Getting Around Consonants

As important as consonants are, they can be a pain sometimes. This post will make it clear how to correctly pronounce Italian consonants. 

For the most part, Italian consonants are similar to English, but there are some exceptions. C, G, S, H, Q, R, and Z tend to have some peculiarities about them. 

C and G:

For C , remember the basic rules (G follows these same rules): 

• C + e or i = ch (church)
• C + a, o, u , or any consonant = k (cat)
• Ci + a, o, u = ch + the vowel 
• Do not pronounce the I when it is followed by a vowel (except E)
• Ch+ e or i = k (cat) 
• The H will always harden the C

H:

H is never pronounced, it's main purpose in Italian is only to harden the C and G though it appears first in some words.

Q:

Q is never without a U preceding it always making the "qw" sound like in quattro or quando. 

R:

As in many things Italian's R is similar to the R in Spanish. It is not rolled but trilled when only one R is present, and is usually rolled when two are present. This will appear difficult at first to most English speakers, but after a while you will be sounding like a native.

S:

The pronunciation of the Italian S is very similar to English, however it has one slight exception. When it is placed in between two vowels, it takes on the sound of an English Z. (Though most Italian users use the Z sound when the S is in between two vowels, speakers in the Southern regions of Italy will usually pronounce it simply as an S)

Z: 

An Italian Z is usually pronounced like it has a D in front of it (dz), however when an I is in front of the Z, it will sound like a T with an S (ts). Z's also take on the sound of a T when they are doubled. Think of tazza (taht-tsah).

Double Consonants:

When you encounter double consonants, you usually just have to pronounce them both, without any special rule except for the ones mentioned (the exceptions include R and Z). It may help you to pronounce double consonants by putting more emphasis on the vowel preceding them.

Consonant Clusters:

• gn - ny 
• gl - ly
• sc + a, o , u = sc + vowel
• sc + e, or i = sh + vowel