In everyday conversations, one important aspect of communication is knowing how to give commands, instructions, and suggestions. This is done using what is known as the imperative in Italian.

If you’re new to the imperative, don’t worry, as we’re going to talk through what it is, when you use it, and how to form it.

The Coffee Break Italian Show is a podcast series of short, informal discussions, in which we cover interesting topics for Italian learners. In our latest episode, Francesca and Maurizio are here to help you understand everything you need to know about the affirmative (positive) imperative form in Italian.

We recommend listening to the podcast episode as you read this article. Plus, make sure to download your free worksheet at the end, so that you can practise what you learn.

What is the imperative in Italian?

The imperative is what is known grammatically as a “mood”. It is a specific form of verbs that is used to give commands, orders, suggestions, instructions or advice, i.e. to tell someone to do something, or indeed to tell someone not to do something.

The imperative is useful for many everyday situations and we’ll be seeing lots of examples of where you may see the imperative in everyday, spoken Italian. In a written context, you will often see the imperative being used in recipes, just like in English, where we would see phrases such as “chop the vegetables” or “add the flour”.

In this article, we are going to focus on the affirmative imperative – that is to say imperative constructions that are used to tell someone to do something, as opposed to telling someone not to do something.

How do you form the imperative in Italian?

The imperative forms of most verbs are relatively easy to learn, because they are very similar to the forms of the simple present tense, just with a few small changes.

One key feature of the imperative mood in Italian is that there is usually no subject pronoun included. This is just like in English, where we would say simply “chop”, rather than “you chop” in an instruction.

So, let’s go through each of the forms of the imperative in Italian for regular verbs. Since the imperative is used to address other people directly, the main forms we’re going to look at are the various “you” forms.

The ‘tu’ form of the imperative in Italian

To give a command or an instruction to one person informally, we will use the tu form of the imperative.

The verb endings for the imperative of regular verbs are the same as the simple present tense endings, with the exception of -are verbs.

-ARE verbs

For regular -are verbs in the tu form of the imperative, our verb ending is -a. For example:

Entra!
Come in! / Enter!

Asocolta!
Listen!

Note that this is a different ending to the simple present tense ending of -are verbs, which is -i:

(Tu) entri.
You come in. / You enter.

(Tu) ascolti.
You listen.

-ERE & -IRE verbs

For regular -ere & -ire verbs in the tu form of the imperative, our verb ending is -i. For example:

Rispondi!
Answer!

Corri!
Run!

Dormi!
Sleep!

Apri!
Open!

This is nice and straightforward, as it is the same ending as the one we are used to seeing in the present tense:

(Tu) rispondi.
You answer.

(Tu) dormi.
You sleep.

-ISC- verbs

For verbs that add -isc- in the present tense, their imperative tu form also features these letters. For example:

Finisci i compiti!
Finish your homework!

Pulisci!
Clean!

The ‘voi’ form of the imperative in Italian

To give a command or an instruction to multiple people, we will use the voi form of the imperative.

-ARE, -ERE & -IRE verbs

The good news is that the verb endings for this form for regular verbs are all the same as the simple present tense endings.

Let’s see some examples:

Entrate!
Come in! / Enter!

Ascoltate!
Listen!

Rispondete!
Answer!

Dormite!
Sleep!

The ‘Lei’ form of the imperative in Italian

To give a command or an instruction to one person who you are addressing formally, you will use the Lei form of the imperative in Italian.

The verb endings for this form for regular verbs are a little more complicated than the tu and voi imperative.

-ARE, -ERE & -IRE verbs

If you are familiar with the subjunctive (il congiuntivo), you will recognise that the Lei imperative form uses the present subjunctive endings.

Alternatively, you can think of the imperative endings as the same as the simple present tense endings, but swapped round – that is to say that the -are ending and the -ere/-ire ending are swapped round to form the Lei imperative form. For example:

Entri!
Come in! / Enter!

Ascolti!
Listen!

Risponda!
Answer!

Corra!
Run!

Apra!
Open!

-ISC- verbs

As before, verbs that add –isc- in the present tense maintain these additional letters in the imperative. For example:

Finisca!
Finish!

Pulisca!
Clean!

For a reminder of when to use Lei, the formal “you” form, as opposed to tu, the informal “you” form, we have another episode of The Coffee Break Italian Show to help you.

