Languages › Italian How to Pronounce Vowels in Italian Learn how to pronounce a, e, i, o, and u Share Flipboard Email Print Hoxton/Tom Merton/Getty Images Italian Vocabulary History & Culture Grammar By Michael San Filippo Michael San Filippo Italian Expert M.A., Italian Studies, Middlebury College B.A., Biology, Northeastern University Michael San Filippo co-wrote The Complete Idiot's Guide to Italian History and Culture. He is a tutor of Italian language and culture. Learn about our Editorial Process Updated on July 03, 2019 Italian pronunciation might pose some difficulties for the beginner. Yet it is very regular, and once the rules are understood, it is easy to pronounce each word correctly. Italian vowels (le vocali) are short, clear-cut, and are never drawn out. The "glide," with which English vowels frequently end, should be avoided. Finally, it should be noted that the vowels a, i, and u, are always pronounced the same way. E and o, on the other hand, have an open and a closed sound that may vary from. How to Pronounce Vowels A—sounds like a in fatherE—has two sounds: short vowel like e in pen; long vowel, similar to ai in fairI—sounds like ea in tea or i in marineO—has two sounds: like o in cozy or similar to o in costU—sounds like u in rude Tips: Italian vowels are always articulated in a sharp, clear fashion, regardless of stress. They are never slurred or pronounced weakly. Vowels (a,e,i,o,u) always retain their value in diphthongs. Italian is a phonetic language, which means that it is spoken the way it is written. Italian and English share the Latin alphabet, but the sounds represented by the letters often differ considerably in the two languages. Examples of Vowels a is like a in the English word ah! Here are some examples in Italian with an English translation. casa houseantipasto appetizerama lovesbanana bananasala hallPapa Popefama famepasta pasta; dough; pastry e is sometimes like e in the English word they (without the final i glide). Here are some examples in Italian with an English translation. e andbeve drinksme mefede faithvede seesmele applessete thirstpepe pepper e is sometimes like e in the word met. This is the open e. Here are some examples in Italian with an English translation. è islento slowbene wellfesta party; holidaysedia chairpresto soonvento windtè tea i is like i in machine. Here are some examples in Italian with an English translation. libri booksbimbi childrenvini winesviolini violinstini vatspini pines o is sometimes like o in the English word oh!. Here are some examples in Italian with an English translation. o ordono giftnome namesolo aloneposto placetondo roundvolo flightmondo world o is sometimes like o in or. This is the open o. Here are some examples in Italian with an English translation. moda fashiontoga togano nooro goldposta mailbrodo brothcosa thingtrono thronerosa roseolio oil u is like u in rule. Here are some examples in Italian with an English translation. luna moonfungo mushroomuno onelungo longfuga fuguemulo muleuso usetubo tube Cite this Article Format mla apa chicago Your Citation Filippo, Michael San. "How to Pronounce Vowels in Italian." ThoughtCo, Apr. 5, 2023, thoughtco.com/how-to-pronounce-italian-vowels-2011142. Filippo, Michael San. (2023, April 5). How to Pronounce Vowels in Italian. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/how-to-pronounce-italian-vowels-2011142 Filippo, Michael San. "How to Pronounce Vowels in Italian." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/how-to-pronounce-italian-vowels-2011142 (accessed June 7, 2023). copy citation Featured Video