Italian · Difficult words
How to pronounce importante in Italian
importante
Important
Standard Italian · Choose 1.00× to hear the original pace.
importante is pronounced /im.porˈtan.te/ in Italian. In importante: 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. Listen to the word on its own, then compare it with the example sentence.
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Find the sounds in importante
Read importante in these IPA segments: im · por · ˈtan · te. 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 Italian r
In importante: 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.
2.A steady /e/ vowel
In importante: 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.
3.A steady /o/ vowel
In importante: Round the lips and keep the tongue toward the back for a steady /o/. Follow the length indicated in the transcription.
Watch out: Avoid automatically turning a single /o/ into the moving vowel of English “go”.
Hear it in context
Questa riunione è importante.
This meeting is important.
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
importante 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 importante
How do you pronounce importante?
importante is pronounced /im.porˈtan.te/ in Italian. In importante: 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. Listen to the word on its own, then compare it with the example sentence.
What should I listen for first?
In importante: 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. Start at 0.75×, then return to 1.00× to hear the natural rhythm.