An imperative in Italian you probably already know

There is one very common imperative structure that you’ve probably used many times, even if you don’t realise that it’s an imperative! This is when you are saying “sorry” or “excuse me”:

Scusa!
Excuse me! (addressing someone as tu)

Scusi!
Excuse me! (addressing someone as Lei)

Since you are literally telling someone to excuse you in this phrase, it is therefore an imperative. And note that the -a ending corresponds to the tu, informal form, while the -i ending corresponds to the Lei, formal form.

The plural formal form of the imperative in Italian

Now, what if you want to address a group of people formally using a verb in the imperative?

While the formal plural form Loro exists, it’s rarely used in modern Italian. Instead, we tend to use the voi form both in informal and formal situations.

Very occasionally (for example, in a fancy hotel) you may come across the Loro imperative. For example:

Entrino pure, signori!
Please, do come in, gentlemen!

However, this would usually be expressed simply using the voi imperative form:

Entrate pure, signori!
Please, do come in, gentlemen!

Irregular verbs in the imperative in Italian

There are many irregular verbs in the imperative form in Italian, but for now, let’s focus on the most common ones.

essere (“to be”) – imperative forms

Sii buono!
Be good! (tu form)

Siate buoni!
Be good! (voi form)

Sia buono!
Be good! (Lei form)

avere (“to have”) – imperative forms

Abbi pazienza!
Be patient! / Have patience! (tu form)

Abbiate pazienza!
Be patient! (voi form)

Abbia pazienza!
Be patient! (Lei form)

Note that avere pazienza is one of the common avere expressions in Italian, which would be translated using the verb “to be” in English.

andare (“to go”) – imperative forms

For the tu form, there are two possible options:

Vai! / Va’!
Go! (tu form)

Andate!
Go! (voi form)

Vada!
Go! (Lei form)

fare (“to do”, “to make”) – imperative forms

Again, for the tu form, there are two possible options:

Fai / Fa’ una bella figura!
Make a good impression! (tu form)

Fate una bella figura!
Make a good impression! (voi form)

Faccia una bella figura!
Make a good impression! (Lei form)

Fare una bella figura is a lovely Italian idiom, which we discussed in another episode of The Coffee Break Italian Show, which was all about useful expressions with fare in Italian.

Other irregulars in the imperative in Italian

The verb stare (“to stay” or “to be”) also features two options for the tu form:

Stai / Sta’ calmo!
Stay calm! (tu form)

State calmi!
Stay calm! (voi form)

Stia calmo!
Stay calm! (Lei form)

Another verb that features two alternatives for the tu form of the imperative is dare (“to give”):

Dai / Da’ qua!
Give here! (tu form)

Date qua!
Give here! (voi form)

Dia qua!
Give here! (Lei form)

One last irregular verb in the imperative is dire (“to say” or “to tell”):

Di’ la verità!
Tell the truth! (tu form)

Dite la verità!
Tell the truth! (voi form)

Dica la verità!
Tell the truth! (Lei form)

The ‘noi’ form of the imperative in Italian

The noi form of the imperative in Italian is the equivalent to “let’s …” in English. To build the noi form of the imperative, we simply use the same form as the present indicative.

For example:

Entriamo!
Let’s go in! / Let’s enter!

Corriamo!
Let’s run!

Apriamo la porta!
Let’s open the door!

Practising the imperative in Italian

Let’s put the imperative form in Italian into practice with some scenarios. Try to think of the imperative phrase you would use in each of these scenarios, working out which form (tu, voi or Lei) to use, according to the context.

1. Your friend is really hungry and you have made a lot of food. Your friend is hesitant, but you want them to help themself to the food.
2. Signora Bianchi is hesitant to come into your office for a meeting.
3. Your children are not paying attention, but you want them to listen.

That’s it for the affirmative imperative in Italian. We hope that you now feel more confident giving commands, instructions, suggestions or orders to a person or a group of people, either informally or formally. If you’d like to take this topic a stage further, learn how to form the negative imperative in another episode of The Coffee Break Italian Show.

To get the most out of this lesson, watch or listen to the podcast episode with Francesca and Maurizio on The Coffee Break Italian Show. And don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel and our podcast feed, so that you know when a new episode is available. In our next episode, we’ll be covering the negative imperative form in Italian, so stay tuned!

In the meantime, if you’d like more help with your Italian, you can sign up to receive free email lessons straight to your inbox. Look out for the sign-up box, and we hope that you enjoy your next mini lesson.

Happy Coffee Breaking!

 

PS. Here are the answers to the challenge:

1. Mangia! / Mangia, mangia! (“Eat!”)
   In the episode, Francesca and Maurizio explain that it is very common to repeat the verb in the imperative form in Italian.
2. Entri (pure)! / Venga (pure)! (“Please, come in!”)
3. Ascoltate! (“Listen!”)

