Il ristorante (A1)

.epub ebook, .mobi (kindle compatible) ebook, .pdf ebook
(179 customer reviews)

Londoner Nick seems to have it all: a successful accountancy career, and a girlfriend who wants to start a family. But his secret dream is to learn Italian, learn to cook Italian-style, and open his own Italian restaurant!

  • .pdf e-book with automatic download (+ audio available free online)
  • .mobi (Kindle-compatible) and .epub (other ebook readers) available on request at no extra charge – just add a note to the order form or email us
  • 9 short chapters to read and listen to
  • Comprehension questions to check your understanding
  • Italian/English glossary of ‘difficult’ terms for the level
  • Suitable for students at any level
  • Download your Free Sample Chapter (.pdf)
How do I access my ebook?

When your order is ‘completed’ (normally immediately after your payment), a download link will be automatically emailed to you. It’s valid for 7 days and 3 download attempts so please save a copy of the .pdf ebook in a safe place. Other versions of the ebook, where available, cannot be downloaded but will be emailed to people who request them. There’s a space to do that on the order form – where it says Additional information, Order notes (optional). If you forget, or if you have problems downloading the .pdf, don’t worry! Email us at the address on the website and we’ll help. Also, why not check out our FAQ?

£0.00

Description

Londoner Nick seems to have it all: a successful accountancy career, and a girlfriend who wants to start a family. But his secret dream is to learn Italian, learn to cook Italian-style, and open his own Italian restaurant!

  • .pdf e-book with automatic download (+ audio available free online)
  • .mobi (Kindle-compatible) and .epub (other ebook readers) available on request at no extra charge – just add a note to the order form or email us
  • 9 short chapters to read and listen to
  • Comprehension questions to check your understanding
  • Italian/English glossary of ‘difficult’ terms for the level
  • Suitable for students at any level
  • Download your Free Sample Chapter (.pdf)
How do I access my ebook?

When your order is ‘completed’ (normally immediately after your payment), a download link will be automatically emailed to you. It’s valid for 7 days and 3 download attempts so please save a copy of the .pdf ebook in a safe place. Other versions of the ebook, where available, cannot be downloaded but will be emailed to people who request them. There’s a space to do that on the order form – where it says Additional information, Order notes (optional). If you forget, or if you have problems downloading the .pdf, don’t worry! Email us at the address on the website and we’ll help. Also, why not check out our FAQ?

Additional information

Format

.epub ebook, .mobi (kindle compatible) ebook, .pdf ebook

179 reviews for Il ristorante (A1)

  1. Helen McCloud (verified owner)

    Great little story. Perfect for beginners getting to grips with Italian beyond ordering food.

  2. Margo (verified owner)

    Pitched at an appropriate level. Perhaps a bit pricey but an interesting text demonstrating Italian in context.

    • easyreadersorg

      This ebook is priced at £0.00, Margo, and is deliberately extremely short because it’s aimed at near-beginners. Sure you’re reviewing the right ebook?

      Also, all our ‘easy readers’ ebooks are priced at the same level, but the length varies according to the level. Advanced texts many be dozens of times longer than this one, and our history series volumes are around a hundred pages each.

      The price stays the same, because the value to the learner (and cost of the writer) is the same.

  3. David (verified owner)

    Great e book with useful language content and helpful support. Ideal for an early learner. The partner of one of the main characters should be hearing alarm bells ringing loudly.

  4. elvino alexandre alliot (verified owner)

    All of the eBooks are very well put together and of great help/interest to all of my students. ” Il ristorante” especially, since they all know that i was in my restaurant business for many many years till i gave up those crazy hours about twenty years ago and started teaching Italiano, Francese e,,,,Inglese (TEFL) ad immigrati nel Regno Unito (shame that in this particular one , getting paid from these students was a problem!… Il Ristorante is funny, and a fantasy for many people, since (unfortunately) they regard the catering industry a “doddolo” (my italianized take on “doddle”
    All of your eBooks are very good value, engaging and cater for all level of learning. Grazie a Daniel ed il suo team. To all of those wanting to learn Italian (or any language) by doing so in six month is ..lucky, ambitious, unless and there again, arguable, if you can have “full immersion” in the country of your chosen language. Ciao a tutti e Buon Natale anche se leggermente in anticipo. Elvino Alexandre Alliot da Londra

  5. Brissa De La Paz (verified owner)

    thank you, i started this summer with my Italian and this is amazing. than you

  6. Elvino Alexandre Alliot (verified owner)

    20 june 2021,
    a great father’s day to begin with!
    My students and myself are really please with all of the eBooks i have purchased and used with them. They found the glossary very helpful and they are basically very well written and presented. Grazie a Daniel for his enormous input in all of this material . I have another 5/6 eBooks i am going to purchase within a few weeks before the end of this term and very much looking forward to use them in September after our summer hols. Unfortunately not in Italia, this year, unless current situation re Covid is clearer.
    Ancora grazie a Daniel e salutoni a tutti coloro che studiano la nostra bellissima lingua con l’aiuto di questo materiale da leggere. Ciao a tutti e buon proseguimento!
    Elvino Alexandre Alliot

    • easyreadersorg

      Fathers’ Day in Italy is March 19th, Elvino, but thanks anyway!

  7. Angelina (verified owner)

    This book is easy to read and understand, great for the beginner learners.

  8. Paul Hearn (verified owner)

    Although I found this book easy to read, I discovered a few words I was not familiar with.
    I found it a good benchmark to judge were I am with my Italian.

  9. Kath Murton (verified owner)

    Good book for beginners – enjoyed the story

  10. sue.cotton (verified owner)

    This is perfect for the beginner. It has a nice easy storyline to follow but still with some challenges to keep it interesting. I found the audio clear but still need to attune my ear to the sounds of the language – more practice needed so just as well I bought some more easy readers!

  11. fran brown

    I’ve enjoyed the book “Il ristorante” very much.

  12. Al Simnett (verified owner)

    Great read for a beginner. The thing I like about Soundcloud is you can skip back 5 seconds, by pressing the back arrow key and re-playing, if you’re unsure what you heard or need to understand better what was said.

