One sentence, several messages
Domani vado a Roma has four words. Depending on which one you highlight, you say something different: that you go tomorrow and not today, or that you go to Rome and not to Milan.
This highlighting is the accento di frase, the sentence accent. Unlike word stress it is not fixed: it moves and carries the new information. You hear it mainly as a higher pitch and a slightly longer syllable; after it the voice falls again. English works the same way, so this part will feel familiar.
Two accents, two statements
DOMANI vado a Roma.
I'm going to Rome TOMORROW (not today).
Answer to Quando vai a Roma?
Domani vado a ROMA.
Tomorrow I'm going to ROME (not to Milan).
Answer to Dove vai domani?
Without highlighting, the accent sits at the end
When nothing is singled out, the sentence accent falls on the last content word: the last noun, verb, adjective or adverb of the sentence.
Stasera mangiamo la PIZZA.
Tonight we're eating pizza.
Ho perso il TRENO.
I missed the train.
Il film era molto LUNGO.
The film was very long.
When you correct something
As soon as you contradict or rule out an alternative, the accent jumps to the word in question: accento contrastivo. Whatever follows goes flat and quiet; without that drop the contrast is not heard. Keep every vowel full while you do it: Italian does not shrink the unstressed part to a schwa the way English does, so do-ma-ni stays three clean syllables.
Ho detto MARTEDÌ, non lunedì.
I said TUESDAY, not Monday.
Ti chiamo DOMANI, non oggi.
I'll call you TOMORROW, not today.
Chiamo TE, non lui.
I'm calling YOU, not him.
The question shows where the accent belongs
Every answer answers a question, and the accent lies on the word that answers exactly that question.
Question and answer
| Question | Answer | New information |
|---|---|---|
| Chi va a Roma? | Ci va MARCO. | the person |
| Dove va Marco? | Va a ROMA. | the place |
| Quando va a Roma? | Ci va DOMANI. | the time |
| Come ci va? | Ci va in TRENO. | the means of transport |
The stressed word is the new information each time.
New information likes the end of the sentence
In English the voice often does the job alone: GIULIA paid. For what English does with a cleft (it was Giulia who paid) or with emphatic do (I DID say that), Italian prefers to put the new element at the end, where the accent lies anyway. A highlighted subject therefore tends to stand after the verb. An object that is already known can move to the front and is picked up again by a pronoun.
Ha pagato GIULIA.
GIULIA paid.
Ha telefonato MARCO.
MARCO called.
Il caffè lo prendo IO.
I'LL have the coffee.