Listen to the podcast

The verb fare in Italian is incredibly versatile and frequently used. As you’ll know, its basic meaning is “to do” or “to make”. However, there are many set expressions using fare, which you should know to help you expand your range of expression in Italian.

The Coffee Break Italian Show is a series of short, friendly podcast episodes, to help you get to grips with some tricky topics in Italian. In our latest episode, Francesca and Maurizio discuss 15 useful, everyday expressions using fare in Italian.

Keep reading to find out more, and we’d recommend listening to the podcast episode as you go.

Also, don’t miss your free worksheet download at the end of this article, which will help you put into practice what you learn. Iniziamo!

What does ‘fare’ mean in Italian?

The basic meaning of fare in Italian is “to do” or “to make”. However, we’re going to take this verb further and see it used in some set expressions.

Fare is a very versatile verb that can have multiple meanings, and as you’re about to see, it doesn’t always translate into English as “to do” or “to make”.

Expressions with ‘fare’ in Italian

Let’s get started looking at some of the most common fare expressions.

‘fare una passeggiata’ & ‘fare un giro’

Two very common expressions using fare in Italian are:

fare una passeggiata
to go for a walk / stroll

fare un giro
to go for a stroll / wander

For instance:

fare un giro in bici
to go for a bike ride

fare un giro in centro
to go for a wander in the city centre

‘fare la spesa’ & ‘fare la coda’

Another two everyday expressions with fare in Italian are:

fare la spesa
to go grocery shopping

fare la coda
to queue, to stand in line

For example:

Non mi piace fare la coda quando faccio la spesa.
I don’t like queuing when I’m doing the grocery shopping.

‘fare un viaggio’ & ‘fare una vacanza’

Now, let’s look at two travel-related expressions using fare in Italian.

fare un viaggio
to go on a trip, to travel

fare una vacanza
to go on holiday

For example:

Vorrei fare un viaggio / una vacanza in Marocco.
I would like to go on a trip / on holiday to Morocco.

‘fare le pulizie’

Our next fare expression translates more literally into English:

fare le pulizie
to do the cleaning

Of course, we can also use the verb pulire to talk about cleaning. For example:

Oggi pulisco il mio appartamento.
Today I’m cleaning my flat / apartment.

However, fare le pulizie is a very natural expression to use to talk about cleaning in general.

‘fare una domanda’

When talking about asking a question, you can use another expression with fare in Italian:

fare una domanda
to ask a question

Attenzione! In Italian, we therefore don’t use the verb chiedere (“to ask”) with the noun domanda; instead, we literally say “to make a question”.

For example:

Posso farti una domanda?
Can I ask you a question?

Posso chiederti qualcosa?
Can I ask you something?

You may also come across this expression in a different context:

fare domanda per un lavoro
to apply for a job

We can therefore use the expression fare domanda to talk about applying for a job. Note that we don’t use the verb applicare in this context in Italian.

‘fare storie’

The next fare expression on our list is a lovely Italian idiom.

fare storie
to complain

Of course, literally, this means “to make stories”, but it is an idiomatic way to talk about someone complaining or making a fuss. For example:

Non fare storie!
Don’t complain! / Don’t make a fuss!

Note that this example is in the negative imperative tu form.

‘fare presto’ & ‘fare tardi’

Let’s take a look at our next pair of expressions that use fare in Italian:

fare presto
to be early

fare tardi
to be late

Note that these differ from their English equivalents, where we would use the verb “to be” instead of “to do” or “to make”.

‘fare le ore piccole’

Speaking of time, if you’ve stayed up late, you can use another nice Italian idiom using fare:

fare le ore piccole
to stay up late, to be up until the small hours

Literally, this means “to do the small hours”. For example:

Hai fatto le ore piccole ieri?
Did you stay up late yesterday?

This expression often also suggests that the late night involved being out somewhere, doing something fun.

‘fare alla romana’

If you’ve been out with your friends, the next fare expression may also come in handy:

fare alla romana
to split the bill

Note that you can also say pagare alla romana.

You can use this expression if you’re eating out with friends and are talking about splitting the bill between you. For example:

Va bene se facciamo alla romana?
Is it OK if we split the bill?

Now, if you’re wondering about the origin of the expression fare alla romana, there are several theories. The most common belief is that the practice of splitting the cost of a meal among people originated in some trattorie in Rome. For convenience, these establishments would have pilgrims visiting St Peter’s Basilica share the cost of food and drinks by dividing the total bill among everyone at the table.

