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Video 039 :: translation :: grammar explications :: vocabulary
Ciao,ciao! = Ciao, ciao Volevo andare anch' io = I wanted to go as well ma non ho potuto = But I was not able to do so Avete visto, che bella barca? = Have you seen, what a nice boat. Io ci farei volentieri un giro = I would have liked to make a round trip e voi? =And you?
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2.28.3
Summary: The closed o and the open o / voiced and voiceless s / v / w / x / y
Summary: The closed o and the open o / voiced and voiceless s / v / w / x / y
The letter o represents two different sounds, an open o similar in what we found in the English word hog and a closed one, similar to the o in the English word toe.
Examples
closed
magro = thin
open
cosa = thing
The 's' exists in two versions as well: in a voiced and a voiceless version
The s exists in two versions as well: in a voiced and a voiceless version. We already explained the difference between voiceless and voiced (see 2.18).
Examples
voiceless
sempre = always
voiced
smettere = to stop
This 'v' is perhaps a surprise for people speaking Spanish
The v in Italian is very easy, it corresponds to the v in English, in words like value. If you know Spanish you are perhaps induced to believe that the v is a sound similar to b in words like bring. But that's not the case.
The letter w is luxury
As there is already a letter for the English w, the w is not really needed and shows up only in words borrowed from other languages.
The 'x' is luxury as well
The x is pronounced as /ks/ and exists only in words borrowed from other languages more recently (the x in original latin words like exprimere has became s, exprimere => esprimere / to squeeze out some thing).
The 'y' is extrem luxury
There are only eight words in Italian starting with y. It is pronounced like the English y in yogurt.
