This first lesson teaches the alphabet in Italian. This includes the script and pronunciation. If you stay with me from start to finish, I promise you that you will learn a lot. I will try to give examples using both words and sound. That way it will be easy for you to see the letters when they are separate and when they are in a word. Going through the whole page should take about 30 min. Make sure to read the pronunciation and hear the audio as well. If you have any question about this course, please email me directly at Italian Classes.
Alphabet
The alphabet is the building block of the Italian language. Usually it is the first thing a person should start learning, because without it, you can neither read nor write. This means that the following 30 min are going to be the most important in your learning quest. The Italian alphabet contains only 21 letters.
Below is the Italian alphabet in a table containing 3 columns: The sound of the Italian letters, the alphabet, examples which include the letter at the beginning, middle and at the end.
Alphabet in Italian
Sound
Alphabet
Examples
a
Alaska, Maria, Panama
b
Bravo, Alabama, Lab
c
Canada, Cicilia
d
David, Granada, Ted
e
Emma, Ted
f
Franco, Cafe, Ralf
g
Golf, Gym, Logo
h
Silent [not pronounced]
i
Iglo, mini
l
Laura, Claudia, Brazil
m
Maria, Amsterdam
n
New York, Anita, John
o
Okay, Hotel, Paulo
p
Panama, Filipa, Top
q
Qatar, Iraq
r
Robert, Portugal, Qatar
s
Sam, Eskimo, Paris
t
Taiwan, Ontario, Janet
u
Uzbekistan, Lulu
v
Vatican, Bravo
x
Xray, Alexandria, Alex
z
Zulu, Amazon, Jazz
Questions?
If you have any questions, please contact me If you simply want to ask a question, please Italian contact form on the header above.
The following is a table showing common sentences. We recommend for you to click on the audio of each expression to hear how it is pronounced. That way you will be able to familiarize yourself with the Italian alphabet.
Pronunciation in Italian
Pronunciation
Italian
Audio
In The Morning
Al mattino; di mattina
In the evening
Di sera
At Night
Di notte; Durante la notte
Really!
Davvero!
Look!
Guarda!
Hurry up!
Sbrigati! (informal); Faccia in fretta! (formal)
Some languages are hard
Alcune lingue sono difficili
Many students speak Korean
Molti studenti parlano coreano
How old is your sister?
Quanti anni ha tua sorella?
I love my husband
Amo mio marito
This is my wife
Questa è mia moglie
What's your brother called?
Come si chiama tuo fratello
Where does your father work?
Dove lavora tuo padre
Your daughter is very cute
Tua figlia è molto carina
What time is it?
Che ora è?
It's 10 o'clock
Sono le 10
Give me this!
Dammelo! ; Dammi questo!
I love you
Ti amo
Are you free tomorrow evening?
Sei libero domani sera? (to a men); Sei libera domani sera? (to a woman)
I would like to invite you for dinner
Vorrei invitarti a cena
Are you married?
Sei sposato? (m.) ; Sei sposata? (f.)
I'm single
Sono single
Would you marry me?
Vuoi sposarmi?
Can I have your phone number?
Posso avere il tuo numero di telefono?
Can I have your email?
Posso avere il tuo indirizzo mail?
Are you okay?
Sta bene? (formal) ; Stai bene? (informal)
Call a doctor!
Chiami un dottore
Call the ambulance!
Chiami un'ambulanza!
Call the police!
Chiami la polizia!
Calm down!
Si calmi! (formal); Calmati! (informal)
Fire!
Al fuoco!
I feel sick
Mi sento male
It hurts here
Mi fa male in questo punto
It's urgent!
è urgente!
Stop!
Fermo!
Thief!
Ladro!
Where is the closest pharmacy?
Dov'è la farmacia più vicina?
Fun Facts
Language Quote ❝If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart.❞ ‒Nelson Mandela
Congratulations! You finished your first alphabet lesson in Italian. Are you ready for the next lesson? We recommend Italian Lesson 2. You can also simply click on one of the links below or go back to our Learn Italian homepage.