Italian · Difficult words

How to pronounce chiamare in Italian

chiamare

to call (phone)

kyah-MAH-reh/kjaˈma.re/

Standard Italian · Choose 1.00× to hear the original pace.

chiamare is pronounced /kjaˈma.re/ in Italian. In chiamare: The spelling ch keeps a hard /k/ sound before e or i. The h helps signal the spelling pattern rather than adding a breath sound. Listen to the word on its own, then compare it with the example sentence.

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Find the sounds in chiamare

Read chiamare in these IPA segments: kja · ˈma · re. Dots and stress marks identify the boundaries shown in the reference; these symbols are not English spelling. The mark /ˈ/ comes immediately before the main stressed syllable. Give that syllable a little more prominence without swallowing the others.

  1. 1.Hard ch before e or i

    In chiamare: The spelling ch keeps a hard /k/ sound before e or i. The h helps signal the spelling pattern rather than adding a breath sound.

    Watch out: Do not use the English “ch” sound from “cheese” for this ch.

  2. 2.The Italian r

    In chiamare: Use the tip of the tongue near the ridge behind the upper teeth. A light contact or brief trill is different from a curled English r.

    Watch out: Avoid pulling the tongue back into an English “r” shape.

  3. 3.A steady /e/ vowel

    In chiamare: Keep the tongue toward the front and sustain a single /e/ vowel. Listen for its exact height in the recording.

    Watch out: English “ay” often ends with a glide; do not automatically carry that glide into this vowel.

  4. 4.An open vowel

    In chiamare: Open the jaw for the a-like vowel shown in the IPA. Keep it continuous and follow the recording’s tongue position.

    Watch out: Do not substitute the English diphthong in “day”.

Hear it in context

Possiamo chiamare un taxi?

Can we call a taxi?

Listen once, say it aloud, then replay at 1.00×. Keep the word connected to the surrounding sentence rather than giving every syllable equal weight.

Pronunciation and variety

chiamare is presented using Standard Italian. Regional accents and connected speech can change details. The isolated word and the example let you compare the dictionary form with a short spoken context.

The English-style respelling is approximate. Use the IPA and recording together for vowel quality and consonants that do not have an exact English equivalent.

Meaning and everyday use

Questions about chiamare

How do you pronounce chiamare?

chiamare is pronounced /kjaˈma.re/ in Italian. In chiamare: The spelling ch keeps a hard /k/ sound before e or i. The h helps signal the spelling pattern rather than adding a breath sound. Listen to the word on its own, then compare it with the example sentence.

What should I listen for first?

In chiamare: The spelling ch keeps a hard /k/ sound before e or i. The h helps signal the spelling pattern rather than adding a breath sound. Start at 0.75×, then return to 1.00× to hear the natural rhythm.

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