📖 Italian Articles & Noun Gender
Italian articles (il, lo, la, i, gli, le): definite and indefinite forms. Free Italian grammar guide for learners: clear rules, examples, and patterns.
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Two Genders
Every Italian noun is either masculine or feminine — there is no neuter gender. The ending of a noun usually tells you its gender: • Most nouns ending in -o are masculine: il libro (the book), il ragazzo (the boy). • Most nouns ending in -a are feminine: la casa (the house), la ragazza (the girl). • Nouns ending in -e can be either gender and must be memorized: il padre (father, masculine), la madre (mother, feminine). The article and any adjective must always agree in gender and number with the noun. Getting the gender right is fundamental to speaking Italian correctly.
Definite Articles
Italian definite articles ("the") are more complex than in Spanish or French because they change form depending on what letter the following word starts with. The masculine singular has three forms, and the feminine singular has two.
| Before most consonants | Before s+consonant, z, gn, ps, x | Before a vowel | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Masculine singular | il (il libro) | lo (lo studente, lo zaino) | l' (l'amico) |
| Feminine singular | la (la casa) | la (la scuola) | l' (l'amica) |
| Masculine plural | i (i libri) | gli (gli studenti, gli zaini) | gli (gli amici) |
| Feminine plural | le (le case) | le (le scuole) | le (le amiche) |
Indefinite Articles
The indefinite articles ("a" / "an") follow similar rules to the definite articles. There are no plural indefinite articles in Italian — for "some," you use the partitive (di + article) or alcuno/qualche.
| Form | Used Before | Example |
|---|---|---|
| un | Masculine before most consonants and vowels | un libro, un amico |
| uno | Masculine before s+consonant, z, gn, ps, x | uno studente, uno zaino |
| una | Feminine before consonants | una casa, una scuola |
| un' | Feminine before vowels | un'amica, un'isola |
Plural Formation
Italian forms plurals by changing the final vowel, not by adding -s like English, Spanish, or French. The pattern depends on the singular ending and, for some words, the gender.
| Singular Ending | Plural Ending | Example |
|---|---|---|
| -o (masculine) | -i | libro → libri, ragazzo → ragazzi |
| -a (feminine) | -e | casa → case, ragazza → ragazze |
| -e (either gender) | -i | padre → padri, madre → madri |
| -ca (feminine) | -che | amica → amiche, banca → banche |
| -co (masculine) | -chi (usually) | parco → parchi, banco → banchi |
| -co (masculine) | -ci (some words) | amico → amici, medico → medici |
| -go (masculine) | -ghi | lago → laghi, fungo → funghi |
| -ga (feminine) | -ghe | collega → colleghe |
Gender Patterns
While you should always learn the article with each noun, these suffixes are reliable gender indicators and will help you make educated guesses with unfamiliar words.
| Ending / Pattern | Gender | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| -zione | Always feminine | la stazione, la nazione, la lezione |
| -tà | Always feminine | la città, la università, la libertà |
| -tù | Always feminine | la gioventù, la virtù |
| -ione | Usually feminine | la regione, la televisione |
| -ore | Usually masculine | il colore, il fiore, il dottore |
| -ame | Usually masculine | il nome, il esame |
| -iere | Usually masculine | il cameriere, il barbiere |
| -ema (Greek origin) | Masculine | il problema, il sistema, il tema |
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