Italian · Difficult words
How to pronounce madre in Italian
madre
Mother
Standard Italian · Choose 1.00× to hear the original pace.
madre is pronounced /ˈma.dre/ in Italian. In madre: 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 madre
Read madre in these IPA segments: ˈma · dre. 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 madre: 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 madre: 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.An open vowel
In madre: 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
Il nome della madre è Elena.
The mother's name is Elena.
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
madre 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 madre
How do you pronounce madre?
madre is pronounced /ˈma.dre/ in Italian. In madre: 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 madre: 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.
