The Difference Between E And È In Italian

Tutorial Transcript

Hi everyone and welcome back to my channel! In today's video we will speak about the difference between the accented "e" and the unaccented "e". These two "e"s are very different, because they stem from different grammatical functions. So you need to pay attention to choose the right one. The non accented "e" is a conjunction. So we use it in phrases of the type: You see, the "e" is a conjunction. If, however, we add the accent, it becomes a verb. It becomes the third person singular of the verb "essere"'. So, you see? The grammatical function is completely different. I strongly recommend putting an accent on the "e", not an apostrophe! Because this is a very common error even among Italians themselves. I see the apostrophe very often in place of the accent when the verb "essere" is used, and this is an error! Because the apostrophe does not mark intonation, rather it marks the fact that there was an apocope, that is a truncation of the word. Like for example in "un po", which is the truncation of "un poco". Then, an apostrophe suits us there. But, in the case of the accented "e", so of the verb essere "è", there it is absolutely the grave accent. Are you able to hear the difference in the pronunciation? Hear? There is a big difference in pronunciation. I hope that this video has been useful for you. If you have questions or curiosity, you can leave a comment here below. Don't forget to subscribe to my channel, if you want to be advised of new lessions that are published. And we'll see you in the next video! Bye!