Lessons for English speakers

Learn to read Italian

A short, active path into reading Italian: decode real words from a small sound guide, learn where the endings and the verb sit, meet the past that fables are printed in, and read a whole fable before opening your first book.

13 core sections · ≈ 32 min + 3 optional lookups · ≈ 48 min with everything

Verbs and stories

3 sections

Have, want, go — and the small words welded to “the”

≈ 3 min

What you'll learn

ho, hai, ha are I have, you have, he or she has — the h is silent.
Italian has hunger rather than being hungry: Ho fame is “I have hunger”.
After voglio, posso and devo, the next verb keeps its plain dictionary shape.
Small place-words weld onto “the”: nel in the, sul on the.
When a short word looks unfamiliar, split it — the small word plus the article is hiding inside.

One word each, subject included

hooh · haieye · haah

I have · you have · he or she has

The h says nothing; it keeps these apart on the page.

voglioVOH-lyoh

I want

The gli of million, inside a verb.

possoPOHS-soh · devoDEH-voh

I can · I must

vadoVAH-doh · vaivye

I go · you go

Dove vai?“where are you going?” — one form covers “I go” and “I am going”.

vieniVYEH-nee

you come — and, said to somebody, “come!”

Vieni con me.“Come with me.” After con“with”, “me” is me, never mi.

I am hungry.

Ho fame.

oh FAH-meh

Word for word: “I have hunger”. Italian uses have where English uses be, in the states a body can be in — fame“hunger” is a thing, not a description.

Can you see the tree?

Puoi vedere l'albero?

pwoy veh-DEH-reh LAHL-beh-roh

puoi“you can” carries the “you”, and vedere is the plain form of vedo — the shape a dictionary lists, ending in -are, -ere or -ire. English does the same job with “to”.

The four small words, welded to the article

a + il

alahl

to the

in + il

nelnehl

in the — and in + la = nella

da + il

daldahl

from the

su + l'

sull'sool

on the — sull'alberosool-LAHL-beh-roh“on the tree”. Both halves are still in there: when an unfamiliar short word starts with a, d, n or s, try splitting it. One phrase takes no article at all: Vado a casa.VAH-doh ah KAH-zah“I am going home.” — a fixed phrase, learned whole.

Split the short word, then read the line

Vado nel bosco.
nel is two words welded together.
Show answer +Hide answer −
Vado nel bosco.VAH-doh nehl BOH-skoh“I am going to the wood”
Voglio bere l'acqua.
bereBEH-reh is the plain form of “drink”.
Show answer +Hide answer −
Voglio bere l'acqua.VOH-lyoh BEH-reh LAHK-kwah“I want to drink the water”
Non posso vedere il coniglio.
non still sits straight in front of the verb.
Show answer +Hide answer −
Non posso vedere il coniglio.nohn POHS-soh veh-DEH-reh eel koh-NEE-lyoh“I cannot see the rabbit”