When the i is only there to spell it in Italian

1. 1
   giorno/ˈdʒorno/

   daynoun

   The time that passes from one morning to the next, or the hours when there is light.
2. 2
   giacca/ˈdʒakka/

   jacketnoun

   A garment with sleeves, open at the front, that you wear over a shirt or sweater.
3. 3
   guancia/ˈɡwantʃa/

   cheeknoun

   Each of the two soft parts of the face, between the nose and the ear.
4. 4
   faccia/ˈfattʃa/

   facenoun

   The front part of the head, where the eyes, nose and mouth are.
5. 5
   pioggia/ˈpjɔddʒa/

   rainnoun

   Water that falls from the clouds.
6. 6
   asciugamano/aʃʃuɡaˈmano/

   towelnoun

   A piece of cloth you use to dry your hands or body.
7. 7
   lasciare/laʃˈʃare/

   to leaveverb

   To put or keep something somewhere and go away without taking it with you.
8. 8
   mangiare/manˈdʒare/

   to eatverb

   To put food in your mouth, chew it and swallow it.
9. 9
   giovane/ˈdʒovane/

   youngadjective

   Having few years, born or in life for a short time.
10. 10
    liscio/ˈliʃʃo/

    smoothlyadverb

    In a smooth way, without hitches or problems.

The sentences

1. Ho passato tutto il giorno a cercare un albergo.

   I spent the whole day looking for a hotel.

2. Posso lasciare la giacca qui vicino alla porta?

   Can I leave my jacket here near the door?

3. Mi fa male la guancia destra da ieri sera.

   My right cheek has hurt since last night.

4. Mi lavo la faccia con acqua fredda ogni mattina.

   I wash my face with cold water every morning.

5. Con questa pioggia non riesco a uscire senza ombrello.

   With this rain I can't go out without an umbrella.

6. Mi può portare un asciugamano pulito in camera?

   Could you bring me a clean towel to my room?

7. Vorrei lasciare la valigia in albergo fino a sera.

   I'd like to leave my suitcase at the hotel until evening.

8. Stasera vorrei mangiare qualcosa di leggero vicino a casa.

   Tonight I'd like to eat something light near home.

9. Il ragazzo che ci ha aiutato era molto giovane.

   The guy who helped us was very young.

10. Alla fine è andato tutto liscio, senza ritardi.

    In the end everything went smoothly, without delays.

Pronunciation

• giorno/ˈdʒorno/

  The i is not pronounced: it's only there to keep the g soft.

• giacca/ˈdʒakka/

  Hold the double c long; the i after the g is not heard.

• guancia/ˈɡwantʃa/

  Here gu- has a hard g with the u pronounced, while the final i of -cia stays silent.

• faccia/ˈfattʃa/

  The double c must be held long: fa-ccia.

• pioggia/ˈpjɔddʒa/

  The o is open and the double g must be held long.

• asciugamano/aʃʃuɡaˈmano/

  Sci- sounds like one long sound, and the stress falls on -ma-.

• lasciare/laʃˈʃare/

  The sound of -scia- is long: la-sscia-re.

• mangiare/manˈdʒare/

  The i of -gia- is not pronounced: it's only there to make the g soft.

• giovane/ˈdʒovane/

  The stress is on the first syllable: GIO-va-ne, not gio-va-ne.

• liscio/ˈliʃʃo/

  The group scio is read as one long sound, the sound of 'shush', and the stress falls on the first syllable.

Questions

Why isn't the i in giorno pronounced?

The i after g in giorno is silent; it's only there to keep the g soft. The word is said /ˈdʒorno/.

How do you say 'I'd like to eat something light' in Italian?

Stasera vorrei mangiare qualcosa di leggero vicino a casa.

What does liscio mean?

Liscio means smoothly, without problems or delays, as in andato tutto liscio.