Language/Italian/Grammar/Nouns-and-Articles

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Italian Grammar - Nouns and Articles

Italian nouns and articles are an essential part of the language. In this lesson, you will learn how to use nouns and articles, both definite and indefinite, in Italian.

Italian Nouns

In Italian, a noun is a word used to identify a person, place, thing, or idea. Italian nouns are either masculine or feminine, and their endings change according to their gender and number.

Masculine Nouns

Italian masculine nouns typically end in "-o" and become plural by replacing "-o" with "-i." For example:

Italian	Pronunciation	English
ragazzo	[raɡˈazzo]	boy
amico	[aˈmiːko]	friend (male)
velo	[ˈvɛːlo]	veil

To form the plural, simply change the ending "-o" to "-i":

Italian	Pronunciation	English
ragazzi	[raɡˈad͡zi]	boys
amici	[aˈmiːt͡ʃi]	friends (males)
veli	[ˈvɛːli]	veils

Note that some masculine nouns end in "-e" and become plural by replacing "-e" with "-i." Also, some masculine nouns that end in "-io" lose the final "o" when pluralized:

Italian	Pronunciation	English
cane	[ˈkaːne]	dog
bicchiere	[bikˈkjɛːre]	glass
libro	[ˈliːbro]	book

Italian	Pronunciation	English
cani	[ˈkaːni]	dogs
bicchieri	[bikˈkjɛːri]	glasses
libri	[ˈliːbri]	books

Feminine Nouns

Italian feminine nouns usually end in "-a" and become plural by replacing "-a" with "-e." For example:

Italian	Pronunciation	English
ragazza	[raɡˈaddza]	girl
città	[ˈtʃittɑ]	city
penna	[ˈpɛnna]	pen

To form the plural, simply change the ending "-a" to "-e":

Italian	Pronunciation	English
ragazze	[raɡˈaddze]	girls
città	[ˈtʃitte]	cities
penne	[ˈpenne]	pens

Note that some feminine nouns don’t end in "-a," such as "mano" (hand) or "radio" (radio), and other feminine nouns end in "-e" but still follow the rule of replacing "-a" with "-e" in the plural form.

Italian Articles

An Italian article is a word that precedes a noun to indicate the gender and the number of the noun. There are several types of Italian articles: definite, indefinite, and partitive.

Definite Articles

The definite article in Italian is used to identify a specific noun. In English, the definite article is "the." In Italian, there are masculine and feminine forms for the definite article:

Italian	Pronunciation	English
il ragazzo	[il raɡˈazzo]	the boy
l'amica	[laˈmiːka]	the friend (female)
la ragazza	[la raɡˈaddza]	the girl
i libri	[i ˈliːbri]	the books

Note that the articles change depending on the noun that they precede. For example, "il" becomes "lo" before masculine nouns that start with "s" followed by a consonant, "z," or "ps."

Italian	Pronunciation	English
lo zio	[lo ˈtʃo]	the uncle
lo psicologo	[lo psiˈkololo]	the psychologist
l'amico	[laˈmiːko]	the friend (male)

The feminine form for the definite article is "la," and it doesn't change.

Indefinite Articles

The indefinite article in Italian is used to refer to a non-specific noun. In English, the indefinite article is "a" or "an." In Italian, there are masculine and feminine forms for the indefinite article:

Italian	Pronunciation	English
un ragazzo	[un raɡˈazzo]	a boy
un'amica	[uˈnammiːka]	a friend (female)
una ragazza	[uˈna raɡˈaddza]	a girl
dei libri	[dei ˈliːbri]	some books

Note that the masculine form changes according to the first letter of the following word. For example, "un" becomes "uno" before masculine words that start with "s" followed by a consonant, "z," "gn," or "ps."

Italian	Pronunciation	English
uno scrittore	[ˈuno skritˈtoːre]	a writer
uno zio	[ˈuno ˈtʃo]	an uncle
uno gnocco	[ˈuno ˈnɔkko]	a dumpling
un psicologo	[un psiˈkoːloɡo]	a psychologist

The feminine form for the indefinite article is "una," and it doesn't change.

Partitive Articles

The partitive article in Italian is used to express an indefinite quantity of something. In English, we usually use "some" or "any." In Italian, the partitive articles are:

Italian	Pronunciation	English
del ragazzo	[del raɡˈazzo]	(some) of the boy
dell'amica	[dellaˈmiːka]	(some) of the friend (female)
della ragazza	[della raɡˈaddza]	(some) of the girl
dei libri	[dei ˈliːbri]	(some) of the books

Note that the partitive articles are combined with the definite articles, and they change according to the noun.

Exercises

Write 5 masculine Italian nouns and their plurals
Write 5 feminine Italian nouns and their plurals
Write 3 sentences using definite articles
Write 3 sentences using indefinite articles

Sources

Table of Contents - Italian Course - 0 to A1

Course Presentation

Introduction to Italian Language

Daily Life Expressions

Italian Culture and Tradition

Past and Future Tenses

Social and Work Life

Italian Literature and Cinema

Subjunctive and Imperative Moods

Science and Technology

Italian Politics and Society

Compound Tenses

Arts and Design

Italian Language and Dialects

Related Lessons

Videos

Italian Nouns and Articles - YouTube

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