How do you pronounce the gn in Italian words like montagna?

It's a single long sound, not g plus n; in montagna the stress falls on -ta- and the gn is held long.

What does aglio mean?

Aglio is the white bulb with a strong flavor added to dishes for taste, as in 'Metti poco aglio nel sugo, altrimenti copre tutto il resto.'

Zanzara, with both z's pronounced voiced, like a d attached to a soft s, and the stress on -za-.

You try to read an Italian menu aloud and stumble on every gn, gl and z, because those sounds don't exist in English.

Metti poco aglio nel sugo, altrimenti copre tutto il resto.

Add just a little garlic to the sauce, or it will overpower everything else.

10 words10 sentences

aglio/ˈaʎʎo/
garlicnoun
White bulb with a strong flavor added to dishes for taste.
figlio/ˈfiʎʎo/
childnoun
Someone born to certain parents, male or female.
montagna/monˈtaɲɲa/
mountainnoun
Large mass of earth and rock that rises high above the plain.
sogno/ˈsoɲɲo/
dreamnoun
What you see and experience in your mind while you sleep.
spagnolo/spaɲˈɲɔlo/
Spanishadjective
Coming from Spain or relating to Spain.
zanzara/dzanˈdzara/
mosquitonoun
Small flying insect that buzzes and bites the skin.
piazza/ˈpjattsa/
squarenoun
Large open space in the middle of a town or city, surrounded by houses.
guerra/ˈɡwɛrra/
warnoun
Armed conflict that lasts over time between countries or groups of people.
brillare/brilˈlare/
to shineverb
To give off a bright light, like a star or a shiny object.
gorgogliare/ɡorɡoʎˈʎare/
to gurgleverb
To make the sound of water flowing and forming bubbles.

Spell it1 of 3

Metti poco aglio nel sugo, altrimenti copre tutto il resto.
Add just a little garlic to the sauce, or it will overpower everything else.
Mio figlio non mangia le verdure, però adora la pasta.
My son won't eat vegetables, but he loves pasta.
In montagna fa freddo anche adesso, porta una giacca pesante.
It's cold in the mountains even now, bring a heavy jacket.
Ho fatto un sogno strano e mi sono svegliato molto presto.
I had a strange dream and woke up very early.
Il cameriere spagnolo ci ha spiegato il menù in italiano.
The Spanish waiter explained the menu to us in Italian.
Stanotte una zanzara mi ha punto due volte sul braccio.
A mosquito bit me twice on the arm last night.
Ti aspetto in piazza davanti alla fontana, non tardare troppo.
I'll wait for you in the square in front of the fountain, don't be too late.
Il nonno raccontava sempre gli anni della guerra in campagna.
Grandpa always talked about the war years in the countryside.
Con questo prodotto i bicchieri tornano a brillare come nuovi.
With this product the glasses shine like new again.
Quando senti la pentola gorgogliare, puoi buttare giù la pasta.
When you hear the pot gurgling, you can drop the pasta in.

aglio/ˈaʎʎo/
The stress falls on the a, and -gli- is one long single sound, not g plus l.
montagna/monˈtaɲɲa/
The stress falls on -ta-, and gn is a single sound held long.
spagnolo/spaɲˈɲɔlo/
The stress falls on the middle syllable, with an open o; the gn is held long.
zanzara/dzanˈdzara/
The two z's are voiced, like a d attached to a soft s; the stress is on -za-.
piazza/ˈpjattsa/
The zz is voiceless and held long; 'pia' is said all in one syllable.
guerra/ˈɡwɛrra/
The e is open and the double r should be rolled at length.
brillare/brilˈlare/
The double l is held long: bril-lare, with the stress on -la-.
gorgogliare/ɡorɡoʎˈʎare/
The two g's before o are hard; gli is one long single sound, with the stress on -glia-.

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How do you pronounce the gn in Italian words like montagna?: It's a single long sound, not g plus n; in montagna the stress falls on -ta- and the gn is held long.
What does aglio mean?: Aglio is the white bulb with a strong flavor added to dishes for taste, as in 'Metti poco aglio nel sugo, altrimenti copre tutto il resto.'
How do you say mosquito in Italian?: Zanzara, with both z's pronounced voiced, like a d attached to a soft s, and the stress on -za-.

10 wordsabout 6 min