Skip to contentLearn the following Italian consonants pronunciation: “c, ch”, “g, gh”, “sc”, “gl” and “gn” through “In Un Giorno Di Pioggia” (“On a rainy day”) by Modena City Ramblers. The first verses are in Celtic, but the song is in Italian:
Addio, addio e un bicchiere levato
Goodbye, goodbye and a lifted glass
al cielo d’Irlanda e alle nuvole gonfie.
to the Ireland sky and his swollen clouds,
Un nodo alla gola ed un ultimo sguardo
A lump in the throat and a last look
alla vecchia Liffey e alle strade del porto.
at the old Liffey and the harbour streets.
Un sorso di birra per le verdi brughiere
A sip of beer for the green moors
e un altro ai mocciosi coperti di fango,
and another for the little kid covered with mud,
e un brindisi anche agli gnomi a alle fate,
and also a toast to the gnomes and to the fairies,
ai folletti che corrono sulle tue strade.
to the elfs who run on your road.
Hai i fianchi robusti di una vecchia signora
You have the well-built hips of an old lady
e i modi un po’ rudi della gente di mare,
and the quite though manners of the seamen,
ti trascini tra fango, sudore e risate
you drag yourself along mud, sweat and laughters
e la puzza di alcool nelle notti d’estate.
and the smell of alcohol in the summer nights.
Un vecchio compagno ti segue paziente,
An old mate follows you patiently,
il mare si sdraia fedele ai tuoi piedi,
the sea lies down faithful at your feet,
ti culla leggero nelle sere d’inverno,
rocks you lightly in the winter evenings,
ti riporta le voci degli amanti di ieri.
brings back to you the voices of lovers from the past.
E’ in un giorno di pioggia che ti ho conosciuta,
It’s on a rainy day that I met you
e il vento dell’ovest rideva gentile.
and the western wind gently laughed.
In un giorno di pioggia ho imparato ad amarti,
On a rainy day I learned to love you,
mi hai preso per mano portandomi via.
you joined hands with me carrying me away.
Hai occhi di ghiaccio ed un cuore di terra,
You have icy eyes and an earthly heart,
hai il passo pesante di un vecchio ubriacone,
you have the heavy walk of an old drunkard,
ti chiudi a sognare nelle notti d’inverno
you shut yourself to dream during the winters nights
e ti copri di rosso e fiorisci d’estate.
and become covered in red and you bloom in summer.
I tuoi esuli parlano lingue straniere,
Your exiles speak foreigner languages,
si addormentano soli sognando i tuoi cieli,
they fall asleep alone dreaming your skies,
si ritrovano persi in paesi lontani
they end up in distant countries
a cantare una terra di profughi e santi.
singing about a land of refugees and saints.
E’ in un giorno di pioggia che ti ho conosciuta,
It’s on a rainy day that I met you
e il vento dell’ovest rideva gentile.
and the western wind gently laughed.
In un giorno di pioggia ho imparato ad amarti,
On a rainy day I learned to love you,
mi hai preso per mano portandomi via.
you joined hands with me carrying me away.
E in un giorno di pioggia ti rivedrò ancora
And on a rainy day I’ll meet you again,
e potrò consolare i tuoi occhi bagnati.
and I will be able to comfort your wet eyes.
In un giorno di pioggia saremo vicini,
On a rainy day we will be close,
balleremo leggeri sull’aria di un Reel.
we’ll gently dance to the tune of a Reel.
Italian Consonants Pronunciation: Clusters (Digrammi) with “C”
In the song above there are many clusters with C, G, GN, GL, SC, that are one of the main obstacles to a correct italian pronounce. By listening again and again to “In Un Giorno Di Pioggia” you will greatly improve your Italian. Here are the rules for the prounciation of the consonants clusters with “C”:
ClusterPronounceExamplesCEsoft sound like English “check”cena (dinner)CIsoft sound like English “chin”vicini (close)CIAsoft sound like English “chat”ciabatta (slipper)CIEsoft sound like English “check”cielo d’Irlanda (Ireland sky)CIOsoft sound like English “choice”mocciosi (little kids)CIUsoft sound like English “choose”acciuga (anchovy)CHEhard sound like English “Kent”anche (also, …too)CHIhard sound like English “keep”bicchiere (glass)
Italian Consonants Pronunciation: Clusters (Digrammi) with “G”
ClusterPronounceExamplesGEsoft sound like English “gentle”gente (people)GIsoft sound like English “gipsy”gita (trip)GIAsoft sound like English “jump”pioggia (rain)GIEsoft sound like English “gentle”ciliegia (cherry)GIOsoft sound like English “John”giorno (day)GIUsoft sound like English “juniper”giù (down)GHEhard sound like English “get”ghetto (ghetto)GHIhard sound like English “gift”ghiaccio (ice)
Italian Consonants Pronunciation: Clusters (Digrammi) with “GL”, “GN”, “SC”
ClusterPronounceExamplesGLIsoft sound – English “I call you”agli (to the – masculine,plural))GNsoft sound – English “gipsy”gnomi (gnomes)SCEsoft sound – English “shell”scemo (stupid)SCIsoft sound – English “sheep”fiorisci (Ireland sky)SCIAwithout “i” – English “sharp”scialle (shawl)SCIEwithout “i” – English “shell”scienza (science)SCIOwithout “i” – English “shop”sciogliere (to melt)SCIUwithout “i” – English “shoot”conosciuta (known – feminine, singular)
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Italian Consonants Pronunciation: More Songs
Learn the Italian Consonants Pronunciation with Il Volo
Some Italian consonants clusters in this song:
Chiudo gli occhi = I close the eyes
dove nasce il sole = where the sun rises
voglio urlare = I want to scream
Dimmi perché = Tell me why
non mi lascerai mai = you’ll never leave me
solo me sceglierai = you’ll choose only me
Learn the Italian Consonants Pronunciation with Riccardo Fogli
As you can see there is an Italian consonant cluster “GL” in the surname of the singer (Fogli) and also in the song title (voglia = want, desire, wish).
By the way, the word “fogli” without the initial capital letter is the plural of “foglio” (sheet).