Italian is spoken by approximately 67 million native speakers. The FSI classifies Italian as a Category I language (600-750 hours to proficiency), making it one of the easiest languages for English speakers.

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Why Italian Is Accessible

Phonetic spelling: Italian is written almost exactly as it sounds. No silent letters. Latin vocabulary: About 30% of English words have Latin origins recognizable in Italian: university/universita, important/importante, communication/comunicazione.

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Pronunciation

Key Rules

Pronunciation -------------- "ch" as in "church" "k" "j" as in "judge" "g" as in "go" "ny" as in "canyon" "sh"

Double Consonants

Italian distinguishes between single and double consonants: pala (shovel) vs. palla (ball), nono (ninth) vs. nonno (grandfather).

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Grammar Essentials

Two Genders

Gender -------- Masculine Feminine Either

Verb Conjugation

Italian verbs fall into three groups: -are, -ere, -ire. The pattern is regular for most verbs.

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Essential Phrases

English | ---------| Good morning | Hi / Bye | Thank you / You're welcome | Please | I don't understand |
Pattern
Example
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c before e, i
cena = CHEH-na
c before a, o, u
casa = KA-sa
g before e, i
gelato = jeh-LA-to
g before a, o, u
gatto = GAT-to
gn
gnocchi = NYOK-kee
sc before e, i
scena = SHEH-na
Ending
Example
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-o
libro (book)
-a
casa (house)
-e
ristorante (m), notte (f)
Italian
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Buongiorno
Ciao
Grazie / Prego
Per favore
Non capisco
Quanto costa?
How much does it cost? |

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