HardVowels
Su una pietra bianca un piede bieco piega una piega europea.
On a white stone a crooked foot folds a European fold.
Pronunciation Focus
Diphthong 'ie' and 'eo/ea' combinations
Tip for English Speakers
💡The 'ie' diphthong in 'pietra' and 'piede' is 'ee-eh' — two distinct vowels, not the English 'ee' sound. In 'europea', pronounce all four vowels: 'eh-oo-roh-peh-ah'.
Did You Know?
The diphthong 'ie' is extremely common in Italian. It often appears where Latin had a short 'e': Latin 'petra' became Italian 'pietra' (stone), adding a vowel rather than losing one.
How to Practice
- 1.Read it slowly, word by word
- 2.Speed up gradually
- 3.Try saying it 3 times fast
- 4.Record yourself and compare