 It is like that. cos.
2:58 It is not like that. Non cos.
3:03 It is not possible for me that way. Non possibile per me cos.
3:19 Im sorry. Mi dispiace.
 3:26 mi dispiace means it displeases me, to me it displeases.
4 It is usually followed by but (ma).
3:45 Im sorry but Mi dispiace, ma
3:48 but ma
3:51 Im sorry but it is not possible Mi dispiace, ma non possibile
for me that way. per me cos.
4:14 English words ending in -able end in -abile in Italian.
4:19 probable probabile
4:22 It is not probable. Non probabile.
4:30 English -ly is -mente in Italian.
4:33 probably probabilmente
4:37 possibly possibilmente

Track 3
0:00 late tardi
0:08 It is late. tardi.
0:14 very molto
0:20 It is very late. molto tardi.
0:25 more pi
0:27 later (more late) pi tardi
0:32 I want voglio
0:41 I io
0:43 You dont need io because the verb ending in -o already expresses I.
If you use io, you put emphasis on I.
1:00 to know sapere
1:09 I want to know. Voglio sapere.
1:16 I dont want non voglio
1:19 I dont want to know. Non voglio sapere.
1:34 where dove
1:38 I want to know where is Voglio sapere dov
1:43 Dove contracts to dov.
1:53 how much quanto
1:57 I want to know how much it is. Voglio sapere quant.
2:09 to buy comprare
2:15 I want to buy voglio comprare
2:20 the thing la cosa
2:25 I want to buy the thing. Voglio comprare la cosa.
2:35 the same thing la stessa cosa 5
2:45 I want to buy the same thing. Voglio comprare la stessa cosa.
2:57 I dont want to buy the same thing. Non voglio comprare la stessa cosa.
3:12 the same lo stesso
3:16 I want to buy the same. Voglio comprare lo stesso.
3:27 But I dont want the same thing. Ma non voglio la stessa cosa.
3:39 you want vuole
3:45 Do you want the same thing? Vuole la stessa cosa?
4:05 what? che?
4:07 What do you want? Che vuole? / Che cosa vuole? /
Cosa vuole?
4:29 What do you want to buy? Cosa vuole comprare?
5:01 here qui
5:07 What do you want to buy here? Cosa vuole comprare qui?

Track 4
0:02 some qualche
0:05 something qualchecosa / qualcosa
0:12 Do you want to buy something Vuole comprare qualcosa qui?
here?
0:27 Why dont you want to buy Perch non vuole comprare
something here? qualcosa qui?
0:48 Instead of vuole in the spoken language, you can use vuol:
Cosa vuol comprare? or Cosa vuole comprare?
1:05 I want to know. Voglio sapere.
1:12 it lo
1:15 to know it saperlo
1:20 sapere + lo: lo gets hooked onto the verb to form saperlo. All verbs in
Italian end in -re (-are, -ere, -ire). If you want to hook on it, you hook it
onto the -r, dropping the -e.
1:49 I want to know it. Voglio saperlo.
1:58 to buy comprare
2:01 to buy it comprarlo
2:07 I want to buy it. Voglio comprarlo.
2:14 I want to know how much it is Voglio sapere quant perch
because I want to buy it. voglio comprarlo.
 2:51 if se
6 2:56 expensive caro
3:03 It is very expensive. molto caro.
3:12 It is not very expensive. Non molto caro.
3:18 I want to buy it if it is not Voglio comprarlo se non
very expensive. molto caro.
3:47 too / too much troppo
3:53 It is not too expensive. Non troppo caro.
3:58 I want to buy it if it is not Voglio comprarlo se non
too expensive. troppo caro.

