Italian for English speakers House · Lesson 2

Spelling a name

Spell names in Italian using city names — B come Bari (B as in Bari) — the Italian spelling alphabet.

Conversation

  1. Lindo Lindo

    Scusa, come si scrive Bolin?

    Excuse me, how do you spell Bolin?

  2. Cassian Cassian

    "B" come Bologna

    B as in Bologna

    Tip: To make spelling easier to understand, it is common to name Italian city names, when possible.

  3. Cassian Cassian

    "O" come Otranto

    O as in Otranto

  4. Cassian Cassian

    "L" come Livorno

    L as in Livorno

  5. Cassian Cassian

    "I" come Imola

    I as in Imola

  6. Cassian Cassian

    "N" come Napoli

    N as in Napoli

Common questions

Quick answers about this lesson's grammar and vocabulary.

How do you spell names in Italian?

[Letter] come + Italian city: B come Bari, A come Ancona, C come Como, D come Domodossola.

How do you ask 'how do you spell ...?' in Italian?

Come si scrive ...? = 'how does one write ...?'. Or: Come si fa lo spelling di ...?

Tricky Italian letters?

C before e/i is 'ch' sound (cioccolato). G before e/i is soft 'j' (gelato). H is silent. Z can be 'ts' or 'dz'.

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