  13. timhuggins1 (verified owner)

    This was the first time I’d tried an easy reader, and I wasn’t sure at what level to pitch in. I found this read just right – it was easy to follow the plot and yet there were a few challenges in the text. The layout with a simple glossary at the bottom of each page really helped me with those words that challenged, and allowed my reading to flow without the need to constantly stop and look something up. I’m up for my next book now, and highly recommend this text to help you find where you are at in your learning of Italian.

  14. Diane H (verified owner)

    Enjoyed using Il ristorante to help learn Italian. Reading and listening to the language thru the use of this e-book helped greatly. And with the special offer, it made the decision easy. Thanks for this offer.

  15. Caroline (verified owner)

    Great to have the audio as well as the written book. I found it easy to read but my ear is not really in yet so learnt a lot from listening to the audio both separately and with the text.

  16. Sophia (verified owner)

    Very great for beginners like me.

  17. San (verified owner)

    Excellent choice as part of my self teaching of Italian. Love having the pdf with the audio

  18. Philip Eynon (verified owner)

    I found this book very helpful in understanding just what was required to obtain the A2 level of reading comprehension.

  19. Reg Harris (verified owner)

    I enjoyed the story and the level was just right.

  20. Sandra Di Cioccio (verified owner)

    Great audio, succinct and clear. I like to listen several times first and then read the book, this helps me learn more easily. I liked the story very much, interesting and amusing.

  21. Jennifer (verified owner)

    5 stars for this book which I found to be very good to reinforce vocabulary and some grammar and an encouragement to keep on learning.
    5 stars for Daniel and Staff who are doing a tremendous job.

  22. Carly (verified owner)

    I loved this book very much and highly recommend it to every beginner Italian learner! It was my very first Italian comprehension test in this form, so it was very interesting and exciting. Not only was it a fun story, it was also rewarding to understand everything at first glance, and helped me to measure my self-learning progress. I look forwards to reading many more of the kind and really appreciate the free read!

  23. Denis Bailie (verified owner)

    The book was fine. More interested in the challenge of reading and listening than the actual story itself. All of that was good.
    However using Soundcloud was awful as a means of listening to the text. A track, probably in the Thai language appeared, insisted on playing at twice the volume I had set for the book at every opportunity. I could find no way to get rid of it. All the YouTube videos on SOundcloud were about hoe to promote one’s Profile and hence music (mostly computer generated distortion as far I can see).
    Eventually deleted the Soundcloud app from my iPhone but still getting pestered by Soundcloud about how to upload music.

    • easyreadersorg

      Yes, you emailed for help with that issue, Denis (which you received – I notice you don’t mention the rapid and personal response you got, for what is a free product, in your review). The issue was that you downloaded the Soundcloud app, which was unnecessary to listen to our audio tracks. We pay an annual fee so our users are able to access the material for free at Soundcloud.com just by clicking on the URL we provide, without registering or installing anything. Nowhere on our site do we suggest that installing their app is a good idea, but of course, once you had the app on your device what happens between Soundcloud and you is completely out of our control. And as regards Youtube videos on Soundcloud, what on earth has that got to do with our ebook?

  24. Jennifer (verified owner)

    Enjoyed the book. It was at the perfect level for me. I haven’t used the audio yet but am looking forward to doing so while re reading. I purchased it today.

  25. Melinda Cocolas (verified owner)

    I enjoyed this story. It was a bit predictable, but that helped with comprehension, too. 🙂 I wish I could afford all of these books if that gives you an idea how much I am enjoying them and how beneficial I think they are!

  26. Margie Collett

    This is a charming easily read short story. I enjoyed listening to it at first without reading and then watching the words as I listened . I am a beginner learner but found this book easy to understand and recommend it highly.

  27. Sylvia (verified owner)

    Il Ristorante was my first Italian eReader. I loved it! Very easy to follow the story while listening. Also great practice to read the story by itself – no audio. And then again to listen to the audio without reading along. Level A1 is my comfort zone right now, but as my confidence grows I will move on to different levels. Thanks to Daniel & his staff for these fun learning opportunities.

  28. Rosie Piggott (verified owner)

    This is my second easy reader and it will not be the last. I have been largely teaching myself Italian for 15 months now but reading Italian for leisure is a new approach for me. I like that the chapters are short and I was able to get the gist of the amusing story easily. Listening on soundcloud is something I will continue to do with the hope that this helps me with listening practice since I know what the story is about and so can pick out the words from the audio. A bit like a young child listening to the same story over and again! The exercises are a bonus too. So thank you for this book.

  29. V. Premore (verified owner)

    Good read. Not too lengthy and easy to follow.

  30. Patrick Prinsloo (verified owner)

    I think this is a great resource for a beginner like myself – and I say this as an experienced ESOL teacher who was always on the look-out for good learning materials. The story is fun and the Ievel is low enough for me to understand most of it but also offers challenges with new words and phrases. Capito 3 was particularly relevant to my learning with its use of time related adverbs.
    Also I thought the introduction was worth a second read. Great stuff and it’s FREEEE.

  31. Mike McIntyrre (verified owner)

    This was my first Easy Reader. I’ve been working on Italian for about 5 months. About 3 months in I tried to read the book and found very challenging (in a good way). I managed to get the gist of the story and was happy with that. Today, a few weeks later I am thrilled that I could read and understand almost every word…with a couple of “what the heck does that mean ” along the way. I very much appreciated the comprehension exercises (however, based on my answers, I read Capitolo 7 a bit wrong —- though I still think I am right;). The bottom line is that I found the book VERY encouraging and i t made me think that I am moving from A1 to A2. Now THAT is motivating! Thanks Daniel and Stefania.

  32. Lina (verified owner)

    It’s easy to read.

  33. Chris Jolley (verified owner)

    I liked it, it was my first attempt at reading one of your books. It helped me to realise I know more than I thought. Sound track was very useful too, easier than EasyItalianNews I must say.