‘fare una bella figura’ & ‘fare una brutta figura’

Our final expressions using fare in Italian relate to a concept that is very important in Italian culture.

fare una bella figura
to make a good impression

fare una brutta figura
to make a bad impression

As Francesca and Maurizio explain in the podcast episode, this idea can be applied to various situations – for example, in the context of a job interview or meeting your friend’s parents.

Fare una bella / brutta figura conveys the idea of putting across a good / bad impression of yourself or having a good / bad image.

Here is an example:

Dobbiamo fare una bella figura.
We have to make a good impression.

As a bonus fare expression, here’s an alternative to fare una brutta figura:

fare una figuraccia
to make a bad impression

For example:

Mi raccomando, non fare una figuraccia.
I recommend that you don’t make a bad impression.

Practising expressions using ‘fare’ in Italian

Now, it’s over to you! To practise what you’ve learned in this article, consider the following scenarios and decide which of the fare expressions could be used in each situation.

1. Io sono al mio corso di italiano e l’insegnante sta spiegando il congiuntivo. Sono un po’ confusa e ho bisogno di chiarimenti.
2. Il mio amico Antonio non è mai contento. Si lamenta sempre. Non gli piace niente. È sempre insoddisfatto e critica ogni mia decisione o proposta. Come posso descrivere Antonio?
3. Siamo in pizzeria. Ho appena ricevuto il conto per la cena che abbiamo condiviso tra noi sei amici. E quindi prendo la mia calcolatrice per vedere quanto devi pagare tu, quanto deve pagare Antonio e quanto devono pagare gli altri. Che cosa mi dici in questo caso?

In this article we’ve seen that the question “what does fare mean in Italian?” can have a long answer! Indeed, the verb fare in Italian can carry many meanings and be used in many contexts.

If you enjoyed learning more about the verb fare in Italian, you should know that we have another article and podcast episode all about the verb avere, and the most common expressions that use this verb.

To get the most out of this article, make sure to listen to the full podcast episode with Francesca and Maurizio on The Coffee Break Italian Show, or watch the video version. And by subscribing to our YouTube channel or our podcast feed, you’ll be notified when the next episode is available.

Looking for more help with your Italian? You should know that we send out regular, free email lessons to our Coffee Break Italian community, to help you improve your language skills little and often. Look out for the sign-up box.

Until next time, happy Coffee Breaking!

 

PS. Here are some statements that would be relevant to each situation described in the challenge.

1. Posso fare una domanda? / Posso fare delle domande? (“Can I ask a question?” / “Can I ask some questions?”)
2. Antonio fa storie. / Antonio fa molte / sempre storie. (“Antonio complains.” / “Antonio complains a lot / always complains”.)
3. Facciamo alla romana! (“Let’s split the bill!”)

Listen to the podcast

Have you ever wondered why the plural of uovo (“egg”) is uova (“eggs”) in Italian? Or why “one man” is un uomo, but two men is due uomini? While plurals in Italian often follow regular patterns, there are a number of irregular plurals to watch out for. But don’t worry, as we’re here to guide you through some of the most common Italian irregular plurals.

The Coffee Break Italian Show is a podcast series of short but informative episodes, in which we discuss tricky Italian language topics. In the latest episode, Francesca and Maurizio are here to explain how irregular plural nouns work in Italian.

Continue reading to find out more, and why not listen to the podcast as you go?

Plus, don’t miss our free worksheet at the end to practise what you learn!

How to make nouns plural in Italian

Before we get into the Italian irregular plurals, let’s quickly review the regular patterns for forming plural nouns in Italian.

Regular patterns for plurals in Italian

The following patterns are likely to be very familiar to you already.

o > i

Singular words ending in -o change to -i in the plural. For example:

un italiano
one Italian (man)

due italiani
two Italians

un ragazzo
one boy

due ragazzi
two boys

a > e

Words ending in -a change to -e in the plural. For instance:

la matita
the pencil

le matite
the pencils

una ragazza
one girl

due ragazze
two girls

e > i

Words ending in -e change to -i in the plural. Our first example is with a masculine noun ending in -e:

lo studente
the student

gli studenti
the students

Now let’s see an example with a feminine noun ending in -e:

l’indicazione
the indication

le indicazioni
the indications

Italian irregular plurals

Now, here’s where it gets interesting: irregular plurals. These are plural nouns that don’t conform to the rules above, so it’s essential to keep an eye out for them.

As Francesca mentions in the episode, there are many irregular plural nouns in Italian, so for now, we’re just going to focus on some of the most common ones to help you get used to looking out for and recognising irregularities.

