Hard and soft C and G sounds in Italian: learn how to pronounce these letters

If you’re an Italian learner, you’ll know that there are some interesting pronunciation points that take a little getting used to. One of the key ones is understanding how to pronounce the letters C and G. This is because Italian has both a hard and soft C and G sound.

The Coffee Break Italian Show is an audio and video podcast series of short, informal discussions about interesting topics for Italian learners. In our latest episode, we’re looking at an interesting aspect of Italian alphabet pronunciation, as Francesca and Mark explain all about hard and soft C and G sounds.

Make sure to listen along to the podcast episode as you read this article, in order to hear how each of the sounds is pronounced.

When you reach the end of this article, you’ll also have the chance for some further practice in our free worksheet. So, don’t forget to look out for the download button. Cominciamo!

Hard and soft C and G sounds in Italian

In Italian, the letters C and G can be pronounced in two different ways, depending on the letters that follow.

Each of these consonants has a hard sound and a soft sound. In the podcast episode, Francesca starts with a few examples of the soft and hard C and G sounds. Make sure to listen to the audio version or watch the video to hear how she pronounces the following words.

hard C sound:
casa
house

hard G sound:
gatto
cat

soft G sound:
gelato
ice cream

soft C sound:
cibo
food

Let’s look into this in more detail and learn the letter combinations that determine the hard and soft C and G sounds.

Hard sounds

The hard sound of the letter C in Italian is similar to the English K, or the C in “cat”.

The hard sound of the letter G in Italian is similar to the English G in “go”.

In Italian, you will hear the hard sound when C or G is followed by the vowels A, O or U. Here are some examples:

correre
to run

curioso
curious, nosey

gola
throat

lingua
tongue, language

How to pronounce CH and GH in Italian

As we’ve seen, the letters C and G are usually followed by a vowel in Italian. However, the common exception is the letter H.

The letter combinations CH and GH can be a little confusing for learners. This is because the letter H is often used in other languages to create a soft sound (consider, for example, the English sounds “ch” and “sh”).

In Italian, however, the presence of the letter H after a C or a G makes it a hard sound. For example, in the following words:

occhi
eyes

unghia
(finger/toe)nail

In summary, when the letter C or G is followed by A, O, U or H, it makes a hard sound (as in “cat” or “go”).

Soft sounds

The soft sound of the letter C in Italian is similar to the English “ch” in “church”.

The soft sound of the letter G in Italian is similar to the English J in “jam”.

You will hear the soft sound when C or G is followed by the vowels E or I in Italian. Here are some examples:

cena
dinner

gelato
ice cream

undici
eleven

In the following example, the G + I produces a soft G sound. However, pay attention to the hard C sound created by the combination of C + U.

cugini
cousins

As we saw previously, if there is a letter H between the C/G and the E or I, the H takes over and determines that this will be a hard sound instead. For example:

chiedere
to ask

In summary, when the letter C or G is followed by E or I, it makes a soft sound (as in “church” or “jam”).

A common pronunciation mistake in Italian

Now that we’ve covered hard and soft C and G sounds in Italian, there’s one extra pronunciation point to pay attention to. This common mistake concerns over-emphasising the letter I in certain words.

There are many words in Italian where the letter I is present, but is not strongly pronounced. Instead, it signals that the preceding C or G has a soft sound.

For example, consider the following word:

ciao
hi

We don’t really hear the letter I itself, as its function is simply to change the sound of the consonant (from the hard C sound we would hear if the word were cao, to the soft C sound).

Another commonly mispronounced word is the name Giovanni, in which the first three letters make up only one syllable, rather than two. This is because the I is only there to make the G into a soft sound. Make sure to listen to the episode to hear how Francesca and Mark pronounce this name correctly.

There are situations, however, where the letter I is pronounced more fully, where the stress of the word falls on that syllable. For example:

farmacia
pharmacy, chemist’s

bugia
lie

In these two words, the I is more prominent because the stress of the word falls on that syllable. In the name Giovanni, on the other hand, the stress of the word falls on -va-.

Regional differences in soft C and G sounds

There is one interesting regional difference to note when it comes to the soft C and G sounds in Italian.

In some parts of central and southern Italy, you may hear these pronounced slightly differently to the J (as in “jam”) and “ch” (as in “church”) sounds we have learned. In this case, the C sound is like a “sh” in English (as in “sheep”), and the G sound is similar to the sound of the “su” or “si” in “treasure” or “decision”.

Watch out for this moment in the video or the audio version of the episode to hear Francesca give an example of these sounds.

The role of S before C in Italian

Before we finish, let’s take a look at another common letter combination in Italian – S + C – and see what this means for our soft or hard C sounds.

Here’s an example:

scuola
school

In scuola, the hard sound of the C remains, as it is followed by the letter U.

In the following words, however, the soft sound that you would expect from a C + I becomes a “sh” sound (as in “sheep”) because of the presence of the S.

sciare
to ski

asciutto
dry

Finally, what happens when we have the combination SCH in Italian? For example:

scherzo
joke, prank

In this case, we are back to the hard C sound we are familiar with, just with the addition of the S before it.

Practising hard and soft C and G sounds

Now, it’s over to you! In the podcast episode, Francesca tests our spelling of some words containing soft and hard C and G sounds. Listen to the episode to have a go yourself, or look at the words in the list below and see if you can pronounce them correctly. Forza!

1. acciuga (“anchovy”)
2. scena (“scene”, “stage”)
3. schiena (“back”)
4. magia (“magic”)
5. chiacchierare (“to chat”)

In the podcast episode, Francesca and Mark also draw our attention to the double consonants in words such as acciuga, so watch out for this pronunciation point too.

Tips to keep practising soft and hard C and G sounds

We hope that you now feel more comfortable knowing when to pronounce hard and soft C and G sounds in Italian.

In order to keep practising, pay attention both to what you’re hearing and what you’re seeing every time you hear Italian out loud while seeing the words written down. One good way to do this is by turning on Italian subtitles if you’re watching a TV show or film in Italian.

To hear all of the hard and soft C and G sounds pronounced in this episode, watch the video or listen to the audio version with Francesca and Mark on The Coffee Break Italian Show. By subscribing to our channel on YouTube or to our podcast feed, you’ll be notified when the next episode of The Coffee Break Italian Show is available, to help you improve more aspects of your Italian.

And for more help with your Italian on a whole range of topics, you can sign up for our free email lessons. Find out how to do this below, and we hope that you enjoy the first lesson that arrives in your inbox.

Happy Coffee Breaking!

 

PS. Here are the answers to the pronunciation challenge:

1. acciuga (soft C sound)
2. scena (soft C sound pronounced as “sh”)
3. schiena (hard C sound)
4. magia (soft G sound)
5. chiacchierare (both hard C sounds)

Listen to the podcast