Why articles come first
Every Italian noun is masculine or feminine, and the article changes to match. Get this system down early and half of beginner Italian falls into place.
English has one word for 'the'. Italian has seven forms, because the article agrees with the noun's gender, its number, and even the sound the noun starts with. That sounds like a lot, until you see that the choice follows three small questions: masculine or feminine, singular or plural, and what letter comes next.
The good news is that noun endings do most of the work for you. Learn the ending patterns in this unit and you will guess the gender of a new noun correctly most of the time.
Endings that predict gender
- Nouns ending in -o are usually masculine: il libro (the book), il tavolo (the table).
- Nouns ending in -a are usually feminine: la casa (the house), la scuola (the school).
- Nouns ending in -e can be either; learn the article with the word: il nome (the name), la notte (the night).
- Nouns ending in -ione are almost always feminine: la stazione (the station), la lezione (the lesson).
- Nouns ending in -ore are masculine: il fiore (the flower), l'attore (the actor).
- A group of Greek-origin nouns in -ma is masculine: il problema, il sistema, il programma.
| Ho un problema con la macchina. | I have a problem with the car. problema ends in -a yet is masculine: un problema, il problema. |
| Mi fa male la mano. | My hand hurts. mano ends in -o yet is feminine: la mano, plural le mani. |
When you learn a new noun, memorise it with its article: la notte, il nome. The article stores the gender for you, free of charge.
The definite article: the full set
Masculine nouns take il, lo, or l' in the singular and i or gli in the plural. Feminine nouns take la or l' in the singular and le in the plural.
Lo exists for sound reasons: Italian avoids the pile-up of il plus a cluster like st- or z-. The same logic gives you uno for the indefinite article. Wherever a noun takes lo, it takes uno, and its plural article is gli.
Le never elides. Even before a vowel, feminine plural stays le: le amiche, le ore.
| Noun type | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine, most consonants | il libro | i libri |
| Masculine before s + consonant, z, gn, ps, y | lo studente, lo zaino | gli studenti, gli zaini |
| Masculine before a vowel | l'amico | gli amici |
| Feminine before a consonant | la casa | le case |
| Feminine before a vowel | l'amica | le amiche |
| Lo studente arriva domani. | The student arrives tomorrow. lo before st-. |
| Gli zaini sono pesanti. | The backpacks are heavy. gli is the plural of lo. |
| Le case sono vecchie. | The houses are old. |
The indefinite article: un, uno, una, un'
Masculine nouns take un before most sounds and uno before the lo-group sounds: uno studente, uno zaino. Feminine nouns take una, which becomes un' before a vowel: un'amica.
The apostrophe rule trips up almost everyone: un amico has no apostrophe because un is the normal masculine form, while un'amica has one because una lost its final a. The apostrophe always signals a feminine noun.
| Ho un amico a Roma e un'amica a Milano. | I have a male friend in Rome and a female friend in Milan. un + masculine vowel, un' + feminine vowel. |
| C'猫 uno zio e una zia alla festa. | There is an uncle and an aunt at the party. uno before z-. |
Plurals in one move
Regular plurals follow three lines: -o becomes -i (libro, libri), -a becomes -e (casa, case), and -e becomes -i for both genders (nome, nomi; notte, notti).
Nouns ending in an accented vowel do not change: la citt脿, le citt脿; il caff猫, i caff猫. The article does the plural work on its own.
| Visito due citt脿 ogni anno. | I visit two cities every year. citt脿 is invariable in the plural. |
Traps to watch
- il problema, i problemi: masculine despite the -a, so plural in -i.
- la mano, le mani: feminine despite the -o.
- la foto and la radio are feminine because they are shortened forms of fotografia and radiofonia.
- gli amici, never 'i amici': masculine plural before a vowel is always gli.
If you are unsure between il and lo, look only at the first sounds of the noun: s + consonant, z, gn, ps, and y take lo. Everything else with a consonant takes il.
Pronunciation corner
Italian articles are short, so their sounds carry a lot of weight. These five patterns cover the ones English speakers miss.
| il libro | /il 藞libro/ | eel LEE-broh |
| lo studente | /lo stu藞d蓻nte/ | loh stoo-DEN-teh Open e in the stressed syllable. |
| gli amici | /蕩i a藞mit蕛i/ | lyee ah-MEE-chee gli is the 'lli' of 'million', a single gliding sound. |
| la ragazza | /la ra藞伞attsa/ | lah rah-GAHT-tsah Double zz is a held ts sound. |
| l'acqua | /藞lakkwa/ | LAHK-kwah cq is a long k; hold it slightly. |
Practice drill
Fill in the article indicated in brackets. Write your answer before checking.
___ ragazzo (the)Show answer
il
___ studente (the)Show answer
los + consonant takes lo.
___ amici (the, plural)Show answer
gli
___ zaino (a)Show answer
unoz- takes uno.
___ amica (a)Show answer
un'Feminine before a vowel; the apostrophe is required.
___ citt脿 (the)Show answer
la
___ problemi (the, plural)Show answer
iproblema is masculine: i problemi.
___ stazione (the)Show answer
la-ione nouns are feminine.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if an Italian noun is masculine or feminine?
Check the ending first: -o is usually masculine, -a usually feminine, -ione feminine, -ore masculine. Nouns in -e must be learned with their article. A short list of exceptions like il problema and la mano covers most surprises.
When do I use lo instead of il?
Use lo before s + consonant (lo studente), z (lo zaino), gn, ps, and y. Its plural is gli and its indefinite partner is uno. Every other masculine consonant start takes il.
What is the difference between un and un' in Italian?
Un is the normal masculine indefinite article and never takes an apostrophe, even before a vowel: un amico. Un' is the elided form of feminine una and only appears before feminine nouns starting with a vowel: un'amica.
Why is gli used with amici?
Masculine plural nouns beginning with a vowel take gli, the plural of l'. So l'amico becomes gli amici. Gli also serves as the plural of lo: lo zaino, gli zaini.