R L K S O T Italian Alphabet Worksheet I J N M E H G Always wanted to speak Italian? C D This PDF is great for writing practice. But, if you want to speak, you’ll want a resource that’s designed to get you speaking — our special conversational lessons. So access our FREE ItalianPod101 lessons and start speaking in the next few minutes. F B Click here for FREE lessons A Q P Italian Alphabet Worksheet The Italian alphabet consists of twenty-one letters which we call “graphemes.” that we use for words of Italian Origin and five graphemes that we use for load words. There are twenty-six letters in the Italian alphabet, but some letters, depending on their position in a word, can have two or more different ways of pronunciation. Hence if we take those into account we will realize that the number of sounds, or “phonemes” in the Italian language is thirty. A BC The thirty phonemes can then be divided into three groups: • • • Seven Vowels Twenty-one Consonants Two Semi-consonants 1 The Italian alphabet and phonetic pronunciation: -A (a) a -H* (h) acca -Q (q) cu -B (b) bi -I (i) i -R (r) erre -C (c) ci -L (l) elle -S (s) esse -D (d) di -M (m) emme -T (t) ti -E (e) e -N (n) enne -U (u) u -F (f) effe -O (o) o -V (v) vu -G (g) gi -P (p) pi -Z (z) zeta Note: The provided alphabet list above offers phonetic pronunciation; the actual spelling for each letter is similar but not the same. We use the five letters that follow for words that came from foreign languages (loan words): -J (j) I lungo -X (x) ics -K (k) kappa -Y (y) ipsilo -W (w) doppia vu ItalianPod101.com 2 Italian Alphabet Chart: Lexicon (Name) English Approx Italian Example -A a car aria -B bi black bello -C ci sketch ciao customer chiaro -D di dodge radio -E e traine erba -F effe Fig fortuna -G gi judge giardino gag grillo -H* acca hole bicchiere -I i creed isola -L elle long lino -M emme mother mare -N enne nurse nonno -O o horse ora -P pi priest palla -Q cu steak quadro -R erre not present re -S esse song serenata -T ti train tetto -U u blue uccello -V vu vacation vista -Z zeta cats zaffiro * The letter -H (acca) is never pronounced in Italian; instead it just serves as a graphic sign -J i lungo jazz jazz -K kappa crisis kilo -W doppia vu wealth webcam -X ics exaggerate xilofono -Y ipsilo yell yogurt ItalianPod101.com A language’s alphabet is its building blocks. Trying to learn how to write in Italian without first learning its alphabet is a bit like trying to build a brick house without touching the individual bricks! It is impossible to do a good job that way. So don’t believe language schools and methods that try to teach you otherwise. You will regret it later. Also, once you start recognizing symbols and words, you will be encouraged by your own progress and motivated to learn even faster. Even just learning the basics of the alphabet will allow you to start recognizing simple Italian words, and it will feel great! Furthermore, knowing the alphabet even helps with pronunciation, as learning the individual letters of any language will start uncovering nuances and intricacies that are not always apparent when you’re simply listening to the words. Completely mastering the Italian alphabet, no matter how long it takes, will give you an excellent head start in learning how to write and read the language. It will offer you a solid foundation on which to build the other language skills, so set a goal to learn the alphabet so well that you’re able to recite it in your sleep! 3 Vocabulary and Pronunciation Practice: Using the correct pronunciation of the Italian alphabet practice saying the words below; contento forbici cane mangiare acqua happy scissors dog eat water orologio scarpa gatto libro matita clock shoe cat book pencil ItalianPod101.com 4 Vocabulary and Alphabet Practice: Fill in the Italian word for the vocabulary; O happy scissors dog eat R C N E M G water clock shoe cat book pencil T I I A C A R O G C G R T I M E A O R I ItalianPod101.com