Learn Italian With Nicolo di Angelo!

di alfabeto

The next afternoon found Will and Nico sprawled under their favorite oak tree once more. The picnic blanket was gone, replaced by a worn notebook and a collection of colorful pencils Nico had conjured from the shadows.

"Alright, Solace," Nico began, a playful glint in his dark eyes, "Today's lesson is a little different. We're diving into the alphabet."

Will groaned theatrically. "The alphabet? Seriously, Nico? I thought we were moving on to more exciting things, like ordering pizza."

Nico smirked. "You can't order pizza without knowing the letters on the menu, silly. Besides, the alphabet is the foundation of any language. Once you master these bad boys, the rest will be a breeze."

"You know I like mastering bad boys. One in particular..." Will raised his eyebrows suggestively, but Nico didn't take the bait.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, Solace."

"Alright, alright. Hit me with your best shot, Professor di Morte."

Nico chuckled at the new nickname. "Professor of Death, huh? I like it. Now, the Italian alphabet only has 21 letters, unlike in English. But today, we'll focus on the first seven – A to G."

"See this?" Nico said, pointing to the first letter. "This is 'A.' It sounds just like the 'A' in 'apple.'"

"Easy enough. What's next?"

"Next is 'B,'" Nico continued, writing the letter. "Pronounced the same way as English – 'buh.'"

Will copied the letter and sound with a satisfied nod. "This is almost too easy."

Nico's lips twitched into a smile. "Don't get cocky, Solace. Here comes 'C.'"

He wrote the letter, then stopped, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "This one's a bit tricky. Unlike English, 'C' can have two sounds depending on the vowel that follows it."

"Two sounds?" Will echoed, his confidence faltering slightly.

"Yep," Nico confirmed. "Before 'e' and 'i,' 'C' is pronounced like a 'ch' in 'church.' But before 'a,' 'o,' and 'u,' it sounds like a 'k.'"

Will furrowed his brow, processing the information. "So, 'ciao' would have a 'ch' sound, but 'casa' (house) would have a 'k' sound?"

"Exactly!" Nico snapped his fingers in approval. "You're getting the hang of this already."

Feeling a surge of accomplishment, Will copied the "C" and practiced both sounds. "Okay, I think I got it. Bring on the D, di Angelo!"

Nico chuckled and wrote the next letter. "D' is simple – pronounced just like the English 'D' in 'dog.'"

Will copied it down with a relieved sigh. "Thank goodness for a straightforward one."

"Don't get too comfortable," Nico warned, writing the letter "E." "This one's another vowel, and just like 'A,' it sounds the same as the 'E' in 'apple.'"

Will wrote it down, a small smile playing on his lips. "Seems the vowels are on my side today."

"Yeah, right. Watch you forget the pronunciations for 'E' and 'C' before the end of the day."

Nico wrote the letter "F" next. "'F' is also pretty straightforward, Solace. Pronounced just like the English 'F' in 'fun.'"

Will copied it down, feeling a newfound confidence in his ability to tackle the Italian alphabet. "G should be a breeze then, right?"

"Almost," Nico said, writing the final letter. "'G' can also be a bit tricky. Before 'e,' 'i,' and sometimes 'a,' it sounds like a 'j' in 'jump.' But before 'o,' 'u,' and consonants, it sounds like a hard 'g' in 'game.'"

Will stared at the letter, a thoughtful frown replacing his earlier confidence. "So, 'gelato' (ice cream) would have a soft 'j' sound, but 'gatto' (cat) would have a hard 'g' sound?"

"Precisely," Nico said, a hint of pride in his voice. "See? The Italian alphabet might seem simple at first, but it has its quirks."

Will pondered this for a moment, then a determined glint entered his eyes. "Alright, Nico. Hit me with some practice words. Let's see if I can handle these tricky letters."

Nico grinned. "Challenge accepted, Solace. But remember, learning a language is a marathon, not a sprint. We'll take it slow and steady, okay?"

Will nodded eagerly. "Deal. Let's do this."