Beltrami Anna - Lonely Planet Italian Phrasebook & Dictionary

INTRODUCTIONintroduzione English-speakers will find Italian a beautiful language to listen to and an easy one to start speaking. The expressive rhythm and melody of the language, which has lent itself to the epic poetry of Dante and the grand operas of Verdi, has fascinated visitors for centuries. When even a simple sentence can sound like an aria youll find it difficult to resist striking up a conversation. Of all the Romance languages which include French, Spanish, Portuguese and Romanian Italian claims the closest family relationship to Latin. Because English has been heavily influenced by Latin (particularly through its contact with French), there are many basic resemblances between the two languages. at a glance ... language name: Italian name in language:italiano eetalyano language family: Romance key country: Italy approximate number of speakers: 65 million close relatives: French, Spanish, Portuguese donations to English: Words to do with food, including spaghetti, broccoli and macaroni. language name: Italian name in language:italiano eetalyano language family: Romance key country: Italy approximate number of speakers: 65 million close relatives: French, Spanish, Portuguese donations to English: Words to do with food, including spaghetti, broccoli and macaroni.

Musical words like virtuoso, opera and viola. Architectural terms such as studio and stucco. Artistic words such as maestro and fresco. Outside Italy, Italian is spoken by minorities in Switzerland, Slovenia and France, and more recently by large communities of immigrants in Australia, Argentina and the US. Italian has official status in the Istrian peninsula of Croatia where Italian-speaking communities have existed since the Venetians began colonising parts of the Dalmatian coast during the twelfth century. Another country where Italian is spoken is the African nation of Eritrea which remained a colony of Italy from 1880 until 1941.

Today most Eritreans speak Italian only as a second language. Around the world there are approximately 65 million Italian speakers, the majority of whom live in Italy. In Italy itself, most people also speak a local dialect. Dialects are spoken all over the country and some are so different from standard Italian as to be considered distinct languages in their own right. In fact, it wasnt until the nineteenth century that the Tuscan dialect the language of Dante, Boccaccio, Petrarch and Macchiavelli was chosen to become the standard language of the nation. Standard Italian is the official language of schools, media and administration, and is the form that will take you from the top of the boot to the very toe.

All the language that we have provided here is in standard Italian. This book gives you the words you need to get by, as well as all the fun, spontaneous phrases that lead to a better experience of Italy and its people. Need more encouragement? Remember, the contact you make through using Italian will make your travels unique. Local knowledge, new relationships and a sense of satisfaction are on the tip of your tongue, so dont just stand there, say something! > abbreviations used in this book

f	feminine
inf	informal
m	masculine
sg	singular
pl	plural
pol	polite

TOOLS > pronunciationla pronuncia The Italian sound system will be familiar to most English-speakers: almost all of the sounds youll hear exist in English. You might notice some slight differences, particularly with the vowel sounds, but theres nothing to stop you having a go and being understood.

symbol	english equivalent	italian example
a	father	pane
e	red	letto
ee	bee	vino
o	pot	molo
oo	took	frutta

Vowel sounds are generally shorter than English equivalents.

symbol	english equivalent	italian example
a	father	pane
e	red	letto
ee	bee	vino
o	pot	molo
oo	took	frutta

Vowel sounds are generally shorter than English equivalents.

They also tend not to run together to form vowel sound combinations (diphthongs), though it can often sound that way to English-speakers. The following table presents four vowel sounds that roughly correspond to diphthongs in English:

symbol	english equivalent	italian example
ay	say	vorrei
ai	aisle	mai
oy	boy	poi
ow	cow	ciao/au

symbol	english equivalent	italian example
b	big	bello
ch	chilli	centro
d	din	denaro
dz	lids	mezzo/zaino
f	fun	fare
g	go	gomma
j	jam	cugino
k	kick	cambio/quanto
l	loud	linea
ly	million	figlia
m	man	madre
n	no	numero