Which syllable to emphasize
To make your Italian sound more fluent and natural you need to stress the right syllable. Here are some guidelines:
• Two-syllable words always stress the first syllable, unless the final vowel has an accent:
| casa (house) | giorno (day) | |
| bella (beautiful) | due (two) | |
| sono (I am) | spesso (often) | |
| lui (he) | oggi (today) |
• Words with three or more syllables generally have the stress on the next to the last syllable:
| inglese (English) | finito (finished) | |
| andare (to go) | andresti (you’d go) | |
| venire (to come) | supermercato (supermarket) | |
| settimana (week) | straordinariamente (extraordinarily) |
• If a word has an accent on the final vowel, it is stressed on the final syllable.
| età (age) | metà (half) | |
| così (like this) | perché (why, because) |
Words of this type include many nouns that end in –ty in English
| università (university) | curiosità (curiosity) | |
| città (city) | crudeltà (cruelty) |
• Two future tense forms always have an accent (I and he/she/it/You):
| farò (I’ll do) | aspetterò (I’ll wait) | |
| sarà (it will be) | si divertirà (she’ll enjoy herself) |
• Some words have the stress on a syllable which is not the last, or the next to the last. In this book we use italics to show when an unexpected syllable is stressed, to help you learn the correct pronunciation.
| utile (useful) | numero (number) | |
| macchina (car) | camera (room) | |
| subito (suddenly) | compito (homework) | |
| difficile (difficult) | portatile (portable) |
• It's specially important to notice which syllable you should emphasize when pronouncing infinitives ending in –ere, because they vary. Some, such as avere (to have) and vedere (to see) have normal stress, on the next to the last syllable.
However, there are many important exceptions, for example:
| essere (to be) | vendere (to sell) | |
| scendere (to get off) | dividere (to divide) | |
| scegliere (to choose) | chiudere (to close) |
BUONO A SAPERSI!
Past participles such as finito and partito always have the stress on the next to last syllable, but similar-looking words such as subito and compito sometimes have the stress on a syllable you wouldn’t expect.
Whether you’re going to be working in Italy or you’re going to spend some time with your Italian-speaking friends, you’ll want to be able to chat with people and get to know them better. The phrases in this unit will help you talk naturally to friends, family and colleagues in a number of everyday situations.
Just as in English, there are several ways of greeting people in Italian, depending on who you are addressing, and whether you want to be formal or not. Say buongiorno (good morning) or buonasera (good afternoon/good evening), if you want to sound polite.
Hello…
| Buongiorno. | Hello. |
| Buongiorno signora Rossi. | Good morning, Mrs Rossi. |
| Buongiorno Francesco, come va? | Good afternoon Francesco, how are you? |
| Buonasera. | Good evening. |
BUONO A SAPERSI!
buon pomeriggio (good afternoon) exists in Italian. However it is only used on the radio or television, for example by newscasters. It would sound a bit odd if you greeted people saying buon pomeriggio: stick to buongiorno or, later on in the day, buonasera. Remember to say buongiorno or buonasera as you enter a shop or a restaurant.
Use salve (hi) if you wish to sound a bit more informal, whether you know the people you are greeting or not. If you’re on friendly terms with someone or if you are addressing somebody young, you can say ciao (hi).
Hi…
| Salve, cerco Matteo. | Hi, I’m looking for Matteo. |
| Salve, come va? | Hi, how are things? |
| Ciao ragazzi, come va? | Hi there, how are things? |
Use arrivederci to say goodbye to people you don’t know well. You can just say ciao to people you know or to somebody young. buongiorno and buonasera are also often used to say goodbye.
Goodbye…
| Arrivederci. | Goodbye. |
| Arrivederci, signora Clari! | Goodbye, Mrs Clari! |
| Ciao, ci vediamo domani. | Bye, see you tomorrow. |
| Allora io vado, buonasera a tutti. | I’m off, goodnight everybody. |
BUONO A SAPERSI!
Remember to say in Italian arrivederci when you leave a shop or restaurant.
While in English you can use goodnight to mean ‘goodbye’ or to wish somebody a good night’s sleep, in Italian you use buonanotte (goodnight) only before going to bed.
Goodnight…
| Meglio domire adesso. Buonanotte! | Better go to sleep now. Goodnight! |
| Vado a dormire, sono proprio stanca.
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