Italian Pronunciation Tips on How to (Almost) Speak Like a Native

Italian Pronunciation Tips on How to (Almost) Speak Like a Native Brooke Neuman Mastering Italian pronunciation is often the hardest thing about learning Italian. Dont get discouraged if youre having a hard time pronouncing words and phrases as it takes time and a lot of practice to get it right. Below, Italian teacher Delilah B.  provides some tips on how to speak like a native Italian A lot of students ask me what is the best and easiest way to pronounce Italian words.  While Italian pronunciation can be difficult for beginners, its actually quite easy to pick up once the rules are understood. All it takes is some practice and perseverance! Italian is a phonetic language, which means  its spoken the way its written. Luckily, Italian and English share the Latin alphabet; however, the sounds represented by the letters often differ. To help you understand more, check out this video from Italian teacher Liz. T on  the basic rules of Italian pronunciation. Well dive deeper into these rules below the video. Consonants In Italian, the consonants B, F, M, N, L, T, and V are pronounced the same as there are in English. The following consonants, however, are pronounced slightly different. Read the examples below and practice saying the consonants out loud, making sure to concentrate on the pronunciation of each letter. C before  a, o, u and consonants is pronounced like the k in kite, whereas c  before e and i  is pronounced like the ch in chin. G before a, o, and u and consonants is pronounced like the  g in good, whereas g  before e and i is pronounced like the  g in generous. Gli  is pronounced like the y in yes, and Gn is pronounced like the  ny in word canyon. H is silent. P is pronounced almost the same as it is in English, but without the aspiration. Qu is always pronounced like the qu in question. R is  pronounced with a roll of the tongue similar to Spanish. Initial S before vowels and unvoiced consonants (c, f, p, q, s, t) is pronounced like the s in sunburn. S between vowels is pronounced like the s in rose. Z can be pronounced like the ds in pads, or like the ts in bets. Vowels Italian has seven vowel sounds (one each for  a,  i  and  u; two each for  e  and  o). When two or more vowels occur in a row, theyre always pronounced separately. Also, vowels (a,e,i,o,u) always retain their value in diphthongs. Below is how you would pronounce the Italian vowels. Review the list  and practice saying the vowels out loud, again making sure to concentrate on the pronunciation of each vowel. U:  sounds like the  u in rude or the oo in food. A: sounds like the long a in “father.” I: sounds like the ee in meet. E: has two sounds: e (open) sounds like the e in set, while e (closed) sounds like the a in say. O: has two sounds: o (open) sounds like the o in pot, while the o (closed) sounds like the o in post. Accents Acute (á, é, í, ó, ú) and grave (à, è, ì, ò, ù) accents are used in Italian to indicate where the voice should stress when pronouncing a word. The grave accent mark is used to mark stress on open vowels, while the acute accent mark is used to stress on closed vowels. Its important to note that there are many cases in which a grave accent is used on closed vowels. See examples below: Grave accents: città morì portò Acute accents: perché poté nonché Grave accents on closed vowels: diè là làncora Hopefully, these tips will help you to better understand how to properly pronounce Italian words. In addition to taking Italian lessons, one of the best ways to learn Italian pronunciation is to have a conversation with a native speaker and listen to his or her pronunciation. Watching movies in Italian is also a great way to learn. You can find a large selection of great Italian movies with English subtitles on YouTube or you can ask your Italian teacher to provide you with some suggestions. Delilah B. graduated from the University Federico II Napoli with an associate degree in Italian Literature. She  is an Italian and violin instructor living in Culver City, CA. Learn more about Delilah here! Interested in Private Lessons? Search thousands of teachers for local and live, online lessons. Sign up for convenient, affordable private lessons today! Search for Your Teacher Photo by  Ed Yourdon