Language/Italian/Grammar/Italian-Alphabet

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Italian Grammar - Italian Alphabet

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.

Once you've mastered this lesson, take a look at these related pages: Conditional Subjunctive & Definite Articles.

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

• The Italian alphabet
• Italian language - Wikipedia
• Italian Grammar lesson 1 - Alphabet

Having concluded this lesson, consider checking out these related pages: Accent mark to distinguish a word & Imperfect Tense.

Videos

Learn Italian Alphabets Pronunciation With Examples - YouTube

Table of Contents - Italian Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

Introduction to Italian Language

• Italian Alphabet
• Nouns and Articles
• Present Tense of Regular Verbs
• Adjectives and Adverbs
• Present Tense of Irregular Verbs

  ---

Daily Life Expressions

• Greetings and Introductions
• Foods and Drinks
• Transportation
• Numbers and Dates

  ---

Italian Culture and Tradition

• Italian Regions and Cities
• Italian Cuisine and Wine
• Italian Art and Music
• Italian Festivals and Celebrations

  ---

Past and Future Tenses

• Passato Prossimo
• Futuro Semplice
• Imperfect Tense
• Condizionale Presente

  ---

Social and Work Life

• Family and Relationships
• Work and Employment
• Shopping and Services
• Tourism and Hospitality

  ---

Italian Literature and Cinema

• Famous Italian Writers and Poets
• Italian Cinema Industry
• Italian Contemporary Art

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Subjunctive and Imperative Moods

• Present Subjunctive
• Imperative Form
• Simple Past Subjunctive
• Conditional Subjunctive

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Science and Technology

• Computer and Technology
• Science and Research
• Environment and Ecology

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Italian Politics and Society

• Contemporary Italian Politics
• Italian Society and Customs
• Religion and Believes

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Compound Tenses

• Trapassato Prossimo
• Trapassato Remoto
• Futuro Anteriore
• Congiuntivo Passato

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Arts and Design

• Fashion and Design
• Music and Performing Arts
• Visual Arts

  ---

Italian Language and Dialects

• Italian Language Variations
• Italian Language in the World
• Italian Language as a Second Language

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