Index / Language / Records / Italian / Regional dialects
Napoletano Italian
The strongest regional sound in Italian. Final vowels fade to a murmur, s before a consonant becomes sh, and the articles shrink to a single vowel.
Naples and Campania
5sound rules15words and phrases9everyday lines
Neutral fine anywhere Casual friends, street Vulgar swearing Insult aimed at a person
How it sounds
Left: the sound, in pine. Middle: standard spelling. Right: meaning.
S1Final vowels fade
The last vowel of a word becomes a short neutral murmur, so words seem to end on the consonant.
| How it's said | How it's written | English |
|---|
| Napul' | Napoli | Naples |
| guaglion' | ragazzo | boy, young man |
| 'a mamm' | la mamma | mum |
NoteStart here. It is the first thing other Italians hear.
S2S before a consonant sounds like sh
The s before t, p, c and similar sounds becomes sh.
| How it's said | How it's written | English |
|---|
| shtà | stare | to be, to stay |
| ashpett' | aspetta | wait |
| 'a shcola | la scuola | school |
S3Articles shrink to a vowel
Il and lo become 'o, la becomes 'a, and the plural is 'e.
| How it's said | How it's written | English |
|---|
| 'o mare | il mare | the sea |
| 'a pizza | la pizza | the pizza |
| 'e guaglione | i ragazzi | the boys |
S4Tenere for avere
In Naples, and across the south, you hold (tenere) rather than have (avere). It carries into Italian.
| How it's said | How it's written | English |
|---|
| tengo fame | ho fame | I'm hungry |
| tengo da fà | ho da fare | I've got things to do |
| tieni ragione | hai ragione | you're right |
S5Words double at the start
After a, e, che and others, the first consonant of the next word doubles, more strongly than in standard Italian.
| How it's said | How it's written | English |
|---|
| a ccasa | a casa | at home |
| che ffai? | che fai? | what are you doing? |
| e mmo? | e adesso? | and now? |
Words and phrases
15 entries, each tagged by register.
W1Reactions
| How it's said | How it's written | English |
|---|
| uè! | ehi! | hey!casual |
| jamme! | andiamo! | let's go! come on!casual |
| mannaggia! | accidenti! | damn!casual |
| che ce vuò fà? | che ci vuoi fare? | what can you do?casual |
| statte buono | stai bene | take carecasual |
| mo | adesso | nowcasual |
W2People
| How it's said | How it's written | English |
|---|
| 'o guaglione / 'a guagliona | il ragazzo / la ragazza | young man / young womancasual |
| 'o scugnizzo | il ragazzo di strada | street kidcasual |
| chiattillo | figlio di papà | posh kidcasual |
| fesso | stupido | foolinsult |
| 'a cazzimma | la cazzimma | ruthless cunningvulgar |
W3Food
| How it's said | How it's written | English |
|---|
| 'a pizza a portafoglio | la pizza a portafoglio | pizza folded in 4 to eat walkingneutral |
| 'a sfogliatella | la sfogliatella | shell-shaped ricotta pastryneutral |
| 'o babbà | il babà | rum-soaked cakeneutral |
| 'o caffè sospeso | il caffè sospeso | a coffee paid for a stranger who comes laterneutral |
Everyday lines
Scenes and the lines that go with them.
L1At the pizzeria
| How it's said | How it's written | English |
|---|
| Na margherita a portafoglio | Una margherita a portafoglio | a folded margherita |
| Na Nastro Azzurro, grazie | Una Nastro Azzurro, grazie | a beer, thanks |
| Quant'è? | Quant'è? | how much? |
L2At the bar
Coffee comes with a glass of water first.
| How it's said | How it's written | English |
|---|
| Nu cafè | Un caffè | an espresso |
| E uno sospeso | E uno sospeso | and one to leave paid for someone else |
| Grazie assaje | Grazie mille | thanks a lot |
L3On the street
| How it's said | How it's written | English |
|---|
| Uè, che se dice? | Ehi, come va? | hey, how's it going? |
| Jamme, ca è tardi | Andiamo, che è tardi | come on, it's late |
| Nun te preoccupà | Non ti preoccupare | don't worry |