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La donna ha un figlio e una figlia.

La donna ha un figlio e una figlia.
The woman has a son and a daughter.
From Lesson 17:The verb to have (ho, hai, ha...)·Italian

Questions & Answers about La donna ha un figlio e una figlia.

Why is there an "h" in ha and do I pronounce it?
The h in ha (she has) is completely silent! It is there in writing to show this is the verb avere (to have) and not the word a (to/at). Since la donna (the woman) is a "she", we use ha from the present tense of avere. You pronounce it exactly like "ah".
How do I pronounce the gli part of figlio and figlia?
The gli sound is one of the trickiest in Italian because the "g" is silent! It sounds somewhat like the "lli" in the English word "million". To make the sound, press the middle of your tongue against the roof of your mouth. Do not pronounce it like "fig-lee-o".
Why does the sentence use un before figlio but una before figlia?
In Italian, the word for "a" or "an" changes depending on whether the noun is masculine or feminine. Figlio (son) is masculine, so we use un. Figlia (daughter) is feminine, so we use una.
Does the word e just mean "and"?
Yes, e means "and". It is important to remember not to confuse it with è (which has a grave accent mark). Without the accent, e means "and"; with the accent, è means "is".

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