Track 5
0:00 to have avere
0:08 I want to have it. Voglio averlo.
0:17 when quando
0:20 when is quando and how much is quanto.
0:23 When do you want to have it? Quando vuole averlo? /
Quando vuol averlo?
0:43 you can pu
0:53 You can have it Pu averlo
0:59 if you want se vuole
1:08 if you want to have it se vuole averlo / se vuol averlo
1:23 now ora / adesso
1:27 ora means hour as well as now.
1:37 I want to have it now. Voglio averlo adesso.
2:00 if it is possible se possibile
2:15 at what time a che ora
2:19 At what time do you want A che ora vuole (vuol) averlo?
to have it?
2:31 You can have it now if you want. Pu averlo adesso se vuole.
2:54 a-b-l-e -abile
2:56 probable probabile
2:58 acceptable accettabile
3:08 It is not acceptable for me. Non accettabile per me.
3:19 Im sorry but it is not acceptable Mi dispiace, ma non accettabile
for me that way. per me cos.
3:54 I want to know why it is not Voglio sapere perch non
acceptable for you that way accettabile per lei cos perch 7
because it is very good. molto buono.
4:00 good buono

Track 6
0:00 I think / as far as I am concerned / secondo me
according to me / in my opinion
0:19 in your opinion secondo lei
0:23 As far as I know / As far as I see / Secondo me, molto buono cos.
In my opinion it is very good
that way.
0:53 I am sono / io sono
1:01 ready pronto
1:06 Im ready. Sono pronto.
1:13 soon presto
1:16 right away subito
1:22 Im ready right away. Sono pronto subito.
1:26 ready (feminine) pronta
1:46 Im ready soon (feminine). Sono pronta subito / presto.
2:00 It is ready. pronto.
2:05 It is not ready. Non pronto.
2:11 he is / it is / she is / is
2:18 to stay stare
2:25 I stay sto
2:29 The -o ending is for I; the -a ending is for you, he, she, it.
2:35 he/she/it stays, you stay sta
(he/she/it is staying, you are staying)
2:40 I stay here. Sto qui.
2:44 Hes staying here. Sta qui.
2:48 sta is for he is staying, she is staying, it is staying, you are staying.
2:54 how long? (= how much time?) quanto tempo
3:06 How long are you staying? Quanto tempo sta?
3:26 How long are you staying here? Quanto tempo sta qui?
3:45 Verbs are very important because if you know how to use verbs you
know how to use the language.
 4:41 Any word in front of which you can place the article the is a noun:
8 the happiness, the condition, the situation
4:52 An adjective is any word in front of which you can place am or is:
am proud, am happy, it is possible
5:02 A verb is any word in front of which you can place to: to go, to see,
to have, to be
5:22 The basic form of a verb in English is to This is expressed in Italian
in the ending -re (-are, -ere, -ire): parlare (to speak), mangiare (to eat),
partire (to leave, to depart), capire (to understand),
vedere (to see)

Track 7
0:00 I want to see. Voglio vedere.
0:06 I want to see it. Voglio vederlo.
0:15 lo means it and also him; la means her
0:20 I want to see her. Voglio vederla.
0:26 you and her is the same: la.
0:29 I want to see you later. Voglio vederla pi tardi.
0:52 a little un po
0:54 a little later un po pi tardi
1:05 I want to see you a little later. Voglio vederla un po pi tardi.
1:27 busy occupato
1:31 because Im busy now perch sono occupato adesso
1:53 to speak parlare
1:56 I want to speak Italian. Voglio parlare italiano.
2:05 with me con me
2:08 I want to speak Italian with you. Voglio parlare italiano con lei.
2:20 Do you want to speak Italian Vuole (Vuol) parlare italiano con me?
with me?
2:35 Why dont you want to speak Perch non vuol (vuole) parlare
Italian with me? italiano con me?
2:52 Im sorry but I cannot speak Mi dispiace, ma non posso
with you now parlare con lei ora (adesso)
3:00 I can; you can / he can / she can posso; pu
3:42 because Im very busy now. perch sono molto occupata
(feminine) / occupato (masculine) ora.
3:59 but I can see you a little later ma posso vederla un po pi tardi
4:30 if you want. se vuole.
4:39 to eat mangiare 9
4:48 I want to eat now. Voglio mangiare adesso.
4:59 What do you want to eat? Cosa vuole mangiare?
5:15 What do you want to eat now? Cosa vuole mangiare adesso?
5:29 Do you want to eat Vuole mangiare qualcosa ora?
something now?
5:50 Why dont you want to eat now? Perch non vuole mangiare adesso?

Track 8
0:00 I eat mangio
0:27 he eats / she eats / you eat mangia
0:30 For verbs ending in -are: -o for I and -a for you, he, she, it
0:48 We have three types of verbs: -are (mangiare, parlare, andare),
-ere (vedere), -ire (partire, venire). All verbs can be divided into two
tracks: verbs that end in -are and verbs that dont end in -are.
For I you usually have an -o on both tracks. For he, she, it and you
on the -are track, use -a (parla). For the other verbs, use -e (vede).
0:53 to go andare
1:02 to come venire
1:38 I speak parlo
1:42 you speak / he speaks / she speaks parla
1:59 I see vedo
2:05 you see vede
2:17 to take prendere
2:19 I take prendo
2:23 you take / youre taking prende
2:30 Im taking it. Lo prendo.
2:36 Youre taking it. Lo prende.
2:42 Why dont you take it? Perch non lo prende?
2:52 In English there are three ways to express the present tense:
I take it, I do take it, I am taking it. In Italian there is one way:
I take it lo prendo.
3:08 In modern English you use do and dont for questions and negatives,
and you use the progressive tense with -ing. In the English of
Shakespeare and of the King James Bible, English was much closer to
the Italian verb forms.
 4:25 I am sono
10 4:30 I am eating mangio
4:54 I dont speak non parlo
5:04 Yes, I speak Italian but S, parlo italiano, ma
I dont speak French. non parlo francese.
5:16 In speaking its very important to observe traffic signals and not to go
through the red light, i.e. -ing, do and dont. They are not used in Italian.
5:36 I dont eat non mangio
5:44 I am not busy. Non sono occupato (occupata).
5:59 Im not eating non mangio
6:04 I dont eat non mangio

Track 9
0:00 to prepare preparare
0:04 I prepare preparo
0:09 I prepare it. Lo preparo.
0:16 I am preparing it. Lo preparo.
0:22 I dont prepare it. Non lo preparo.
0:27 I am not preparing it. Non lo preparo.
0:36 to have avere
0:41 I have ho
0:47 you have ha
0:52 Do you have something for me? Ha qualcosa per me?
1:04 What do you have for me? Cosa ha per me?
1:12 Im hungry. (I have hunger). Ho fame.
1:33 Are you hungry? (Do you have Ha fame?
hunger?)
1:38 Do you want to eat something Vuole mangiare qualcosa adesso?
now? Are you hungry? Ha fame?
2:00 Dont you want to eat? Non vuole mangiare? Non ha fame?
Arent you hungry?
2:18 to drink bere
2:24 I drink bevo
2:31 you drink beve
2:40 What are you drinking? Cosa beve?
2:48 cosa expresses the question, so use of inflection is not necessary here.
2:57 thirst sete
3:02 Im thirsty. (I have thirst.) Ho sete. 11
3:11 Im thirsty and I want to drink. Ho sete e voglio bere.
3:30 is
3:36 and e
3:40 Do you want to speak Italian Vuole parlare italiano
with me? con me?
4:03 What do you eat? Cosa mangia?
4:11 What are you eating? Cosa mangia?
4:24 to do / to make fare
4:34 What do you want to do? Cosa vuole fare?
4:54 Do you want to do it? Vuole farlo?
5:09 Why dont you want to do it now? Perch non vuole farlo ora (adesso)?

Track 10
0:00 I can posso
0:07 you can pu
0:13 Im very sorry but I cannot Mi dispiace molto, ma non posso
do it now because Im very farlo adesso perch sono molto
busy now. occupato ora.
0:45 I can do it later if I have the time. Posso farlo pi tardi se ho tempo.
1:01 to stay stare
1:03 I stay sto
1:09 Im busy. Sono occupato. / Sono occupata.
1:23 tired stanco
1:31 Im very tired now. Sono molto stanco adesso. /
Sono molto stanca adesso.
1:55 the house la casa
1:58 the thing la cosa
2:01 something qualcosa
2:07 at home / home a casa
2:13 tonight stasera
2:17 evening sera
2:25 Im tired Sono stanco
2:31 and I am staying home tonight. e resto (sto) a casa stasera.
2:44 to stay stare / restare
 2:53 Im tired and I am staying Sono stanca e sto a casa stasera.
12 home tonight.