  34. Wil Meeuwisse (verified owner)

    I really enjoy the Italian E-books to practice my Italian.
    And to be honest most of the time I use the free chapters to practice.
    I listen to the texts, then read them and get the translations in Dutch from the Reverso Context app which I use a lot.
    When I know the whole meaning of one chapter I listen to it again and repeat every sentence in Italian; repeating it often helps me to even learn it by heart.
    So I admire the way we are given access to these “lessons” and force myself every day to spend time on them to improve my skills before visiting Italy again.
    Every now and then I look for the conjugation of new verbs I come across in my reading.
    So thank you very much for your inspiring assistance in developing my skills.

  35. Phil (verified owner)

    After trying Duo and Rocket and Babbel, I finally stumbled across your website a couple of months ago. How refreshing to find so much free content, although, following the lessons can be a little faffy.

    Having lived in Italy for nearly five years now (in beautiful Umbria), I can say I have a smattering of Italian that I can just about get by with, especially if I know the context, e.g. a visit to the ferramenta. But I seem to have two problems learning Italian to a higher level; remembering vocabulary and finding educational material that suits my very short attention span 🙂

    I downloaded this book as it was free. To be honest, I didn’t hold out much hope that it would be of that much help. What a pleasant surprise. Although I can get by, my understanding of some of the basics is pretty poor, and this book certainly helped with some of that. The short length and the short sentences are perfect for me and my lazy brain. My only possible criticism would be that the glossaries are a little too basic and could be expanded to include a few more words.

    I’m fairly sure I will be downloading one or two more books when I’ve wrung this one of everything it can give me.

  36. Geoff Darroch (verified owner)

    This is a great, well structured book for beginners with handy exercises/ solutions that add to the reading/understanding experience. A good story line which keeps moving & makes it interesting.

  37. EDWIN HALFORD (verified owner)

    Excellent book for beginners like me, I was surprised how much I understood Highly Recommended

  38. Sue Stanford (verified owner)

    Excellent for beginner level but also some useful vocabulary for improvers. I wish the women were a little more ambitious though 🙂

    • easyreadersorg

      In Italy, getting a job (any job), a flat and starting a family IS ambitious, Sue, and often also unrealistic. Many people have no hope of the first, so no chance of the others. The birthrate here is absurdly low. And if women do have children, the chances of a job with school/family friendly hours are very low (many schools are part-time). As regards the left-behind accountant girlfriend, well she wanted to have it all, not chuck it all away for some loser would-be restaurant owner… Seems reasonable to me!
      Daniel (I wrote this story!)

  39. EUGENE CORNO (verified owner)

    Il Ristorante was my first e-book. I’ve since bought 7 more all in the A1/A2 levels. I’m currently reading my 4 of the 8 I have. The method I use is I listen to each chapter on soundcloud.com, then I do a read only and finally I listen and read before going on to the next chapter. I get an enjoyment out of getting the gist. I can almost see if I continue in this path to go onto other levels. For now I hope there will be more A1/A2 e-books being published. I so need the practice. I supplement this with speaking with a native speaker. I have 9 more lessons with my teacher. Of course I’m always trying to learn new words. Thank you Daniel, Lucia and Veronica…

  40. Sabina

    Mille grazie! È molto interessante e facile per leggere e ascoltare

  41. Chris Maude (verified owner)

    Excellent. I’ve been studying Italian for only five months, and despite my initial reservations, got a lot out of reading this ebook. It’s convinced me to add reading as part of my toolkit of study tools. Grazie.

  42. Lynn Swanson (verified owner)

    Thanks for providing this entertaining story! I enjoyed it although I am a beginner so it was a challenge!

  43. Laura (verified owner)

    Quick, easy, fun read for beginners

  44. Christos (verified owner)

    Nice story and easy for beginners. Makes you want to read more

  45. Margrit Stumvoll (verified owner)

    This book is entirely for beginners, the story is amusing and it surely makes you wanting to read other books at the same, or a higher level

  46. Carolyn Henstridge (verified owner)

    An enjoyable read, made even better with the audio. So nice to listen to a story without having to check every third word in a dictionary!

  47. Sue (verified owner)

    Great beginner book and so helpful to have the audio. Love learning this way, a great sense of achievement to have understood most of it.

  48. Yvonne (verified owner)

    I could (almost) understand this when I listened to it. Amazing for me as my listening skills are not good. So a good level for beginning listeners even if you think you can read more difficult texts. Story was engaging. I did wonder what happened to Charlotte. Nevermind, hope Nick and Gaia live happily ever after.

  49. George Wirgman (verified owner)

    Nice and simple for a beginner. Audio definitely enhances learning. Have moved on a lot since first reading this, but reading it again has confirmed that reading in Italian is the best way to learn, for me anyway. Am enjoying more advanced books now with great pleasure.

  50. Lynda (verified owner)

    I had inadvertently forgotten to listen to this book when I
    downloaded it and have been listening to harder ones and Easy Italian News three times a week (well most weeks anyway). I was really pleased to find this pretty easy so my other Italian listening is helping a lot. The story kept my attention but povera Charlotte!

  51. cadence22 (verified owner)

    Simple, lovely text! The glossary and prompts are a wonderful touch! It was a pleasure to translate it for my dear student, creating a bilingual text like many of the ones on this great website. It’s true, sometimes simplicity is brilliant and beautiful, an anchor in learning and building confidence. These texts are so fun. I can see that the wonderful teachers who created this space genuinely love language, discovering the world, learning and sharing – the biggest gift we can share with fellow language learners.

  52. Shea (verified owner)

    As a beginner Italian learner, this was exactly what I needed! The supplemental vocab and short questions testing my comprehension knowledge after each chapter was perfect. I was able to understand probably 80% of it, and I’m glad it wasn’t so challenging that it made me frustrated. It’s perfect for those just starting off and I recommend reading it aloud to also get some practice with speaking and pronunciation!

  53. Bernie (verified owner)

    This is a great book for beginners. I got it for my friend who was finding formal classes rather frustrating.
    We read this book together and she felt the magic of being able to read a ‘real’ book with useful everyday vocabulary. It is a great introduction to the concept of learning via reading. It is engaging and relevant. Thank you so much.

