Learn the fundamental rules of Italian pronunciation, including how the letters C, G, SC, GN, and GL change their sounds based on following vowels, and how double consonants are pronounced longer. This lesson covers examples like 'Ciao', 'Gelato', 'Chiave', and 'Famiglia', highlighting the phonetic structure of Italian and its differences from English pronunciation.
- C and G are soft before 'E' and 'I'. Example: 'Ciao', 'Gelato'
- SC is soft before 'E' and 'I': scena.
- GN and GL form unique sounds: bagno, famiglia.
| Lettera | Pronuncia | Esempio |
|---|---|---|
| C/G + E/I | Soft sound like 'ch' and 'j' in English | Ciao Gelato |
| C/G + A/O/U | Hard sound like 'k' and 'g' of game | Cane Gatto |
| CH/GH + E/I | Chiave Ghiaccio | |
| SC + E/I | Sounds like 'sh' in English | Scena |
| SC + A/O/U | Sounds /sk/ | Scuola |
| GN | Sounds like the 'ñ' in Spanish | Bagno |
| GL + I | Sounds like the 'll' in Spanish | Famiglia |
| Z | Could be voiced and voiceless | Zaino Pizza |
| CC, GG, LL, TT, ... | Double consonants are pronounced longer | Fratello Otto |
Exercise 1: Multiple Choice
Instruction: Choose the correct solution
1. Il mio nome inizia con la lettera ___, come in 'Casa'.
(My name starts with the letter ___, as in 'Casa'.)2. La lettera ___ in italiano è muta, quindi 'hotel' si pronuncia 'otel'.
(The letter ___ in Italian is silent, so 'hotel' is pronounced 'otel'.)3. La lettera G davanti a ___ si pronuncia dolce, come in 'gelato'.
(The letter G before ___ is pronounced soft, as in 'gelato'.)4. La combinazione ___ si pronuncia come la ñ spagnola, per esempio in 'bagno'.
(The combination ___ is pronounced like the Spanish ñ, for example in 'bagno'.)5. Le lettere ___ non fanno parte dell'alfabeto italiano base.
(The letters ___ are not part of the basic Italian alphabet.)6. La doppia consonante ___ si pronuncia più lunga, come in 'otto'.
(The double consonant ___ is pronounced longer, as in 'otto'.)