Track 11
0:00 tomorrow domani
0:03 tomorrow evening domani sera
0:05 tomorrow morning domani mattina
0:10 tomorrow afternoon domani pomeriggio
0:18 The present tense in Italian is used very much because it is also used
to express the future.
0:43 I see you tomorrow. La vedo domani.
0:56 In English you have two ways to express the future: Im going to see
you tomorrow and I will / shall see you tomorrow.
In Italian you cannot use going to express the future.
1:13 to go andare
1:21 I go / I am going vado
1:31 you are going / he is going va
1:45 When you want to say Im going to call you tomorrow, in Italian you
say I call you tomorrow. There is a future tense, but the present
tense is used more frequently.
2:01 to call chiamare
2:05 I call chiamo
2:09 I call you la chiamo
2:22 I call you later. La chiamo pi tardi.
2:31 I call you tomorrow. La chiamo domani.
2:54 Im going to see it. Vado a vederlo.
(Im going out / Im on my
way to see it.)
3:07 Im going to see it tomorrow. Lo vedo domani.
3:18 If a verb of coming and going is followed by another verb,
you use a: vado a vederlo. But vado is not used to express the
future tense.
3:41 Im going / Im on my way Vado a comprarlo.
to buy it.
4:11 I will buy it tomorrow. Lo compro domani.
4:39 Im buying it now. Lo compro adesso.
Track 12
13
0:00 to stay stare
0:04 Im staying sto
0:08 Im staying home tonight. Sto a casa stasera.
0:17 Are you staying home tonight? Sta a casa stasera?
0:28 How long are you staying? Quanto tempo sta?
0:38 to leave partire
0:43 Im leaving tomorrow. Parto domani.
0:50 At what time are you leaving A che ora parte (domani)?
(tomorrow)?
1:12 Why dont you want to leave Perch non vuole partire con me?
with me?
1:29 Why cant you leave with me? Perch non pu partire con me?
1:48 to come venire
1:52 Why cant you come with Perch non pu venire con
me now? me adesso?
2:04 If a verb of coming and going is followed by another verb, you use a.
In English you would say Why cant you come (and) see it with me?;
in Italian you say Why cant you come to (venire a) see it ?
2:31 Im going to eat. Vado a mangiare.
2:34 Hes going / youre going / Va a mangiare.
shes going to eat.
2:39 Why cant you come see it Perch non pu venire a vederlo
with me tonight? con me stasera?
3:04 I must devo
3:10 to have to dovere
3:12 you must deve
3:21 You must come with me. Deve venire con me.
3:24 When you have two or three consecutive verbs, the second and the
third are the full verb (infinitive).
3:47 You must speak Italian with me. Deve parlare italiano con me.
3:57 to wait aspettare
4:04 Everything with -ct- in English (expect) is -tt- in Italian (aspettare
to wait). In English to wait for somebody becomes in Italian to await
somebody.
4:27 to expect me aspettarmi
4:37 to understand capire
 4:46 to understand me capirmi
14 4:53 Whenever you add it or me or you to the infinitive, you drop the -e
and you hook it onto the -r.
5:02 Can you understand me? Pu capirmi?
5:09 Why cant you understand me? Perch non pu capirmi?

Track 13
0:00 to say / to tell dire
0:10 I cannot say it in Italian. Non posso dirlo in italiano.
0:38 Can you tell me Pu dirmi
0:48 for me per me
0:50 with me con me
0:52 If you use me with a verb, its mi.
0:59 will you / do you want vuole / vuol
1:08 Will you tell me where it is? Vuole dirmi dov?
1:17 where dove
1:22 where it is dove / dov
1:32 Will you tell me Vuol dirmi
1:49 Its very important to sharpen awareness of your own language
in order to express yourself correctly in another language such as
Italian. For example, in English will is used to express the future, but
not always. If you start a sentence with will you (please), its a
polite request, not the future. So in Italian you use vuol or vuole,
which means will you and also do you want.
2:43 Can you tell me Pu dirmi
2:50 Can you tell me where it is? Pu dirmi dov?
2:59 to find trovare
3:08 Will you tell me where it is Vuol dirmi dov perch
because I cannot find it. non posso trovarlo.
3:34 I have ho
3:39 I have it. Lo ho. / Lho.
3:47 I dont have it. Non lho.
3:50 You have it. Lha.
3:54 Why dont you have it for Perch non lha per
me now? me adesso?
4:07 I want to have it. Voglio averlo.
4:23 I want Voglio
4:26 I want it. Lo voglio. 15
4:32 I want it now. Lo voglio adesso.
4:37 I dont want it now. Non lo voglio adesso.
4:45 Why dont you want it now? Perch non lo vuole adesso?
5:00 to have avere
5:04 I have ho
5:07 you have ha
5:09 you have / he has / she has ha
5:16 to know sapere
5:19 sapere goes like avere: I have ho; I know so
5:28 I know so
5:32 I dont know non so
5:36 I know it. Lo so.
5:39 I dont know it. Non lo so.
5:43 You know it. Lo sa.
5:49 Why dont you know it? Perch non lo sa?
6:00 Do you know where it is? Sa dov?
6:12 Can you tell me where it is? Pu dirmi dov?
6:20 Can you tell me how much it is Pu dirmi quant
6:37 because I want to buy it. perch voglio comprarlo.
6:48 I must have it today if it is possible. Devo averlo oggi se possibile.
7:00 today oggi