  54. Kerri (verified owner)

    We have a small group of five people who meet in our home to practice conversational Italian.
    My husband choses an article from “Easy Italian News” each week which we study and listen to, then we discuss the news article when we meet. I found the “Easy Readers” through the “Easy News” site and downloaded “Il ristorante”, everyone was delighted with this really helpful resource. The story line is interesting and well written in a format that is easy to follow and understand. The comprehension exercises which follow each chapter are an invaluable tool and the glossaries are a great introduction to new vocabulary. The introduction on the first page was encouraging. I recommend this fantastic little book ideal for beginners, we will definitely be purchasing a few to use in our group.

  55. Carolyn (verified owner)

    Wonderful beginner material! Easy and simple, but also introduces plenty of new vocabulary that I wasn’t previously acquainted with. Thank you for the great material!

  56. Sandra

    Perfect! Interesting , easy to read and to understand as fo me like beginner. I like these books!
    And i like to listen texts.

  57. george (verified owner)

    This is a first class method of learning with simultaneous reading and sound together with the exercises. I like the way that one can see sample pages to determine in advance that a book is at the right level. I have since bought another book and expect to read many more in the future. I heartily recommend them to students at any level.

  58. Robert (verified owner)

    Haven’t read the other reviews, but if they say that this book is NOT about “un ristorante,” i add my complaint to theirs. But as a pedagogic manual this is, with some caveats, a good one. The major negative: the glossaries are insufficient for the texts. If users need to be told that words are a “noun” or a “verb,” verb forms with a pronoun complement and such complex constructions definitely should have been glossed. And what are absolute novices to do about the distinctly Emilian dishes? Look them up on google images? The questions on the texts are a bit too simple, given the level of the texts. Positives are the format of the texts: every sentence is individually set off and the texts move briskly. The “link-up” of the Englishman and the Italian woman is a bit fairy-tale-ish but the vocabulary should appeal to the social situations today’s young people live in. Although its absolute novice readers will have to do a lot of looking up of vocabulary, the book is to be recommended for its content and usability of its expressions.

  59. Jim (verified owner)

    Perfect for helping the beginner to gain confidence and develop some vocabulary

  60. Max Spindler (verified owner)

    Il Ristorante is a good beginner story for learning. The story is interesting, of particular interest to today’s younger upcoming motivated generation. It is well written with proper vocabulary, some new, and has idiomatic Italian use. The two issues I have with the books in the series is the high regular cost of the book( though I downloaded mine for free) and the brevity of the book. The exercises are apropos, and it can be reviewed multiple times until the language is fully assimilated. I recommend the series but for the cost. I realize that the authors of the books have to be compensated for their labors, especially since the market is very narrow.

    • easyreadersorg

      The cost of our easy readers is comparable with those in the shops, Max. Certainly with those from big publishing houses like OUP, CUP, Macmillan and so on. A competitor which specialises in this type of text Cideb / Black Cat charges similar prices.

      Our low level ebooks ARE very short, which counter-intuitively is harder for the writer and editor to do. The higher level ones are much longer. But we think that the quantity of text needs to be proportionate to the level of the reader. Insomma, you are paying for an appropriate learning experience, not for a certain number of words.

      Personally, were such texts available for the languages I’m learning (they’re not, unless I commission them myself…) I would more than happily pay the price of a pizza and a beer for a week’s worth of original study material.

  61. steisi_23 (verified owner)

    Me lo piace molto)

  62. Fiona (verified owner)

    Brilliant easy reader, lovely audio. I am a beginner and so this provides bite-sized chapters and is getting me used to hearing spoken Italian. Very grateful for the free download and especially as a lot of work has gone into this. Thankyou!

  63. B A Russell (verified owner)

    I used this with an Italian beginners class. Though a mixed class, they found it to be the right level – a bit challenging – and the story is engaging enough. The Soundcloud audio is a real bonus. Have purchased a range of other Easy Readers now.

  64. Chris

    The first of many I have read and enjoyed . A really good way to get into reading Italian. Even more useful when read to your Italian teacher to check the pronunciation.

  65. Patti Luchford (verified owner)

    I am a new learner and it was recommended that I get some ‘easy readers’ to practice with. This book is serving its purpose well. It is easy enough that I can follow along with some of the words but it is also giving me the opportunity to learn new words. I feel it is a great way to learn the context of the language and a good example of how the words are used.

  66. San (verified owner)

    Nice and short for beginners. Diction is clear and pretty slow.

  67. jeff gilhooly (verified owner)

    Fun way to better understand this language

  68. janA

    It is nice and useful!

  69. Matthew Salvesani (verified owner)

    Awesome to be able to read it all without translation. Nice short story. Very happy!

  70. Tom (verified owner)

    I enjoyed learning from Il Ristorante. The paring of the oral with the written story is a tremendous help. For me, spoken Italian is very fast making it difficult to discern some syllables and double consonants. Seeing the written word is essential to learn pronunciation. I did not give the fifth star because I found navigation between story segments and the written text clunky and confusing.

  71. Herman De Baerdemaeker (verified owner)

    Nice material to practice my Italian.

  72. Julie Garner (verified owner)

    Perfect for my level of Italian.It was good to read a story and know nearly all of the words instead of struggling with a more advanced book.Sometimes it’s good to go back to basics….and what’s not to like about it…it’s FREE!!
    I love Online Italian club and love finding out snippets of everyday Italian life by reading your emails.

  73. Pauline (verified owner)

    Great introduction to e books, thank you. Good story, what a fast worker Nick is!

  74. Maxine Valenta (verified owner)

    My first e-reader and I’m pleased to say it won’t be my last. I really appreciated the audio with it and like others listened to it a few times before reading the text. I liked the short, simple sentences and I pleased myself by understanding more than I thought I would, which is a real confidence boost. Learning Italian is not coming as naturally to me as I had hoped! The glossary is great to have and also the test yourself questions. Makes for a well thought through piece of teaching material. I’ve already bought 2 more e-readers so want to make these a habit rather than a one- off. I intend to listen to the audio on my phone whilst out and about too. Thank you, great idea and a real bonus that the weekly offer makes them affordable.

