Even if you don’t learn a single Italian phrase, knowing how to pronounce the language can be a big help – if only to, say, order items off a menu, tell a taxi driver your hotel address or ask a local what the next metro stop is… and be understood!<\/p>\n
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In more off-the-beaten-path towns, it’s useful to know some Italian words and phrases before visiting.<\/p><\/div>\n
Italian words can be rather long (and poetic!), but here’s a helpful tip for pronouncing them: most of the time, stress falls on the second-to-last syllable<\/em>.<\/strong> (So “Venezia” is “Ve-NE-zia”; “castello” is “cas-TELL-o”).<\/p>\nVowels<\/strong> show up a lot in lyrical Italian. So just remember that “a” is pronounced like the a in father, “i” like the “ee” in greet, and “u” like the u in rule. The vowels “e” and “o” can be open or closed, depending on the word.<\/p>\nMeanwhile, many consonants<\/strong> sound like their English equivalent. The most important exceptions: the letter “c” before “i” or “e” is pronounced like a “ch,” “g” before an “i” or “e” is pronounced like the g in “general,” “h” is always silent, “r” is almost always rolled and “z” is pronounced like the “ds” in “lads”\u00a0at the beginning of the sentence, and like the “ts” in sets\u00a0<\/strong>in all other cases.<\/p>\nDouble consonants<\/strong> can be a bit tricky, but here are some rules to remember: “ch” sounds like the “c” in “car,” “gli” sounds like the “ll” in million, “gn” sounds like the “ny” in “canyon,” and “sc” sounds like the “sh” in “shush” before i and e, and like “sk” in “skip” in all other cases.<\/p>\nGot that? Great! Now, here’s a quick starter guide to essential Italian words and phrases… and, of course, you’ll now be able to pronounce them!<\/p>\n