Track 14
0:00 Im staying home tonight Sto a casa stasera perch
because Im tired. sono stanco.
0:38 to prepare preparare
0:43 Im preparing it. Lo preparo.
0:49 Why dont you prepare it for me? Perch non lo prepara per me?
1:23 the dinner la cena
1:27 to dine / to have dinner cenare
1:30 Will you have dinner with Vuole (Vuol) cenare con
me tonight? me stasera?
1:55 Where do you want to have Dove vuole cenare stasera?
dinner tonight?
 2:10 I cannot speak with you Non posso parlare con lei
16 because Im eating. perch mangio.
2:25 I eat / I do eat / I am eating mangio
2:29 For Im eating you can also say sto mangiando meaning Im in the
process of eating. I am in the process is sto + -ando for -are verbs,
-endo for the others.
2:58 I am eating. Sto mangiando.
3:11 What are you preparing? Cosa prepara?
3:20 What are you (right now in the Cosa sta preparando?
process of) preparing?
3:43 You can use sto + per to say Im just about to.
3:53 Im just about to eat. Sto per mangiare.
3:59 Im just about to prepare it. Sto per prepararlo.

Track 15
0:00 in order to per
0:07 Whenever to in English implies in order to, you will say per in Italian.
0:32 I dont have the time Non ho il tempo / Non ho tempo
(in order) to do it. per farlo.
0:55 If you use a noun followed by an infinitive verb, after the noun you
usually put di.
1:14 I dont have the time of doing it. Non ho il tempo / Non ho tempo
di farlo.
1:39 to leave partire
1:44 I will leave tomorrow. Parto domani.
1:50 At what time do you leave? A che ora parte?
2:12 At what time do you leave A che ora parte la settimana
next week? prossima?
2:41 At what time are you leaving A che ora parte la settimana
next week? prossima?
2:59 There is a future tense in Italian. Its like saying to leave I have (partire
+ ho) and to leave he has (partire + ha). The contraction of the verb
with ho, ha produces partir, partir. The endings -r and -r are for
all verbs.
3:09 I will leave tomorrow. Parto domani.
3:13 I will leave tomorrow. Partir domani.
3:26 He will leave tomorrow. Partir domani.
Track 16
17
0:00 to do / to make fare
0:05 I will do far
0:10 I will do it. Lo far.
0:18 I wont do it. Non lo far.
0:25 He will do it. Lo far.
0:30 When will you do it? Quando lo far?
0:43 to say / to tell dire
0:47 to call chiamare
0:52 I (will) call you tomorrow. La chiamo domani.
1:00 Im staying sto
1:03 Im staying here. Sto qui.
1:10 Im staying home tonight. Sto a casa stasera.
1:17 I will stay home tonight. Star a casa stasera.
1:27 How long are you staying in Italy? Quanto tempo sta in Italia? /
Quanto tempo star in Italia?
Millions of people
worldwide speak
Italian thanks to the
Michel Thomas
Method.

Heres what people say about Michel Thomas:

This guy is one of my heroes.
What a legend. I love his method.
Denitely the best way to learn.
Just after a couple of days Im condent that I will be able to
speak directly.
Its the best way to learn a foreign language.
Totally life changing.
The Michel Thomas course is much the easiest to make progress with.
Hes the best.
A truly inspirational way to learn a language.
With Michel you learn a language effortlessly.

i The nearest thing to

painless learning.
The Times