  75. Chris Hannen (verified owner)

    A quick and easy, but interesting and informative read. I look forward to trying some more.

  76. Jane

    love the audio. i listen to it several times before looking at the script.

  77. Teresa (verified owner)

    I enjoyed this story very much!

  78. Mary (verified owner)

    I really enjoyed this book. Having the audio available to listen to first and then reading the book, allowed me to learn more easily. I listened a couple of times until I understood what I could. I then looked at the book and listened again. The short chapters make it easy to learn, without getting overwhelmed.

  79. Derek Hook (verified owner)

    l’e-book è stato molto utile. Potrei seguirlo e l’audio molto facilemente e abbastanza facilimente per iniziare. Ho anche trovato gli e-book sui film utili come inizio per seguire i film reali su DVD come riassunto delle trame. Sto anche sequendo i dialoghi con interesse.
    Derek

  80. Alan (verified owner)

    A little bit simple but a good confidence builder. Needed to be longer.

  81. Ray (verified owner)

    This is an excellent beginning book. Very easy to use and I like the audio as well.

  82. Kate (verified owner)

    Great and very helpful 😀

  83. Kara (verified owner)

    This is a nice, easy book that has short paragraphs to keep anything from being overwhelming for a beginner. The audio is at a nice pace. The story flows well.

  84. Bruce Mayhall Rastrelli (verified owner)

    When I was a child I devoured books, partly because I loved stories. I loved quiet time to curl up with a good book and go a million miles away, imagining myself as a character. As I got older, I realized my unusual grasp of grammar, vocabulary and reading comprehension came not from my classes, but from my reading.

    I’ve been studying Italian online for 15 months, and have thought all along, “If only I could find some good readers!” I found several online but found them too easy, too hard or just plain boring. Then I found easyreaders.org. I got two free ones and bought a bundle at the easter sale. It didn’t take long for me to say, “Well, here they are!”

    My ultimate goal is to read Dante, Boccaccio, Pasolini, and all the great Italian writers. Every easy reader is a step in that direction!

    Thanks for these great tools!

  85. Geoff Darroch (verified owner)

    Very helpful and well structured. I really like the format!

  86. Wendy (verified owner)

    Perfect for practising grammar and even learn new words.

  87. Yamily Acosta (verified owner)

    Great start, easy reading and interesting!

  88. hentastic

    Excellent – loved the comprehension exercises

  89. Greet (verified owner)

    I think it is to easy for me. I have to read another book with a higher level.

    • easyreadersorg (verified owner)

      We have plenty of material at higher levels, Greet. Check out our Catalogue.

  90. jadwiga (verified owner)

    Oh, what larks, dear Daniel and Stefania, what larks! I love the ending of this jolly romp. N.B. I like the beginning and middle too.

    Providing an audio (for this and other books) is a great bonus. All part of a great site.

    Although I am not a complete beginner, I couldn’t resist downloading this free offer, for which many thanks. I have now moved on to something closer to my level and am looking forward to the challenge.

  91. mark (verified owner)

    Good book to start with. The short chapters are ideal as they do not make the learning process look daunting.

  92. fiona.geilinger (verified owner)

    The written and audio story are engaging and easy to follow. A wonderful resource that I highly recommend.

  93. Joe (verified owner)

    Appropriately gauged level of Italian. The book is just the right balance of challenge and confidence building for beginner/intermediate level. Great product and I probably will buy the next level!

  94. Kathy Woodhall (verified owner)

    Thank you for the book! I enjoyed it! I appreciated reading something at a starter level that was not for children. I downloaded it to my mobile phone and opened it with WinZip. I listened to the audio on my phone., but also printed the book so I could make notes to make pronunciation reminders. Then I recorded myself reading it to be able to hear where I needed to make corrections… an “eh” sound instead of “a” for example.
    You have provided a great learning tool! I downloaded La Sorpresa and bought some other books as well.
    I think offering the free books offers a new person to your website an encouragement to take a chance and try it. Mille Grazie Daniel!

  95. b.sonila (verified owner)

    A nice beginners book. Nice story. Thanks

  96. Jeanette (verified owner)

    Excellent beginner material. I went through the text multiple times. The first time I read each chapter along with the audio. I then paused the audio to look up unfamiliar words and understand the context, read through again without audio, and answer the questions. After completing the entire story, I went back to listen to the story with the audio without interruptions. I went back again to read the story aloud by myself to work out any pronunciation issues. Finally, I read aloud with the audio. Great practice to help me speak more quickly.

  97. Margaret Chambers

    I am an older person who has not studied anything for a long time. I found ‘ Il Ristorante easy to read and understand. I found I could work out the meanings of some words without needing to look them up. It was most helpful to me to see the construction of sentences, so different from english !!!

  98. Leslie C Ross (verified owner)

    Enjoyed the book very much, especially the “O’Henry”-ish ending. It was easy to read, perfect for my level. If I had any criticism it would be that it could use a few more definitions and the ability to copy text into my translator. I did find I had to switch over to my Google translate a couple times. I read it on my iPad so may you can do that on the desk top version.

  99. Lisa Devries (verified owner)

    I loved reading this book, there was just enough new material to keep me engaged and wondering but also simple text so no frustration! Yay!

  100. filascelles (verified owner)

    Perfectly pitched. It reassured me that I am progressing as well as being engaging enough to make me want to continue reading.

  101. ajunef

    Not Read

  102. John Batchelor (verified owner)

    I felt re-assured that I knew and could understand most of the text and audio, but pleased that I also learnt or consolidated other words or phrases, so all in all a very helpful book and importantly the supporting audio facility on my learning curve.

  103. Edwin Halford (verified owner)

    A very good,simple to understand book many thanks keep up the good work Daniel , I just wish some people would not be so rude as to accuse you of sexism,the contents of the story are really immaterial!, Thank You I really appreciate what you do

  104. Edwin Halford (verified owner)

    Very good book, I found it just right for my level,well done, just one more observation I do wish that some other reviewers would just concentrate on the book review and keep their feminist opinions on what the story is about to themselves, I for one am not interested in wether they think it is sexist!

