Pronunciation Guides

SCH

The letter combination SCH is pronounced [sk] as in “scheme.”

Music

Music

Music is a language unto itself, and yet we need our own language to talk about it. The Italian names for musical genres are often the same as in English, but there’s still plenty of Italian vocabulary to be learned.

Mistakes and Difficulties

-iare Verbs

Italian verbs that end in –iare are conjugated very similarly to regular –are verbs, other than a small spelling change in certain conjugations.

  conjugation lessons • spelling 

Pronunciation Guides

GN

You’re probably already familiar with the pronunciation of the letter combination GN thanks to the word “lasagna.”

Vocabulary Lists

Numbers and Counting

Learn the Italian numbers and how to count from 0 to 99.

  A1 - Beginning Italian • lesson plans • spelling • travel Italian 

Verbs

Regular -ere Verbs

Verbs that end in -ere are the second category of regular Italian verbs.

  A1 - Beginning Italian • conjugation lessons 

Pronunciation Guides

Q

In Italian, as in English, the letter Q is always followed by U, and it’s pronounced like most English Qs are: [kw].

  A1 - Beginning Italian 

Pronouns

Subject Pronouns

Subject pronouns are a type of personal pronoun that indicate who or what is performing the action of a verb.

  A1 - Beginning Italian 

Vocabulary Lists

Politeness

After buongiorno, polite phrases like “please” and “thank you” are the most important Italian vocabulary you’ll ever learn. When you visit Italy, knowing just these few phrases will go a long way, even if the very next thing you say is Parla inglese?

  A1 - Beginning Italian • formalities • politeness • travel Italian 

Verbs

Stare per – Very Near Future

You can explain what will happen in the very near future with the construction stare per + infinitive; for example, L’aereo sta per atterrare – “The plane is about to land.”