Francesca’s top tip: check your dictionary if you’re unsure if a noun has an irregular plural form.

We can categorise the most common irregular plurals into three categories: words that change spelling or don’t follow the usual rules; words that change grammatical gender; and words that have a double plural – one of each gender.

Let’s start with the first category.

Irregular plurals that change spelling

Some nouns change their spelling entirely in the plural form. For instance:

l’uomo
the man

gli uomini

the men

This is a clear irregularity, as an extra syllable is added in the plural form.

il dio
the god

gli dei / dèi
the gods

Again, the singular noun dio changes quite drastically in its plural form.

l’ala
the wing

le ali
the wings

If ala was regular in its plural form, we would expect it to have an -e on the end, since it is a feminine noun, but instead it ends in -i.

Irregular plurals that change gender

Some irregular plurals in Italian have a different grammatical gender in their singular form than they do in their plural form. More specifically, they are masculine nouns when they are singular, but feminine nouns when they are plural. Let’s take a look at some examples:

l’uovo (masculine singular)
the egg

le uova (feminine plural)
the eggs

il paio (masculine singular)
the pair

le paia (feminine plural)
the pairs

Here, you can see that the feminine plural definite article is used with each of these nouns when they are in their plural form. However, the nouns themselves don’t have the usual feminine plural ending, -e, which we would expect.

Irregular nouns with double plurals

Taking this a stage further, let’s now turn our attention to the group of Italian nouns that have two possible options for their plural form. However, attenzione! This doesn’t mean that the two options are interchangeable – rather, the masculine plural version and the feminine plural version carry different meanings.

Let’s take a common example: il braccio (“the arm”). One of its plural forms follows the pattern we have just seen, giving us le braccia (“the arms”), but this is used exclusively to refer to your arms attached to your body.

We also have the masculine plural noun i bracci, which is not used to refer to human arms, but is instead a more technical term. I bracci is used to refer to the arms of an inanimate object, such as those of a set of scales, the boom of a crane, or the boom that a microphone would be attached to.

il braccio (masculine singular)
the arm

le braccia (feminine plural)
the arms (of your body)

i bracci (masculine plural)
the arms (of an inanimate object), the booms

Another example that concerns a part of the body is the noun il dito (“the finger”), which uses its feminine plural form to refer to all of your fingers as a collective (le dita).

il dito (masculine singular)
the finger

le dita (feminine plural)
the fingers (of your hand)

However, if we talk about i diti, in the masculine plural form, we are describing more than one individual finger, rather than all of the fingers of a hand.

For example:

i diti indici
the index fingers

i diti mignoli
the little fingers, the pinkies

i diti pollici
the thumbs

One last irregular plural noun in Italian that we’re going to look at concerns the word il muro (“the wall”). In its masculine plural form, i muri (“the walls”) refers to the structural walls of a house or any other building.

However, le mura also exists, which is a feminine plural noun. Here, we are talking about le mura domestiche. Le mura still refers to the concept of a house, but carries a connotation of home and emotional connection, perhaps evoking the family, friends and memories contained within the walls of the house. It’s a little like the difference between the words “house” and “home” in English.

Le mura has a second meaning, too. For example, if you have ever visited the beautiful Italian city of Lucca, you may have seen le mura, which are the old protective walls of a city.

il muro (masculine singular)
the wall

i muri (masculine plural)
the walls (structural)

le mura (domestiche) (feminine plural)
the home

le mura (feminine plural)
the city walls

Time to practise Italian irregular plurals

Now, let’s put your newfound knowledge of Italian irregular plurals to the test with a translation task. Translate the following sentences into Italian, then check your answers at the bottom of this article.

1. The walls of this house are very thick.
2. I would like two fried eggs for breakfast.

That’s everything for today’s topic. We hope that you now feel more confident recognising and using some of the most common irregular plurals in Italian.

If you’re looking for ways to further improve your Italian little and often, you can sign up for our short, regular, free email lessons. We also send out tips and tricks for language learners. Sign up below!

And for the full Coffee Break Italian experience, make sure to watch the full episode with Francesca and Maurizio on The Coffee Break Italian Show. You can also subscribe to our podcast feed and our channel on YouTube to be notified when our next episode is available.

Keep your eye out for other irregular plural nouns as you read and listen to Italian and, as always, happy Coffee Breaking!

 

PS. Here are the answers to the translation challenge:

1. I muri di questa casa sono molto spessi.
2. Vorrei due uova fritte per colazione.

Listen to the podcast

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