  105. neshermom (verified owner)

    Cinque Stelle*****

    Prima di tutto, sei cosi gentile, gentilissima! per offrire un libro gratuito!!!

    Perfetto per una principiante come me 🙂

    Ero sorpresa che certe parole sono state tradotte e non altre come “insomma, ottima, versa” ma…
    non fa niente, mi piace usare il dizionario!!

    Non puoi battere questo affare 🙂

    È una stupenda aggiunta alla mia raccolta dei attrezzi

    Spero che la grammatica qui è bene.

  106. Gunter Herrmann (verified owner)

    Me and computers ! I thought I had submited it already. I gave it 5 stars. I now try again to sent it.

  107. Gunter Herrmann (verified owner)

    I am very pleased to add 5 stars.
    1, maybe 2 unhappy readers. You can never win them all, but you deserve the 99 out of hundreds of reviews.
    Thank you for making the 2 stories available to me.

  108. Jane (verified owner)

    Really enjoyed this book and that it came with an audio track too. I listened to the audio all the way through first, just to see how I got on, and was pleased that I could understand it without issue – it has been a while since I’ve done anything like this. The audio was very clear, spoken at a sensible speed, not too slow or too fast. I then switched to reading the text and doing the exercises which were a good way to test yourself, with true/false and placing events in order. There were a couple of words I did not know, however I got the gist in the passage easily. Interesting story for beginners or people like me returning to the language after a break from studying.

  109. Velma Thomas (verified owner)

    I enjoyed reading a book in Italian which I could understand without looking up too many words but which extended my understanding of Italian phraseology.

  110. Emma (verified owner)

    Fantastic! Really enjoyed il ristorante, and have just downloaded la sorpresa. My level is a bit higher than these books, but I’m looking to build confidence and your site is really helping. thank you!

  111. Julia (verified owner)

    Thank you for both texts – il ristorante and La sopresa. It was a nice invitation to start reading in Italian.

  112. elainemiles3 (verified owner)

    I downloaded both Il ristorante and La Sorpresa and as these were A1 level and my level is B1/B2, of course, I found them both easy (thank goodness:-). However they were interesting stories and I have now bought another easy reader at a higher level using your £5 voucher. What an amazing resource this is! Free grammar, free e books and discounts! What’s not to like? Grazie mille. Elaine Miles

  113. sue_brunger (verified owner)

    Once I’d realised these were going into my junk folder, this was all very straightforward to download. I enjoyed both Il Ristorante and La Sorpresa. There was some vocabulary which I needed to check in the dictionary, but it was very encouraging to be able to listen to and read something I understand! Thank you for my free books.

  114. Angela Charles (verified owner)

    I much enjoyed Il Ristorante and La Sorpresa. I am at about level B1 and struggling with past tenses and trying to get to grips with The Tenses You Need to Speak Italian, so it was great to read and listen to the two books and fully understand them! They have spurred me onwards and upwards.

    Mille grazie to Daniel and the team.

  115. Stumvoll Margrit (verified owner)

    Very nice story, perfect for beginners.

  116. michael troup (verified owner)

    On average a bit too simple, but with insufficient help with respect to the vocabulary – no learner should need to reach for a dictionary if the teaching material is properly thought out.

  117. renee gordge (verified owner)

    Interesting story and nice simple language and tenses.

  118. Mary (verified owner)

    I was concerned that I was not ready to manage reading an ebook. Il Ristorante was understandable, interesting, and enjoyable. Yet, it still presented a challenge for a beginner. What a wonderful way to learn Italian! Mi piace questo libro. Mille grazie!

  119. Chris (verified owner)

    Thanks for this free book. I am not a beginner and would not have read it otherwise. It is always nice to read something and realise how far you’ve come since you were a beginner. The Easy Reader books are always well written and are aimed at adults. This is important to me as many books that I read when first starting out were children’s stories and it is much better to not only understand a story, but to also build a useful vocab that you can put in to use straight away. Thanks.

  120. Rosemary Wells (verified owner)

    I really enjoyed reading this story, probably because I did not have to keep looking words up in the dictionary, but even so there was enough to sustain ones interest. I also found it easier to think about the way Italians form their sentences when I could understand the vocabulary. I think Nick preferred Italy and its cuisine to any girl. I like the question and solution format too because this should make sure you have understood the text.

  121. Christina (verified owner)

    Mi piace tanto questo libro!

  122. jonathan cornell (verified owner)

    Era facile ma interessante.

  123. Angela (verified owner)

    This is the first easy reader that I’ve downloaded from this site. Although it was a very easy read, I did learn a few new words. My parents are both Italian immigrants and Italian was the only language spoken at home while growing up. I would like to improve my written Italian and tenses when speakng. Can you suggest a book in your library hat helps in this area?

  124. Anne-Marie (verified owner)

    I found the book quite easy but that has boosted my confidence. Nice easy pace of speech meant I could follow what was being said. I have bought ‘easy readers’ before (stories with parallel translation) but I think just having a few manageable paragraphs in Italian has been more suited to my style of learning. It’s important to hear the language and not jus see it.

    Grazie per il libro gratuito.

    Anne-Marie

  125. Wim Muylaert (verified owner)

    A very good book to learn some new words and improve your basic Italian skills and on top a nice story too !

  126. Benjy (verified owner)

    As an absolute beginner in Italian this is the first easyreader I’ve tried. It was easy to download and the soundfiles are a really useful feature as is the glossary.
    As a beginner I did have to look up practically every word so I’m probably not really ready to get the full benefit from this book yet so I’ve only read the first chapter so far, however I hope that as I improve I’ll be able to come back to it and get more out of the experience (although this is not a problem with the book, just with my ability!)

  127. Elspeth Wardrop (verified owner)

    Good simple story, ideal practice for beginners; I liked the way it included lots of local dishes not known in the UK, so it encourages learning more about Italian regional cuisine too.

