Introduction. Learning Italian can at first seem daunting, but once you have begun to understand how the language is structured, the rest will begin to flow naturally. Italian is largely phonetic, in other words what you see is what you say. On the left you will find a link to the pronunciation table, showing in a comprehensive but easy to follow way how the letters or groups of letters are pronounced. There are some occasions where the rules of pronunciation vary, but these are few and far between, and your own appreciation of the pronunciation will be tweaked as you progress and hear other Italians speak the language.
Indeed, listening and replicating the sounds you hear will be the very best guide to how you pronounce Italian, but be aware that even the Italians do not always follow the rules! You will see how when you progress with your studies.
Navigating this site. This site will increase over the coming weeks. Links showing information relevant to this level of study will appear on the left. You will know which zone you are in by the colour of the band underneath the main links above. Some links from the main home page will take you to other zones, particularly the questions, where the level of complexity is judged to be appropriate for a particular level of progression. For example, even though the subjunctive is used in everyday Italian, it is not normally studied until an advanced stage, so all references to the subjunctive will appear in the advanced zone. This doesn’t mean that as a beginner you should ignore it. As you progress, you will understand the nuances of Italian and the differing situations in which particular styles of the language are called for. This understanding will grow with experience. It took me twelve years to reach a very advanced level in my studies, so don’t be put off in the early stages. Practise well what you learn, then move onto the next level when you are ready.
To visit previous pages in the same zone, use your browser’s back button. Otherwise, to move around the site, click on the appropriate links. Those showing general information appropriate to all of the zones will be found on the main home page.
Any questions? This site exists to address particular issues which students wish to raise. If you have anything you would like to see explained here, please use the e-mail link to ask your question. Articles can also be submitted in the same way. Points raised by students will be included in the questions section (link on the main home page), and those who e-mail me will receive a reply with the appropriate link to the response.
I would also welcome any feedback you may have concerning the site itself. I want this site to be easy to use without becoming too complicated. Let me know if things can be improved in any way.
