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Video 002 :: translation :: grammar explications :: vocabulary
di certo lo sapete già = for sure you already know ma gli italiani parlano anche con le mani = that italians speaks as well with the hands impariamo come = now we learn how prima frase = first sentence cosa vuoi? = What do you want? cosa vuoi? =What do you want? seconda frase = second sentence Tu mi stai davvero antipatico! = You are really unfriendly Terza frase = third sentence andare via = to go away chiaro? = clear? Andiamo avanti: = Let' s continue tre altri segni: = three other signs tu devi stare attento = you have to pay attention secondo segno = second sign quello lì è matto = he is mad matto = mad terzo segno = third sign questa cosa è davvero noiosa = that' s really embarrasing noioso = embarrasing chiaro anche questo? = did you understand that as well?
2.28.2
Summary: The closed 'e' and open 'e' /
'gli-glo' / h / k / rolled 'r'
The open e is similar to the 'e' in the English word set. If you speak French, you find the open 'e' in words like mère, vrai, très.
As we already said, in some parts of Italy an open e can be pronounced as a close one and vice versa.
Example
caffè = coffee
open
perché = why
closed
perfetto = perfect (the second e is open)
open
The combination gli
If gli is followed by another vowel, the pronunciation is like lli in English, in words like million or brilliant or like the Spanish ll in words like caballo. If followed by another consonant, for example in words like glissare (to glide) it is just pronounced as in English in words like to glean.
Example
gli = him
ciglio = lash
The combination glo / gla / gle
The pronunciation is just the same as in English.
Example
globo = bowol
gloria = glory
glucosio = glucose
The combination gn
Gn is pronounced like n plus i as a semivowel, you have this sound in the English word canyon. In Spanish the writing is more specatular, ñ, you have that in words like niño / child, cariño / sympathy.
Example
cigno = swan
H is very easy
H is very easy, because it is not pronounced at all. Its main task, beside cosmetics, is to avoid that g becomes /dsch/ in words like ghiaccio. If you speak Spanish it is important to see, that there are many words where the h is written in Spanish, but not in Italian, habitar / abitare. In the very important verb avere, which is used to form the composed tenses, it is written in some forms but not in all of them (io ho / tu hai / lui ha / noi abbiamo / voi avete / loro hanno).
The k is luxury in Italian and only appears in words borrowed from other languages, like ketchup. The corresponding sound is usually written qu or che (quando / when, che / what).
There is no doubt that the 'r' is the champion of the Italian sounds
This sound is the biggest obstacle for everybody no matter the mother tongue, German, English or French. We discussed about that sound in detail in chapter 2.16.
