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Double Consonants in the Italian Language (or How to Avoid Mixing Up Anus and Year)

March 16, 2014 By Cher 7 Comments

Double Consonants in the Italian Language

Oh, double consonants in Italian.

Learning them is particularly important so we avoid you saying things you don’t mean…like mixing up “ano” with “anno,” or “anus” with “year.”

Bonnie wrote on the Facebook page that she’s VERY conscious of this mistake.

Anno ano

If you haven’t had a chance to learn the alphabet and practice the vowels / consonants, go to that article now: The Alphabet in Italian (or how to make sure you’re understood speaking la bella lingua)

I’ve heard many stories where this happened, and while it’s memorable, it’s always awkward.

One that I mix up often that isn’t a huge deal is “sera” and “serra” or “night” and “greenhouse.”

The trick for never getting it wrong?

Just pronounce both letters CLEARLY.

To do this, make the vowel right before the double consonants shorter and make the double consonants longer.

— anno – AHN-no

— serra – SEHR-rah

Here are some other common words that have double consonants.

— cane – dog

— canne – reeds

  • pala – shovel
  • palla – ball
  • camino – fireplace
  • cammino – walk, stroll
  • capello – hair
  • cappello – hat
  • cassa – cash register
  • casa – house
  • lego – I tie, I fasten
  • leggo – I read
  • note – notes
  • notte – night
  • polo – pole
  • pollo – chicken
  • rosa – pink/ rose
  • rossa – red
  • sano – healthy
  • sanno -they know
  • seno – bosom
  • senno – sense, good judgment
  • sono – I am/they are
  • sonno – sleepy
  • speso – spent {past tense of the verb spendere – to spend}
  • spesso – often
  • tori – bulls
  • torri – towers

Words with double consonants to practice

Practice saying

— Mamma – mom

— Babbo – as in Babbo Natale – Father Christmas

CPF: Besides in Tuscany, “Babbo” it’s also rarely used to say “dad”. This word was introduced with the meaning of “dad” during Fascism by Mussolini, to avoid the Gallicism “papà”.

— Basso – short

— Caccia – hunt

— Ferro – iron

CPF: In Italian, they say “toccare ferro” to mean “touch iron” when someone has said something that might jinx the situation, like how many Americans say “touch wood.”

You might also hear “toccare legno” or “touch wood” or “faccio le corna,” which means “to do the horns” where you position the fingers of one hand to simulate two horns.

— Fetta – slice

— Nonno / nonna – Grandpa / grandma

— Pozzo – well/spring

— Ragazzo – boy/boyfriend

— Soqquadro – mess up, ransack

CPF: Soqquadro is the only word in the Italian language with a double “q.” Thanks to Raffaella for pointing that out!

Questions/a funny story to tell? Drop it in the comments below!

 

Filed Under: Beginner Italian, Grammar, Italian Tagged With: Beginner Italian, Double consonants in Italian, italian, Italian pronunciation

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About Cher

Cher is the founder of The Iceberg Project and a passionate learner of the Italian, Mandarin and Spanish languages. In a little town called Vegas, you can find her searching the Internet for Doctor Who and Parks & Rec memes, drinking bubble tea, or talking about how much she loves grammar.

« The Alphabet in Italian {or how to make sure you’re understood speaking la bella lingua}
Stress and the Intonation of the Italian Language (or how to pronounce words with the right emphasis) »

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