Italian · Difficult words
How to pronounce famiglia in Italian
famiglia
Family
Standard Italian · Choose 1.00× to hear the original pace.
famiglia is pronounced /faˈmiʎ.ʎa/ in Italian. In famiglia: Raise the middle of your tongue while keeping an l-like sound at the sides. Listen to how it joins the next vowel. Listen to the word on its own, then compare it with the example sentence.
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Find the sounds in famiglia
Read famiglia in these IPA segments: fa · ˈmiʎ · ʎa. 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.The palatal l /ʎ/
In famiglia: Raise the middle of your tongue while keeping an l-like sound at the sides. Listen to how it joins the next vowel.
Watch out: An ordinary English l or a separate g-l sequence changes this sound.
2.Front-vowel position
In famiglia: Listen for the distinction between the closer /i/ and the more relaxed /ɪ/ when shown. Keep your tongue toward the front.
Watch out: Do not decide vowel quality from English spelling alone.
3.An open vowel
In famiglia: 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
La mia famiglia abita vicino a Milano.
My family lives near Milan.
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
famiglia 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 famiglia
How do you pronounce famiglia?
famiglia is pronounced /faˈmiʎ.ʎa/ in Italian. In famiglia: Raise the middle of your tongue while keeping an l-like sound at the sides. Listen to how it joins the next vowel. Listen to the word on its own, then compare it with the example sentence.
What should I listen for first?
In famiglia: Raise the middle of your tongue while keeping an l-like sound at the sides. Listen to how it joins the next vowel. Start at 0.75×, then return to 1.00× to hear the natural rhythm.
