Language/Italian/Grammar/Italian-Alphabet
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Italian's alphabet contains 21 letters (5 vowels and 16 consonants). The letters J, K, W, X, and Y are only used in foreign names, and in scientific or technical terms of foreign origin.
Italian Alphabet
The Italian alphabet includes the following 21 letters:
| Italian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| A | /a/ | like 'a' in "father" |
| B | /bi/ | like 'b' in "brave" |
| C | /tʃi/ or /ki/ | like 'ch' in "church" (before 'e' or 'i' it has the sound "ch", before 'a', 'o', or 'u' it has the hard "k" sound, but there are exceptions) |
| D | /di/ | like 'd' in "dog" |
| E | /e/ or /ɛ/ | like 'e' in "red" |
| F | /ɛf/ | like 'f' in "fish" |
| G | /dʒi/ or /gi/ | like 'g' in "gem" (before 'e' or 'i' it has the "j" sound, before 'a', 'o', or 'u' it has the hard "g" sound, but there are exceptions) |
| H | /ˈakʷa/ | is always silent |
| I | /i/ | like 'ee' in "meet" |
| L | /ɛl/ | like 'l' in "lion" |
| M | /ɛm/ | like 'm' in "mouse" |
| N | /ɛn/ | like 'n' in "nice" |
| O | /ɔ/ or /o/ | like 'o' in "more" |
| P | /pi/ | like 'p' in "pen" |
| Q | /ku/ | like 'q' in "quit" (is only used in 'qu' form, and it is always followed by 'u') |
| R | /ɛr/ | like 'r' in "red" (Italian 'r' is pronounced with a rolling sound made by rapidly flipping the end of the tongue up and down against the roof of the mouth) |
| S | /ɛs/ | like 's' in "sun" |
| T | /ti/ | like 't' in "tree" |
| U | /u/ | like 'oo' in "cool" |
| V | /vi/ | like 'v' in "very" |
| Z | /dzɛta/ or /tsɛta/ | like 'ts' in "gets" (depending on regional accents) |
Accents and Diacritics
Italian language uses four diacritics which are placed above vowels in written words to indicate a specific pronunciation.
Acute Accent (L'accento Acuto)
The acute accent (´) that in Italian is called l'accento acuto, is used exclusively on five vowels: é, ó, í, á, and ú. The acute accent is used to indicate the stressed syllable of words, Most often it is placed on the vowel "e" and "o", and a few times on "i", but rarely on "a" and "u".
Examples:
- università (university) - stressed on 'i'
- telefonò (he/she/it called) - stressed on 'o'
- acquistò (he/she/it bought) - stressed on 'o'
Grave Accent (L'accento Grave)
The grave accent (`) that in Italian is called l'accento grave, is used exclusively on the vowel "e" and "a". It specifies a different pronunciation, indicating that the stressed syllable is on the penultimate syllable, while without an accent in the same word with the stressed syllable on the final vowel. It is also used to distinguish homographic words.
Examples:
- né (nor) - stressed on 'e'
- ne' (short for 'nei' or 'nella', in the + female/male/feminine/masculine) - stressed on 'e'
- là (there) - stressed on 'a'
- la (the + feminine) - stressed on final 'a'
Circonflexe Accent (L'accento Circonflesso)
The circumflex accent (ˆ) that in Italian is called l'accento circonflesso, is only applied on the vowel "i" and "u". When applied on the vowel "i" it indicates that it is pronounced separately from the other vowels in the word.
Example:
- vergogna (shame) - pronounced as "ver-gò-gna"
While when on the vowel "u", an accent is placed to distinguish homophonic forms.
Examples:
- tuo (your + masculine) ~ to (so)
- su (on) ~ sù (up)
Diaresis (La dieresi)
The diaeresis (¨) that in Italian is called la dieresi, is placed on the vowel "i" and "u" to indicate that these vowels are to be pronounced separately.
Example:
- lingua (*language) - pronounced as "lin-gua" with separate "i"
Conclusion
Learning the Italian alphabet is an important and necessary first step in becoming proficient in Italian. The good news is that the Italian alphabet has a lot in common with English, which means that some letters are pronounced the same in both languages. While the accent marks and diacritics might seem challenging, once you understand their use and meaning, they will become second nature. In next lessons, we'll learn about nouns and articles, which will be the next step in communicating effectively in Italian. Have fun learning!
Sources
Videos
Learn the Italian Alphabet: letters and sounds (Italian Pronunciation ...
L'ALFABETO ITALIANO - Italian Alphabet & Phonetics - YouTube
Spelling the ITALIAN ALPHABET with CITY NAMES - YouTube
Learn Italian Alphabets Pronunciation With Examples - YouTube
Videos
Learn the Italian Alphabet: letters and sounds (Italian Pronunciation ...
L'ALFABETO ITALIANO - Italian Alphabet & Phonetics - YouTube
Spelling the ITALIAN ALPHABET with CITY NAMES - YouTube
Learn Italian Alphabets Pronunciation With Examples - YouTube
Videos
Learn the Italian Alphabet: letters and sounds (Italian Pronunciation ...
L'ALFABETO ITALIANO - Italian Alphabet & Phonetics - YouTube
Spelling the ITALIAN ALPHABET with CITY NAMES - YouTube
Learn Italian Alphabets Pronunciation With Examples - YouTube