  128. Kenneth Lever (verified owner)

    For me the most difficult part of learning a language is listening and understanding without having to translate into English! These simple texts with the related audio is an ideal way to achieve this. It takes practice and repetition which is why having books of this type is ideal.

  129. Francesca (verified owner)

    Excellent!

  130. Karen Dhaliwal (verified owner)

    An easily read book so a nice way to review one’s Italian.

  131. mary winter

    What I liked: I listened to each soundtrack three times, writing and then modifying my transcription. Then I checked the printed text, and listened once again. The set-up for doing this is good and the slow pace a great help. For,ear-training ease I marked it 4 stars.

    The content was extremely simple and not particularly interesting. Vocabulary , grammar, sentence structure excessively basic. Having verbs of more tenses would be better . Imperfect, conditional, subjunctive, and pronouns. These are harder to hear.

    • easyreadersorg (verified owner)

      Thanks for the comment, Mary. Yes, the content is simple because this particular ebook is intended for absolute beginners. Perhaps you should try something at one of the higer levels, instead?

      Daniel

  132. j15n1th1nw1rd (verified owner)

    Pretty poor, actually. This was my first experience of free online readers and I do not think I will ever pay for one based on this experience. Sorry! I would LOVE to be happy but I’m not!

    • easyreadersorg (verified owner)

      I really appreciate reviews like this, people who do not give their name, or their reasons for disliking the book I wrote, which I admit is far from perfect.

      Why?

      Because I can publish the review, and so all the FIVE STAR reviews look more credible!

      More please! Do tell me why you hate my book, that I gave away to a thousand people, free.

      Explain where/how you’d get a better deal…

  133. Giovanni (verified owner)

    Excellent. I enjoyed especially listening to the soundtrack.

  134. lori.laposta (verified owner)

    This book (and others offered by easy readers.org) is a confidence builder for an A1 CEFR student of Italian. The author’s sharing of his personal experience learning Italian enforces the readers motivation to try this method of learning the language; especially as it not his mother tongue, either.
    While the content and grammar may be easy for those who are false beginners the recordings help identify sounds our ears don’t readily recognize. Or at least, they do for me! I can read high level books and use conjecture where I don’t know a word or conjugation, I can write- given the time to think and auto-correct my sentence structures and grammar- but speaking and listening are where I remain a beginner after trying diligently. Books like these with audio are a helpful tool to get me beyond the point of being inoperable in a real conversation where I can’t seem to get beyond two phrases of conversation.
    CONTENT SPOILER IN THIS PARAGRAPH!!
    While I can see why some may have commented on their disappointment of the women Charlotte and Gaia both wanting a home and children while Nick is focused on learning Italian and cooking I, instead, enjoyed Nick’s relocating to Italy. I personally would think such a job offer would be a dream come true and while reading I found myself hoping he’d find a way to settle down with Gaia in Italia with a new restaurant of his own. Memories of reading another easyreader.org publication, “Segreti e Polpette,” came back to my memory.
    Thanks to Daniel and Stephania for bringing content to motivate our ongoing learning of Italian.

  135. Tanya (verified owner)

    An easy book to understand for beginners. Perfect to read from smartphone

  136. Lakis (verified owner)

    Easy reading and understanding the story. A fine way learning italian.

  137. Veronica E

    It was easy to understand which I think is good for confidence building. Always helpful to hear spoken Italian, and nice to have something at a level you can understand so you don’t get downhearted – yes you are improving! And it’s free, what’s not to like ?

  138. Carol (verified owner)

    Even though my level is above that of this book, I found it interesting and learned new words. The story is quite short and would be good for people at A1/A2 level. I would have liked the 2 women in the story to want something other than children and a house.

  139. belljennie (verified owner)

    This was my first reader. I was so happy to have a book to read a story in Italian, that I didn’t actually mind what it was about. I was pleased to find I could get the drift of the story. However it was a well put together exercise.

  140. Elaine (verified owner)

    Just about hangs together as a story and good to read some Italian, at an easy level. Some nice vocab, too.

  141. KATERINA ALVERATSIDOU (verified owner)

    it is a nice book and a perfect practice for learners of italian language!!!

  142. Caroline (verified owner)

    Perfect starter book for beginners, I understood more than I though I would. Great to have the audio as well to reinforce pronunciation.

  143. Anne S. (verified owner)

    Fine as a learning device for beginners, though I wish a few more words had been translated.
    What really bothered me, though, is that the story is so sexist. Both the ex-girlfriend and the new one just seem to want to start a family, while our hero is the one who moves to a new city, learns a new language, and wants to open a restaurant. Really!

    • easyreadersorg (verified owner)

      Thanks for commenting, Anne. I don’t remember the last time I was called sexist. Actually, I was aiming for ‘romantic’. The ‘hero’ gives up his dream to be with the partner he loves (doesn’t have to be a woman). He makes the committment that he was avoiding at the beginning.

      You’re right about the glossary, though.

  144. Lynne F (verified owner)

    Easy to download. A good way to improve my Italian listening and sentence structure.

  145. Julie Kibby (verified owner)

    The story is quite sweet and engaging enough to keep one listening/reading. Even though my level of Italian is a bit more advanced than A1/A2, I still always find it useful to listen to Italian, no matter the level, so I found the audio and text a pleasant interlude from more challenging works while still of benefit.

  146. sue.cotton (verified owner)

    Nice start to reading In Italian. I was surprised by how much I understood.

  147. chrispnunn (verified owner)

    Thanks. Great start.

  148. Richard Gomez (verified owner)

    I did enjoy reading this reader even though it was at a very introductory level, but it was helpful and relevant in learning some of the basics of beginning Italian.

  149. Gomati Sekhar

    A very helpful concept for learning a new language without getting overwhelmed by the grammar and vocabulary. Looking forward to many such learning tools. Grazie mille!

  150. Claire Bes (verified owner)

    I liked the story. The learning method works very well. It is great you can listen and read or just one or the other. The level was right for me as a beginner – just challenging enough with the odd unfamiliar word. Will definitely continue with this way of learning

  151. Cheryl Summers (verified owner)

    My first easy ereader. I read each chapter through quickly after listening to each chapter. New vocab usefulI, used my etranslater a few times. Story intertesting enough. Great change from learning vocab.

