How do you turn on the oven?
FOR-no — two syllables, stress on the first.
Ask when you want to cook and the oven controls are unclear. Italian ovens range from simple electric to complex gas ovens with multiple settings.
'Come si accende' uses the reflexive/impersonal 'si' to mean 'how does one turn on'. 'Accendere' = to light/turn on (used for both gas and electric appliances). 'Il forno' = the oven. 'Spegnere' is the opposite (to turn off).
Il forno è a gas o elettrico?
Is the oven gas or electric?
Important to know before attempting to use it
Come si accende il fornello?
How do you light the hob?
Italian gas hobs often require holding the knob for a few seconds while lighting
Non riesco ad accendere il gas.
I cannot light the gas.
Ask for help if the gas appliance will not ignite
Italian cooking is central to the culture and even Airbnb apartments have well-equipped kitchens. Gas hobs ('fornelli a gas') are the norm in Italian homes — electric is less common. If you have never used a gas hob, ask the host to demonstrate before they leave.