How To Use The Italian Definite Article Posted by Geoff on Jan 15, 2018 in Grammar
Whereas English has only one definite article (the), in Italian we have six! As a new learner, this can be difficult to get to grips with, and can continue to be a problem even for more advanced learners.
Let’s begin by breaking down the articolo determinativo (definite article) into its two main categories: masculine and feminine:
masculine
il = the singular
i = the plural
lo = the singular
gli = the plural
feminine
la = the singular
le = the plural
Now let’s look at the rules governing which specific article we use:
for masculine nouns beginning with a consonant, apart from x, z, gn, ps, and s followed by another consonant, we use il (singular) and i (plural).
examples:
il cane = the dog, i cani = the dogs
il coltello = the knife, i coltelli = the knives
il fagiolo = the bean, i fagioli = the beans
il fucile = the rifle, i fucili = the rifles
il cucchiaio = the spoon, i cucchiai = the spoons
Geoff e Serena con i fucili!
for masculine nouns beginning with x, z, gn, ps and s followed by another consonant we use lo (singular) and gli (plural).
examples:
lo xenofobo = the xenophobe, gli xenofobi = the xenophobes
lo zoo = the zoo, gli zoo = the zoos
lo gnomo = the gnome, gli gnomi = the gnomes
lo psicologo = the psychologist, gli psicologi = the psychologists
lo scarpone = the boot, gli scarponi = the boots
lo sci = the ski, gli sci = the skis
lo specchio = the mirror, gli specchi = the mirrors
for masculine nouns beginning with a vowel lo becomes l’ (singular) and gli (plural) remains the same.
examples:
l’uomo = the man, gli uomini = the men
l’albero = the tree, gli alberi = the trees
l’orologio = the watch, gli orologi = the watches
l’ombrello = the umbrella, gli ombrelli = the umbrellas
l’italiano = the Italian, gli italiani = the Italians
For feminine nouns, you’ll be relieved to hear, things are much simpler.
For feminine nouns beginning with a consonant we use la (singular) and le (plural).
examples:
la casa = the house, le case = the houses
la ragazza = the girl, le ragazze = the girls
la farfalla = the butterfly, le farfalle = the butterflies
la macchina = the car, le macchine = the cars
la spalla = the shoulder, le spalle = the shoulders
for feminine nouns beginning with a vowel la becomes l’ (singular) and le (plural) remains the same
examples:
l’arancia = the orange, le arance = the oranges
l’attrice = the actress, le attrici = the actresses
l’idea = the idea, le idee = the ideas
l’amica = the female friend, le amiche = the female friends
l’estate = the summer, le estati = the summers
If you have any questions feel free to leave a comment.
Alla prossima!
Build vocabulary, practice pronunciation, and more with Transparent Language Online. Available anytime, anywhere, on any device.
Comments:
cat:
Che bella foto! Cosa cacciate?
Geoff:
@cat Abbiamo un gruppo softair (in inglese airsoft), e giochiamo tutti i fine settimana. Ecco la nostra nuova pagina facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Gruppo-Softair-Alpha-Tactical-128682267932645/?pnref=lhc
A presto, Geoff 🙂
Vincent Konzal:
Molto grazie!
Geoff:
@Vincent Konzal Non c’è di che Vincent.
A presto, Geoff 🙂
Richard:
Grazie ma ce ne sono sette articoli determinativi:
il, i, la, le, lo, gli, l’. Perche’ voi dite ‘sei’??
Geoff:
@Richard Salve Richard,
Come ho scritto nell’articolo, ci sono sei articoli determinativi. La l’ è un abbreviazione di lo o la che si usa davanti a una vocale.
E.g.:
l’albero (non lo albero)
l’orologio (non lo orologio)
l’arancia (non la arancia)
l’amica (non la amica)
Tutto chiaro?
A presto, Geoff
P.S. I’ve updated my article to clarify this point.
Bonnie Melielo:
Per favore – do a lesson on using the articles with prepositions! Also, sentences showing the use of articles. I was taught you must always use an article but I do not think that is correct. Grazie!!
Geoff:
@Bonnie Melielo Ciao Bonnie, don’t worry, you haven’t heard the last of the article! Stay tuned for more article articles. 😉
Alla prossima, Geoff
Steve:
@Geoff Doesn’t the masculine article change based on the word that follows the article? For example:
lo specchio
becomes
il terzo specchio
Right?
Geoff:
@Steve Giusto!
Alla prossima, Geoff 🙂
Jimbo:
Hello. I’ve been trying to learn Italian for 2 weeks now, and the thing that confuses me is the masculine and feminine forms of nouns which are inanimate objects. I don’t quite get it. Sure, I understand that nouns (which refer to people) should follow the right masculine and feminine forms, but I’m confused with nouns (which refer to inanimate objects) that follow this same rule. Is this normal in Italian grammar?
For example:
la casa – le case
Why is “la casa” a feminine noun? I’m really confused. Can someone help me, please?
Geoff:
@Jimbo Salve Jimbo, e benvenuto nel nostro blog!
I’m afraid that there’s no magic formula to tell you whether an inanimate object is masculine or feminine. You will have to learn them by heart. This seems tedious at first, especially if your mother tongue is neutral (such as English). Try to make a habit of always associating the article with any noun that you learn and you’ll find that it will gradually get much easier.
Now, as you’re a new learner, perhaps you can help me out by giving me an idea of the main difficulties that you’re having with the Italian language. The majority of our blogs are aimed at more advanced learners, but I intend to start writing more articles suited to beginners, or advanced learners who need to revise the basics.
A presto, Geoff.
P.S. I corrected your comment for you 🙂
Marie-Louise Gerla:
l always enjoy your very useful articles! Both to revise what I have learned before as to learn new things. Right now I could do with some exercises on the more difficult uses of the verb forms, especially on what in English is called modality , like could, would, should, might
.
Kind regards,
Marie Louise
Geoff:
@Marie-Louise Gerla Thanks for the suggestion Marie-Louise, we’ll add it to our ‘to do’ list!
A presto, Geoff 🙂
Geoff:
@Marie-Louise Gerla Ciao Marie-Louise, here’s a blog about modal verbs that we published last year: https://blogs.transparent.com/italian/understanding-italian-modal-verbs/
Hope you find it useful!
🙂
Tony:
Whilst the definite article is used before countries, viz; La Spagna, if one says ‘in Spain’ is the article still use ,i.e ‘in la Spagna’?
tony:
@Tony Thank you so much for your prompt reply, it was my belief, too. but I came across its use without the article, hence my question.
It does beg another question, though, Is it optional when using a preposition?
Thanks again.