  152. Helen Zwahlen

    So easy to download on my Mac – don’t know why didn’t start earlier with such a learning method. Good story and text.

  153. Jim K (verified owner)

    I made it through and got the plot, to a large extent. I am a literal person and so for me having more of vocabulary explained provided would be a plus.

    I think this concept of learning is excellent as grammar/vocabulary books are good and have a purpose, to be able to get concepts is very important and it is hard to get concepts out those types of learning materials (grammar/vocabulary books) alone.

  154. Lorna (verified owner)

    I really enjoyed listening to this eBook. It was a nice simple story that was easy to follow even though I didn’t understand every word. After listening a coupe of times I read the text and looked up any words I didn’t know. This helped my vocabulary as well as my listening. Looking forward to my next one!

  155. Tilly (verified owner)

    Really good to get me started on reading Italian books. It was a great introduction before I start to try to read the A2/B1 level of books! I really enjoyed it and reading it out aloud has helped me with pronunciation and it has helped me with the listening too

  156. hearn.scott (verified owner)

    I have not read all of it yet, but what i have read, the first 4 chapters
    has impressed me, it does not use difficult words to understand.
    and simple sentences.
    buono lavoro.

  157. ddkjsk (verified owner)

    A great way to improve my reading and listening, will definitely do other ebooks. Great for beginners with short chapters , very easy to digest.

  158. Carla Ranks (verified owner)

    I have found all the e-readers great for helping me learn Italian. Il ristorante was no exception- a perfect little story!
    I also want to commend Daniel for responding to emails in a timely fashion! Who does that anymore? No one, except Daniel!
    Grazie!

  159. Sarah Ashcroft (verified owner)

    An interesting story. I enjoyed reading and listening to it at the same time. A good book for beginners and easy to follow for those who have learnt more Italian.

  160. John johanson (verified owner)

    Once again this little book hit the right note.
    Pleasant and not too difficult.
    Well done.

  161. Eric (verified owner)

    Perfect book for beginners and easy to download.

  162. Barry Edwards (verified owner)

    I downloaded this e reader while it was on special offer and found it to be very good. I have listened to it and read the chapters aloud many times and feel that my understanding of Italian is improving as a result. I have also purchased Nuovo Cinema Paradisio to use alonside watching the film.

  163. DBD (verified owner)

    I enjoyed reading”Il Ristorante” and the process of absorbing new vocabulary. Admittedly, this was my first foray into formally reading in my new “target language”. While I would have preferred more content, I did very much find the text of interest and the story entertaining. Given the competitive pricing, the purchase was a good decision. I’m looking forward to working my way thorough my next book from EasyReaders.

  164. P (verified owner)

    I pretty much agree with the other posted reviews. I have some French and Spanish already, so I can crash through the dialogue and figure the story out from context as we proceed.
    I could use a few more translated words.
    I have only done the first 4 chapters, but it is going quickly enough. I will run through to the end and then go back and do it over, maybe with a dictionary by my side.
    Thanks,
    Carson City NV

  165. Rosie (verified owner)

    I really enjoyed being able to tackle this story in Italian and to listen to and hear the spoken story. It was at just the right level for me.
    I am now enjoying La sorpressa.
    Grazie
    Rosie

  166. Keylla (verified owner)

    I loved.It’s a simple story for italian learners.

  167. Marilyn Homer (verified owner)

    Thank you for this ebook – it was a lovely storyline and the grammar content just right for an A1 level learner. It was great having the audio version to listen too whilst following the written text and the exercises helped to compound the learning.
    Grazie tanto!

  168. Barry Edwards (verified owner)

    I downloaded this free e reader and have found it very useful in helping my Italian. It would maybe have been nice to have an English translation with it, but I suppose that not having this makes me have to look for the translation of bits I do not understand which will further improve my Italian. I have since purchased the e reader of Cinema Paradiso.

  169. Sue (verified owner)

    Thanks for this little book; it’s a great story for adult beginners. The accompanying audio is fabulous too for improving listening skills.

  170. Karen Smith (verified owner)

    My first Italian Ebook – very easy to read and understand. As an older reader the text was interesting. Written in present tense, but included modal and reflexive verbs, giving a range of verb usage. The explanation/definition of Italian phrases was very useful as these are often difficult to understand when translating.

  171. Susie (verified owner)

    My first ebook and I thought it was a great way to learn, especially running the audio as well.

  172. Mary (verified owner)

    Reading and listening to the text at the same time is so useful. I like the short chapters that move the story on each time. The language is nice and straightforward for beginners, but still contains a range of really useful vocabulary.

  173. Karin (verified owner)

    I think that listening to the stories is very helpful. The pace is perfect and the speaker’s voice is quite clear. It is important to hear slowly spoken Italian whatever your level to help reinforce everything you study on paper.

  174. Tadeja Ajdič (verified owner)

    Very nice, easily understandable for italian begginers!!

  175. Aleksandra Nowacka

    I like the story. It’s better to learn Italian this way! Thank you again. I am planning to buy a new one soon! I can’t wait.

  176. Christine Chudley (verified owner)

    Everything about this book is good for beginners – and for others who understand that listening, reading, repeating and practising is the best way to get on top of this lovely but challenging language. The plot is simple, the sentences and chapters are short and spoken at a comprehensible speed. Best of all, the text features many useful words and points of grammar – including vocabulary relating to food. Lucky Nick learning Italian in six months.

  177. Margrit Stumvoll

    The book is perfect for beginners, and it was quite easy to get it as ebook, since I’m not too perfect on the internet!

  178. Valerie Scullli

    Nice story to learn Italian from. Ideal as a beginner level

  179. Karen

    This book is a perfect intro to easy readers. I did wonder whether Nick was going to turn out to be a two timing philanderer. Nice snappy chapters and plenty of useful grammar to get familiar with, without detracting from the flow. The comprehension checks are useful. Thanks

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