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1.2: La pronuncia

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    120326
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    Pronunciation

    Pronunciation in Italian is simple, because Italian spelling is phonemic. Words are spelled the way they are pronounced; it’s just a matter of learning the rules…

    • Sometimes double consonants make a difference in the meaning of the word, so accurate pronunciation is essential:
    capelli [hair] cappelli [hats]
    faro [lighthouse] farro [spelt]
    sono [I am] sonno [sleep]
    pala [shovel] palla [ball]
    rosa [pink; rose] rossa [red]
    sete [thirst] sette [seven]
    • There are some special letter combinations:
    gi: giocare [to play] ghi: ghiaccio [ice] ci: ciao [hi] chi: chiesa [church]
    ge: gelato ghe: ghetto ce: celeste [light blue] che: anche [also]
      ga: gatto [cat]   ca: casa [house]
      go: goccia [drop]   co: come [how; like]
      gu: gusto [taste]   cu: cucina [kitchen; cuisine]
    sci: sciare [to ski] schi: schiuma [foam]
    sce: scena [scene] sche: scherzo [joke]
      sca: scappare [to run away]
      sco: scolapasta [colander]
      scu: scuola [school]
    gn: gnocchi gli: foglio [sheet]

     

    ai: zaino [backpack]

    ei: sei [six]

    uo: uovo [egg]

     

     

    • Listen to the sound a single “S” makes when it comes between two vowels: casa, rosa, chiesa.

    * All pronunciation recordings on this page are from www.forvo.com.

     

    This page titled 1.2: La pronuncia is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Daniel Leisawitz & Daniela Viale via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform.