[Italian] Learning Italian if you already speak Spanish

[Villa]

Originally Posted by poli

I notice, that in Italian, often the accented syllable is the one third to the last. Is there a rule about this? Should I assume that in most multi-syllabic Italian words that the third-to-the-last syllable is the one that gets the accent?

No, poli. Lo stress in parole italiane di solito cade sul secondo-a-ultimo sillaba. Lo stesso che con le parole spagnole.

The stress in Italian words usually falls on the second-to-last syllable. The same as with Spanish words.

Esempio/Eemplos: casa CA-sa forma FOR-ma, evento e-VEN-to, persona per-SON-na artista ar-TIS-ta, monumento mon-nu-MEN-to, guida GUI-da, domani do-MA-ni, pro-BLE-ma, Marco MAR-co, bambino bam-BI-no etc. etc.

Take a look at an Italian book, magazine or anything written in Italian and you will se that most Italian words like Spanish words have the spoken accent on the second-to-last syllable.
So you can see amico that most Italian words follow the same stress pattern as Spanish.

Now check this out. Are these Italian or Spanish words:
telefono, numero, rapido, America, epoca, palido, parrafo, animo, catalogo,
matematico, lampara, dentifrico, decimo, idolo, fabrica...

These esdrújulas words or words with the stress on the third to the last syllable in Italian do not take a written accent but are spoken with the same stressed syllable as in Spanish. ¡Imagínese!

número, teléfono, rápido, América, época, pálido, párrafo, catálogo, ánimo,
matemático lámpara, dentífrico, décimo, ídolo, fábrica ...

With written Spanish words that have the stress on the third to the last syllable you get
a written accent. (teléfono) Same word as in Italian but it is not written with an accent.
Seems Spanish is better in that sense.

As for Italian words with the stress on the fourth to the last syllable it is about the
same number in Spanish.

dígamelo, enséñamelo, llévatelo, cuénteselo, muéstremela, devuélvamelo, mándenselas...