Week #002 Review, Tuesday

Let's Speak Italian!

Di dove sei (tu)? = Where are you from? (informal)

Di dov'e' (Lei)? = Where are you from? (formal)

Sono di...= I am from...

Dov'e'...? = Where is...?

Ecco... = Here is...

And here are some famous cities and their Italian and English pronunciations.

Roma = Rome

Milano = Milan

Venezia = Venice

Firenze = Florence

Napoli = Naples

Italian Spelling = English Sound

a = ah

e = ay

i = ee

o = oh

u = oo

c (before e or i) = ch

c (before other vowels) = k

ch = k

g (before e or i) = j

g (before other vowels) = g (as in go)

gh = g (as in go)

gl = lli (as in million)

gn = ny (as in canyon)

h = always silent

r = r (a single r should lightly rolled or trilled; a double rr is strongly rolled or trilled)

s = s (but pronounced as a z when it comes between vowels)

sc (before e or i) = sh

sc (before other vowels) = sk

sch = sk

z (beginning of a word) = dz

z (within a word) = ts

zz = ts and sometimes dz

io = I

tu = you (informal)

Lei = you (formal)

lui = he

lei = she

noi = we

voi = you (plural, formal and informal)

loro = they

The subject pronoun io, unlike the English I, is not capitalized unless it begins a sentence.

Lei is the formal form for both masculine and feminine and is written with the capital L to distinguish it from lei (she).

Essere = to be

io sono = I am

tu sei = you are (informal)

Lei e' = you are (formal)

lui/lei e' = he/she is

noi siamo = we are

voi siete = you are (plural)

loro sono = they are

Avere = to have

io ho = I have

tu hai = you have (informal)

Lei ha = you have (formal)

lui/lei ha = he/she has

noi abbiamo = we have

voi avete = you have (plural)

loro hanno = they have

0 = zero

1 = uno

2 = due

3 = tre

4 = quattro

5 = cinque

6 = sei

7 = sette

8 = otto

9 = nove

10 = dieci

11 = undici

12 = dodici

13 = tredici

14 = quattordici

15 = quindici

16 = sedici

17 = diciassette

18 = diciotto

19 = diciannove

20 = venti