GLI gli

This is one of the four consonants that have no direct counterparts in Eng. If you have some Spanish you are already familiar with this sound, spelt "ll" in that language. It is also similar to Portuguese "lh" and, partly, to French "l mouillé".

Otherwise, try to say "million, alliance" etc. merging the "lli" sounds into one consonant.

The cluster "gli" can form a syllable by itself as in "gli, figli, fogli, maglina"... ( the m. pl., sons/children, sheets, light jersey...) and in this case "i" is a full vowel.

In all the other cases "gli" is followed by a vowel and "i" is silent: "figlio, figlia, figlie, moglie, tagliare"... ( son, daughter, daughters, wife, cut v.) .