Count to 20 in Italian
Parli italiano? Italian is a wonderful language spoken by millions of people. Practicing the beginning numbers in Italian is a great way to get started on your way to learning the language. Try the numbers up to twenty, and then practice using them every day to get them down pat.
Contents
Steps
Pronouncing the Numbers
- Learn the numbers up to five. Start with just a few numbers to get a feel for Italian. Pay attention to how the numbers are spelled, but focus on their pronunciation. Stressed (accented) syllables are in all caps:
- 0 zero (TSEH-ro)
- 1 uno (OO-no)
- 2 due (DOO-eh)
- 3 tre (TREH)
- 4 quattro (KWAHT-tro)
- 5 cinque (CHEEN-kweh)
- Follow up with six through ten. Once you have the first few numbers down, you’re ready to learn up to ten. Make sure to pay attention to the number ten, which is the first to have three syllables (and the stress on the second).
- 6 sei (SEH-ee)
- 7 sette (SET-teh)
- 8 otto (OHT-toh)
- 9 nove (NOH-veh)
- 10 dieci (dee-EH-chee)
- Try eleven through twenty. After you’ve mastered the first few numbers in Italian, you’ll have a good sense for how the language sounds. The numbers eleven through twenty are a bit longer, but you can see that parts of them will sound very similar to the numbers 1-10 (undici, or "eleven," for example, sounds a lot like uno plus dieci, or one plus ten).
- 11 undici (OON-dee-chee)
- 12 dodici (DOH-dee-chee)
- 13 tredici (TREH-dee-chee)
- 14 quattordici (kwaht-TOR-dee-chee)
- 15 quindici (KWEEN-dee-chee)
- 16 sedici (SEH-dee-chee)
- 17 diciassette (dee-chahs-SET-teh)
- 18 diciotto (dee-CHOHT-toh)
- 19 diciannove (dee-chahn-NOH-veh)
- 20 venti (VEN-tee)
- Practice the numbers. Using the numbers as often as possible will help them stick in your memory. Regular practice will also help you feel more comfortable speaking Italian. Try a combination of techniques to use the numbers, such as:
- Making flashcards and quizzing yourself
- Counting everyday objects, like coins or grapes
- Using Italian numbers whenever you have to do mental math
- Playing games, like Uno, that let you easily say the numbers in Italian.
Furthering Your Italian
- Learn the sounds of Italian vowels. Knowing how to say words correctly in Italian will make you sound more natural when speaking the language. Italian vowels are a distinctive part of the language’s sound, so make sure to pay attention to their correct pronunciation:
- a is pronounced like the first “a’ in “papa”
- i usually sounds like the “ee” in “beet.” Occasionally, after some consonants, it will sound like a “y” as in “yet”
- u is usually pronounced like the “oo” in “boot.” Sometimes (like after the letter g), u can sound like a “w”.
- e is pronounced either like the “e” in “bet” (open form) or the “a” in “chaotic” (closed form)
- o sounds close to either the vowel in “awe” (open form) or the “o” in “go”
- Practice pronouncing Italian consonants. Most consonants in Italian are relatively close to their English equivalents. Beyond that, it’s mostly a matter of paying attention to a few guidelines and a couple of special cases:
- c and g can be either hard (before a, o, or u) or soft (before e or i). A hard c sounds like the “c” in “car." A soft c sounds like the “ch” in “chase.” Say a hard g like the “g” in “go,” but a soft one like the beginning of “general.”
- When there is an h after a c or g, the sound will be hard.
- sc is pronounced like the “sh” in “ship.”
- r in Italian is slightly trilled.
- S is sometimes pronounced “ess” and sometimes like a “z.” Similarly, z can sound like an English “z” or like a “ts” sound, as in pizza.
- The cluster gn sounds close to the “ny” in “canyon,” and gl is close to the middle sound in “million.”
- Hold double consonants, such as in the middle of tutto, longer than you would in English.
- Learn the numbers up to twenty-nine. If you're comfortable saying the numbers up to twenty in Italian, then a logical next step is to go even higher. To say “twenty-one,” “twenty-two,” and so on, you’ll follow a pattern that combines numbers very similar to the way that English does:
- 21 ventuno (ven-TOO-noh)
- 22 ventidue (ven-tee-DOO-eh)
- 23 ventitré (ven-tee-TREH)
- 24 ventiquattro (ven-tee-KWAHT-troh)
- 25 venticinque (ven-tee-CHEEN-kweh)
- 26 ventisei (ven-tee-SEH-ee)
- 27 ventisette (ven-tee-SET-teh)
- 28 ventotto (ven-TOHT-toh)
- 29 ventinove (ven-tee-NOH-veh)
- Learn some higher numbers. Once you’ve have a sense of the basic pattern for how higher numbers are formed in Italian, you can start expanding your vocabulary. Try saying the tens up to one hundred:
- 30 trenta (TREN-tah)
- 40 quaranta (kwah-RAHN-tah)
- 50 cinquanta (cheen-KWAHN-tah)
- 60 sessanta (ses-SAHN-tah)
- 70 settanta (set-TAHN-ta)
- 80 ottanta (oht-TAHN-ta)
- 90 novanta (noh-VAHN-tah)
- 100 cento (CHEN-toh)
- Pick up some conversational phrases. If you know someone who speaks Italian, ask them to let you practice with them! Start with a few greetings and introductions. For example, you might say:
- Hello - Ciao (CHOW)
- My name is Melissa - Mi chiamo Melissa (ME kee-AH-mo Melissa)
- What is your name? - Come ti chiami? (CO-may TEE kee-AH-mee)
- Nice to meet you - Piacere di conoscerti (PYA-cheh-ray DEE ko-no-SHER-tee)
- How are you? - Come stai? (CO-may STAH-ee)
- I am fine - Sto bene (STO BEH-nay)
- Goodbye - Ciao or Arrivederci (ah-REE-veh-dehr-chee)
- Use audio and visual aids to increase your vocabulary. Once you’ve got some of the basics down, try picking up some everyday words and phrases. Audio and visual aids are fun ways to make progress. Try using apps like Duolingo, for instance. There are also podcasts, Youtube videos, and other media materials that can help you get used to the sound of the language.
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