- C and G are soft before 'E' and 'I'. Example: 'Ciao', 'Gelato'
- SC is soft before 'E' and 'I': scena.
- GN and GL form unique sounds: bagno, famiglia.
| Lettera | Pronuncia | Esempio |
|---|---|---|
| C/G + E/I | Soft sound like 'ch' and 'j' in English | Ciao Gelato |
| C/G + A/O/U | Hard sound like 'k' and 'g' of game | Cane Gatto |
| CH/GH + E/I | Chiave Ghiaccio | |
| SC + E/I | Sounds like 'sh' in English | Scena |
| SC + A/O/U | Sounds /sk/ | Scuola |
| GN | Sounds like the 'ñ' in Spanish | Bagno |
| GL + I | Sounds like the 'll' in Spanish | Famiglia |
| Z | Could be voiced and voiceless | Zaino Pizza |
| CC, GG, LL, TT, ... | Double consonants are pronounced longer | Fratello Otto |
Exercise 1: Multiple Choice
Instruction: Choose the correct solution
1. Il mio nome inizia con la lettera ___, come in 'Casa'.
(My name starts with the letter C, as in 'Casa'.)2. La lettera ___ in italiano è muta, quindi 'hotel' si pronuncia 'otel'.
(The letter H in Italian is silent, so 'hotel' is pronounced 'otel'.)3. La lettera G davanti a ___ si pronuncia dolce, come in 'gelato'.
(The letter G before E is pronounced softly, as in 'gelato'.)4. La combinazione ___ si pronuncia come la ñ spagnola, per esempio in 'bagno'.
(The combination GN is pronounced like the Spanish ñ, for example in 'bagno'.)5. Le lettere ___ non fanno parte dell'alfabeto italiano base.
(The letters J, K, W, X and Y are not part of the basic Italian alphabet.)6. La doppia consonante ___ si pronuncia più lunga, come in 'otto'.
(The double consonant TT is pronounced longer, as in 'otto'.)