Linguagli and gn: two letters, one sound
gli is one soft l-sound, made with the middle of the tongue pressed to the roof of the mouth – close to the “lli” of “million”: figlio (son), famiglia, moglie (wife). gn is one ny-sound, like the “ny” of “canyon”: bagno (bathroom), signora, montagna. Never say a g in them.
Three letters written as usual – g, l, i – and read as one sound.
g with its tail, then n with its arch. One sound.
| Group | Sound | Words |
|---|---|---|
| gli | a soft l, as in “million” | figlio, famiglia, moglie |
| gn | ny, as in “canyon” | bagno, signora, montagna |
sc: “sk” or “sh”
sc follows the rule of c. Before a, o, u, and in sch, it is “sk”: scuola (school), scarpa (shoe), schiena (back). Before e and i it is one sound, the “sh” of “ship”: pesce (fish), scena, uscita (exit). And before a, o, u the silent i does its job again: sciarpa (scarf) is “SHAR-pa”.
s, the snake, then c, the open curve.
s, c and a silent h that keeps the sound “sk” before e and i.
| Group | Sound | Words |
|---|---|---|
| sca, sco, scu, sch | sk | scuola, scarpa, schiena |
| sce, sci | sh of “ship” | pesce, uscita, sciarpa |
Two sounds for s, two for z
s between two vowels is voiced, like a z, in the North (casa, rosa) and voiceless in much of the Centre and South – both are correct Italian. Before b, d, g, l, m, n, r, v it is always voiced: sbaglio (mistake). z is “ts” in pizza and grazie, “dz” in zero and zanzara (mosquito). Which one a word has is learned with the word.
La famiglia è in montagna.The family is in the mountains.
Una pizza e un pesce, grazie.A pizza and a fish, thank you.
Words in this lesson
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| il figlio | son | Mio figlio ha sei anni. My son is six. |
| la famiglia | family | Una famiglia grande. A big family. |
| la moglie | wife | Paolo e sua moglie. Paolo and his wife. |
| il bagno | bathroom; bath | Il bagno è qui. The bathroom is here. |
| la signora | Mrs, Ms, lady | Buongiorno, signora! Good morning, madam! |
| la montagna | mountain; the mountains | Andiamo in montagna. Let’s go to the mountains. |
| la scuola | school | La scuola è chiusa. The school is closed. |
| il pesce | fish | Pesce o carne? Fish or meat? |
| l'uscita | exit, way out | L'uscita è a destra. The exit is on the right. |
| la sciarpa | scarf | Una sciarpa di lana. A wool scarf. |
| la pizza | pizza | Una pizza margherita. A margherita pizza. |
| grazie | thank you | Grazie mille! Thanks a lot! |
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
Which word has the “ny” sound of “canyon”?
The answer, the other exercises, the audio and your progress are in the app – free at A0 and A1.