pronunciation

Italian pronunciation might pose some difficulties for the beginner. Yet it is very regular, and once the rules are understood it is easy to pronounce each word correctly. Here are a few basic pronunciation rules and quick, step-by-step instructions on how to pronounce Italian consonants.
 * Difficulty:** Hard**Time Required:** one month

Here's How:

 * 1) The consonants **B**, **F**, **M**, **N**, and **V** are pronounced as in English.
 * 2) **C** before **a**, **o**, **u** and before consonants has a sound similar to the English **k**; before **e** and **i** a sound similar to the English **ch** as in **ch**urch.
 * 3) **D** is somewhat more explosive than in English, with the tongue near the tip of the upper teeth but with no aspiration.
 * 4) **G** before **a**, **o**, and **u** and before consonants has a sound like the **g** in **g**ood; before **e** and **i** like the **g** in**g**eneral.
 * 5) **Gli** is like **ll** in mi**ll**ion, and **Gn** is like the **ny** in ca**ny**on.
 * 6) **H** is silent.
 * 7) **L** is as in English, but sharper and more forward in the mouth.
 * 8) **P** is as in English, but without the aspiration that sometimes accompanies this sound in English.
 * 9) **Qu** is always pronounced like the English **qu** in **qu**est.
 * 10) **R** is different from the English **r**; it is pronounced with one flip of the tongue against the gums of the upper teeth. This is the trilled **r**.
 * 11) Initial **S** before vowels and unvoiced consonants (c, f, p, q, s, t) is pronounced like the **s** in**s**un.
 * 12) **S** before voiced consonants (b, d, g, l, m, n, r, v) is pronounced like the **s** in ro**s**e.
 * 13) **T** is approximately the same as in English, but no escaping of breath accompanies it in Italian.
 * 14) **Z** can be voiced, like **ds** in be**ds**, or voiceless, like **ts** in be**ts**.

** Tips: **
 * 1) All Italian consonants have a corresponding double consonant, whose pronunciation is similar to, yet distinct from that of the single consonant. Failure to make this distinction will result in miscommunication.
 * 2) Italian is known as a musical language because every sound is pronounced clearly and precisely but remains soft rather than hard. Although syllables and words are linked together, they never lose their fundamental sound value.
 * 3) <span style="font-family: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: inherit; text-decoration: inherit;">Italian is a phonetic language, which means that it is spoken the way it is written. Italian and English share the Latin alphabet, but the sounds represented by the letters often differ considerably in the two languages.