Abbreviations said out loud in Italian

1. 1
   sigla/ˈsiɡla/

   abbreviationnoun

   A group of initial letters used instead of a long name.
2. 2
   acronimo/akronimo/

   acronymnoun

   An acronym that is pronounced as if it were a single word.
3. 3
   lettera/ˈlettera/

   letternoun

   Each of the signs used to write words.
4. 4
   vocale/voˈkale/

   vowelnoun

   A sound that comes out of the mouth freely, like a, e, i, o, u.
5. 5
   consonante/konsoˈnante/

   consonantnoun

   A sound in which the air meets an obstacle in the mouth, like b, t or s.
6. 6
   pronuncia/proˈnuntʃa/

   pronunciationnoun

   The way the sounds of a word are said.
7. 7
   codice/ˈkɔditʃe/

   codenoun

   A series of letters or numbers used to identify something or someone.
8. 8
   fiscale/fisˈkale/

   taxadjective

   Relating to taxes and the money you owe the state.
9. 9
   sanitario/saniˈtarjo/

   healthadjective

   Relating to health and medical care.
10. 10
    tessera/ˈtɛssera/

    cardnoun

    A card of paper or plastic that entitles you to a service.

The sentences

1. Mi scusi, che cosa vuol dire questa sigla?

   Excuse me, what does this acronym mean?

2. Questa sigla si legge come un acronimo, non lettera per lettera.

   This abbreviation is read as an acronym, not letter by letter.

3. Le ripeto piano ogni lettera, così non sbaglia a scrivere.

   I'll repeat each letter slowly, so you don't get it wrong when you write it.

4. La vocale finale cambia tutta la pronuncia della parola.

   The final vowel completely changes how the word is pronounced.

5. Attenzione, quella consonante è doppia, non una sola.

   Careful, that consonant is doubled, not single.

6. Scusi, se la mia pronuncia non è chiara glielo scrivo qui.

   Sorry, if my pronunciation isn't clear I'll write it down for you.

7. Ho portato il codice scritto su un foglio, per sicurezza.

   I brought the code written on a piece of paper, just in case.

8. Mi serve il suo codice fiscale, per favore.

   I need your tax code, please.

9. Il servizio sanitario copre quasi tutte queste spese.

   The health service covers almost all of these expenses.

10. Tengo sempre la tessera nel portafoglio, insieme ai documenti.

    I always keep the card in my wallet, with my documents.

Pronunciation

• sigla/ˈsiɡla/

  The g is hard, as in "go", and the stress falls on the first syllable: SI-gla.

• lettera/ˈlettera/

  Hold the double t and stress the first syllable: LET-te-ra.

• pronuncia/proˈnuntʃa/

  The ending -cia is a single sound, not ci-a, and the stress is in the middle: pro-NUN-cia.

• codice/ˈkɔditʃe/

  Stress on the first syllable, with an open o; the final c, before the e, is soft.

• sanitario/saniˈtarjo/

  The stress falls on the third syllable: sa-ni-TA-rio.

• tessera/ˈtɛssera/

  Stress on the first syllable, with an open e and the double s held long: TES-se-ra.

Questions

How do I ask what an acronym means in Italian?

You can say "Mi scusi, che cosa vuol dire questa sigla?", meaning excuse me, what does this acronym mean?

What is the Italian word for acronym?

It's acronimo, a sigla that's pronounced as if it were a single word, not spelled out letter by letter.

How do I ask for someone's tax code in Italian?

You can say "Mi serve il suo codice fiscale, per favore", I need your tax code, please.