Pronunciation practice
Practice Italian (Italy) pronunciation.
Every word you say is scored against the native Italian (Italy) model. Free to use.
Check my pronunciationWhat makes Italian pronunciation hard
Italian is spelled almost exactly as it is spoken, so reading aloud is easy. The hard part is timing: double consonants are held longer, and every vowel stays short and pure.
-
Double consonants
A double consonant is held for an extra beat, and it changes the word: pala is a shovel, palla is a ball.
pala, palla, nono, nonno
-
The rolled R
Made with the tip of the tongue: one tap for a single r, a longer roll for rr.
caro, carro, Roma
-
GLI and GN
The middle of the tongue presses flat against the palate. Neither is an L or an N followed by a Y.
figlio, famiglia, gnocchi, bagno
Sentences to try
From the beginner course. Tap Practice on any of them to say it and see every word colored by accuracy.
- Mia vede un nuovo vicino nel corridoio. Practice
- Sorride e dice: Ciao, mi chiamo Mia, abito nell'appartamento dodici. Practice
- Il vicino dice che si chiama Davide. Practice
- Mia chiede se ha bisogno di aiuto con le scatole. Practice
- Davide la ringrazia e dice che sta quasi finendo. Practice
- Si accordano per prendere un caffè nel cortile domani. Practice
- Luigi entra in un piccolo bar prima del lavoro. Practice
- Chiede un panino con formaggio e una tazza di tè. Practice
Sounds to work on in Italian
Step-by-step guides to the sounds learners find hardest, each with sentences you can practice right away.
Courses in Italian
3 courses by level, from beginner to advanced, plus 12 short courses by topic: news, stories, work, culture, daily life. 39 lessons and 249 sentences in all.
- Beginner Elementi Essenziali dell'Italiano Quotidiano 5 lessons
- Intermediate Italiano per Situazioni Reali 5 lessons
- Advanced Idee, Storie, e Discussione 5 lessons