Linguac and g change before e and i
In the last unit c and g were always hard: casa, gola. That is true before a, o, u. Before e and i they turn soft: c sounds like the “ch” of “church” – cena (dinner), cibo (food) – and g like the “j” of “jam” – gelato, giorno (day). The vowel after the letter decides; you never have to guess.
| Spelling | Sound | Words |
|---|---|---|
| ca, co, cu | k | casa, cosa |
| ce, ci | ch of “church” | cena, cibo |
| ga, go, gu | g of “go” | gola, gufo |
| ge, gi | j of “jam” | gelato, giorno |
Two letters you know, side by side: c, then e. Read together they give the soft c.
g with its tail below the row, then i with its dot. Together: the soft g.
ch and gh: hard again before e and i
And when Italian wants the HARD sound before e or i? It puts an h in between. h is silent, as always – it only keeps c and g hard: che (“ke”), chi (“ki”), chiave (key), spaghetti, funghi (mushrooms). So ch in Italian is a k, never the “ch” of English.
c, then a tall h. The h makes no sound of its own.
g with its tail, then h. Read as one hard g.
| Soft | Hard |
|---|---|
| cena | che |
| cibo | chi |
| gelato | spaghetti |
| giorno | funghi |
ci and gi before a, o, u: the i is silent
The opposite trick: to get the SOFT sound before a, o, u, Italian writes an i that is not pronounced. ciao is two sounds, “chao”; giallo (yellow) is “JAL-lo”; giorno is “JOR-no”. The i is a sign for the eye, like the h of ch.
Ciao! Che giallo!Hi! What a yellow!
Spaghetti ai funghi per cena.Spaghetti with mushrooms for dinner.
Words in this lesson
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ciao | hi; bye (informal) | Ciao, Giulia! Hi, Giulia! |
| la cena | dinner | La cena è alle otto. Dinner is at eight. |
| il cibo | food | Il cibo italiano. Italian food. |
| che | what; that | Che bello! How nice! |
| chi | who | Chi è? Who is it? |
| la chiave | key | Ecco la chiave! Here is the key! |
| il gelato | ice cream | Un gelato al limone. A lemon ice cream. |
| il giorno | day | Ogni giorno. Every day. |
| giallo | yellow | Un fiore giallo. A yellow flower. |
| la ghianda | acorn | Una ghianda per terra. An acorn on the ground. |
| il ghiaccio | ice | Acqua con ghiaccio. Water with ice. |
| gli spaghetti | spaghetti | Spaghetti al pomodoro. Spaghetti with tomato sauce. |
| i funghi | mushrooms | Pizza ai funghi. Mushroom pizza. |
Exercises
This lesson has 11 exercises in the app:
- multiple choice: 4
- trace the letter: 3
- fill the gap: 2
- match the pairs: 1
- listen and type: 1
Try the first one
In which word does c sound like the “ch” of “church”?
The answer, the other exercises, the audio and your progress are in the app – free at A0 and A1.