Nouns and Articles
The basis of Italian grammar: noun gender and the use of definite and indefinite articles.
Nouns (Sostantivi)
In Italian, all nouns have a gender: masculine or feminine.
- Usually, nouns ending in -o are masculine (e.g., tavolo, libro).
- Usually, nouns ending in -a are feminine (e.g., casa, penna).
- Nouns ending in -e can be masculine or feminine (e.g., fiore (m) - flower, notte (f) - night).
Articles (Articoli)
Definite Articles (The)
Masculine Singular:
- il (before consonant): il libro
- lo (before ‘s’ + consonant, ‘z’, ‘ps’, ‘gn’, ‘y’): lo studente, lo zaino
- l’ (before vowel): l’amico
Masculine Plural:
- i (plural of ‘il’): i libri
- gli (plural of ‘lo’ or ‘l”): gli studenti, gli amici
Feminine Singular:
- la (before consonant): la casa
- l’ (before vowel): l’isola
Feminine Plural:
- le (for all): le case, le isole
Indefinite Articles (A/An)
Masculine:
- un (consonant and vowel): un libro, un amico
- uno (‘s’ + consonant, ‘z’, etc.): uno studente
Feminine:
- una (consonant): una casa
- un’ (vowel): un’isola
Comparative Examples
| Italian | English | German |
|---|---|---|
| Il sole | The sun | Die Sonne |
| La luna | The moon | Der Mond |
| Un albero | A tree | Ein Baum |
| Lo specchio | The mirror | Der Spiegel |