http://www.cyberitalian.com/en/html/b_1_culture.htmlGlossariettociao hi, hello, so longmi chiamo my name issì yesveramente truly, reallyio Isono ame andtu youchi? who?sei arepiacere nice to meet you

http://www.cyberitalian.com/en/html/alphabet.html

The Italian alphabet has 21 letters.

A, E, I, O, U are called "vowels". The others are called "consonants".

These are foreign letters (rarely used in Italian):

These are consonants combined with a vowel or with another consonant. They have a special pronunciation:

Italian words end with a vowel (except words of foreign origin - e.g. sport, film, yogurt...):

• armadio (wardrobe, closet)
• lampada (lamp)

The vowels and the diphtongs (combination of vowels) are clearly articulated:

• noioso, noiosa (boring)
• piede (foot)

Most Italian words have the stress on the next-to-last syllable:

burattino (puppet)

lavorare (to work)

However, there are many exceptions to this rule and, since the stress is not indicated by a written accent, the only way to learn the correct pronunciation is by listening, memorizing and practicing:

leggere (to read)

frigorifero (refridgerator)

Some words have the stress on the final vowel; they require a written accent:

caffè (coffee)

attività (activity)

In a sentence, the stress usually falls on the last word, and the pitch of the voice drops at the end of the sentence:

• Pinocchio è italiano. (Pinocchio is Italian.)

A question is expressed with a rising intonation:

Pinocchio è italiano? (Is Pinocchio Italian?)

Double consonants must be pronounced. When you pronounce a double consonant, just extend the sound while holding the breath for a moment:

• ballare (to dance)
• ginnastica (gymnastics)

Double consonants are very important because they differentiate words. E.g. "rosa" (pink) "rossa" (red).

Certain words have a double consonant only for the "sake of the music" (you know Italian language is very musical). This happens usually when:

• two words combine (e.g. chi + sa = chissà). Some of these words are: sebbene, fabbisogno, seppure, dammi, fammi, dimmi...
• words start with "sopra, contro": soprattutto, sopralluogo, soprannome, sopravvivere, contraddire...
• words start with the prepositions "a, da, fra, su": allo, addosso, davvero, dapprima, frattanto...
• words start with the conjunctions "e, o, né": eppure, oppure, nemmeno, neppure...

Words that do NOT require a double consonant are:

• ending with "zione" (azione, meditazione, lezione...)
• starting with "intra" (intravedere, intramuscolo...)

• Of course, we always have exceptions. If you are not sure if an Italian word has a double consonant, check the dictionary and use our pronunciation guide.

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