LinguaA double letter is held longer
Italian writes many consonants twice, and the double is really heard: you hold the sound a little longer, or stop for a split second before it. It is not decoration – it changes the word. pala is a shovel, palla a ball; sete is thirst, sette is seven; nono is ninth, nonno is grandfather. Say pal-la with a short pause on the l.
Each letter is written in full, twice: l, l, then t, t.
n, n, then m, m: the arches repeat, the sound is held.
| One letter | Meaning | Double letter | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| pala | shovel | palla | ball |
| caro | dear; expensive | carro | cart, wagon |
| sete | thirst | sette | seven |
| nono | ninth | nonno | grandfather |
| capello | a hair (on the head) | cappello | hat |
The accent can do the same job: papa is the Pope, papà is Dad.
Where the stress falls
Most Italian words are stressed on the second-to-last syllable: pa-RO-la (word), ra-GAZ-zo (boy). Quite a few are stressed earlier, and nothing in the spelling tells you: TA-vo-lo (table), CA-me-ra (room), te-LE-fo-no, MAC-chi-na (car) – learn the stress with the word. Only a stress on the LAST vowel is always written: città, caffè, perché.
| Stress | Words |
|---|---|
| second-to-last syllable (most words) | parola, ragazzo, sette |
| earlier – learn it with the word | tavolo, camera, telefono, macchina |
| last vowel – always written | città, caffè, perché |
Sette giorni e sette notti.Seven days and seven nights.
La mamma è al telefono.Mum is on the phone.
Words in this lesson
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| la palla | ball | Una palla rossa. A red ball. |
| il carro | cart, wagon; (carnival) float | Il carro di Carnevale. The carnival float. |
| sette | seven | Sette giorni. Seven days. |
| il nonno | grandfather | Il nonno legge. Grandpa is reading. |
| l'anno | year | Buon anno! Happy New Year! |
| la notte | night | Tutta la notte. All night long. |
| il latte | milk | Latte e biscotti. Milk and biscuits. |
| la mamma | mum, mom | Ciao, mamma! Bye, Mum! |
| il tavolo | table | Il pane è sul tavolo. The bread is on the table. |
| la camera | room, bedroom | Una camera doppia. A double room. |
| il telefono | telephone, phone | Il mio telefono è nuovo. My phone is new. |
| la macchina | car | La macchina di papà. Dad’s car. |
Exercises
This lesson has 12 exercises in the app:
- multiple choice: 4
- trace the letter: 4
- fill the gap: 2
- match the pairs: 1
- listen and type: 1
Try the first one
Which word means “seven”?
The answer, the other exercises, the audio and your progress are in the app – free at A0 and A1.