Words by Pat Eggleton
As we have seen, it is important to pronounce double consonants in Italian and the best way to make sure you do this is to pronounce the word as though here is a gap between the two consonants:
Mamma – mam-ma
Some other words to take care with are:
Ano – anus
Anno – year
Rosa – pink
Rossa – red
Copia – copy
Coppia – couple
Cane – dog
Canne – walking sticks
Nono – ninth
Nonno – grandfather
So when you are asked,
“Quanti anni hai?” – “How old are you?”
it is important to reply,
“Ho [number] anni”, not “ani”!
Sometimes Italians really cannot understand you if you do not pronounce the double consonant!
