How to Pronounce 'Aperto': Italian Pronunciation Guide

Q: How do you pronounce aperto in Italian?

aperto is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /aˈpɛr.to/. It means “open.” ah-PEHR-toh , with the stress on PEHR, rhyming with an open "air" said flat, and a short "toh" to close. In IPA: /aˈpɛr.to/ .

How do you pronounce "aperto" in Italian?

ah-PEHR-toh, with the stress on PEHR, rhyming with an open "air" said flat, and a short "toh" to close. In IPA: /aˈpɛr.to/.

aperto /aˈpɛr.to/

Three syllables, a, per, and to, with the stress landing on the middle syllable — the first a is short and unstressed, easy to under-articulate if you're not paying attention.

Listen: aperto

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Sound it out

"Aperto" is a past participle turned adjective, and its main challenge for English speakers is the r-plus-consonant combination in the middle, which pulls the vowel in front of it wide open.

a A short, unstressed "ah," said quickly and without emphasis — don't let it disappear entirely, but don't stress it either.

per The stressed syllable: an open "eh" followed by a tapped, front-of-the-mouth r, nothing like the English r that curls the tongue back — closer to a light flick of the tongue tip.

to A light, unaspirated t and a short, closed "oh" to finish the word off cleanly.

Hear it in a sentence

Il negozio è aperto.

The store is open.

Listen: Il negozio è aperto.

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"Aperto" is the past participle of "aprire" (to open) used here as a plain adjective describing a state, exactly the way English uses "open" both as a verb and a descriptive word — "è aperto" functions as a simple present-state description, the same as saying "the store is open."

Signs and schedules in Italy use "aperto" and its opposite "chiuso" constantly, so this pair is worth over-learning: they're two of the most practically useful adjectives a traveler encounters, printed on shop doors everywhere.

Where English speakers slip

The most common mistake is pronouncing the r with an English tongue-curl, the way it sounds in "her" or "person." Italian r is a quick tap of the tongue against the ridge behind the upper teeth, closer to the single flapped r sound some English speakers use in casual pronunciations of "butter" or "gotta."

The other slip is closing the e before that r into a tighter vowel, saying something like "ah-PAIR-toh." Italian's e stays open here, the same vowel as in "bed," and doesn't glide the way English "air" or "pair" does.