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Italian · Pronunciation Guide
How do you pronounce "l'ombrello (m.)" in Italian?
ohm-BREL-loh, stress on the second syllable, with an open "eh" and a firmly doubled l. In IPA: /omˈbrɛl.lo/.
Three syllables, om, brel, and lo, with the middle one stressed and held longer thanks to the doubled l right after it.
Listen: l'ombrello (m.)
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Sound it out
This word is a close cousin of English "umbrella," which helps and hurts in equal measure, the meaning is obvious, but the vowel quality and consonant length don't map over directly.
Hear it in a sentence
Prendi l'ombrello, sta per piovere.
Take the umbrella, it's about to rain.
Listen: Prendi l'ombrello, sta per piovere.
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"Ombrello" is masculine, and since it starts with a vowel, "il" contracts to "l'", giving "l'ombrello." The example, "Prendi l'ombrello, sta per piovere," uses the informal "tu" imperative "prendi" (take), the same direct, casual command form as "metti" in the jacket example, typical of how Italians give quick practical advice to someone close to them.
"Sta per piovere" is the Italian near-future construction, "stare per" plus infinitive, meaning "about to," a much more natural way to express imminent action than the simple future tense "pioverà" would be here; it emphasizes that rain is moments away, not just likely at some point.
Where English speakers slip
Because "ombrello" so closely resembles English "umbrella," the most common mistake is importing the English vowel and stress pattern wholesale, softening the stressed e toward a schwa-ish "uh" the way the middle of "umbrella" sounds in English. The Italian e stays a fully open, clear "eh," with none of the vowel reduction English applies to unstressed syllables.
The other slip is skimming past the doubled l, saying "om-BREH-lo" with a single, quick l. That doubled consonant is a genuine, held sound in Italian, worth a beat longer than English speakers instinctively give it.