Irregular Italian nouns: continued Posted by Bridgette on Dec 20, 2019 in Grammar, Italian Language
Ciao a tutti!
Last week we saw some nouns that seemingly change genders from singular to plural. Today, we are going to see some more irregular Italian nouns; specifically, nouns with two plurals and different meanings. But before that, vorrei augurare un buon natale a tutti! Arriva Babbo Natale tra 5 giorni!
E adesso per i nomi bislacchi… and now for the quirky nouns!
Nouns that have two plurals with different meanings:
| Il braccio | I bracci (arms of a couch) | Le braccia (arms on a person) |
| Il ciglio | I cigli (edges) | Le ciglia (eyelashes) |
| Il corno | I corni (horns- instruments) | Le corna (horns of animals) |
| Il filo | I fili (threads of clothes) | Le fila (threads of a plot) |
| Il gesto | I gesti (gestures) | Le gesta (deeds) |
| Il membro | I membri (members of a family) | Le membra (members on the body) |
| Il frutto | I frutti (fruits on a singular tree, fruits of an activity) | La frutta/Le frutta (collective fruits) |
| Il ditto | I diti (fingers considered individually – such as “i diti indici”) | Le dita (fingers, considered collectively “le dita di una mano”) |
| Il fondamento | I fondamenti (basic principles) | Le fondamenta (foundations of buildings) |
| Il labbro | I labbri (lips of a wound, cup..) | Le labbra (lips of a mouth) |
| Il muro | I muri (walls of a building) | Le mura (walls of a city) |
| L’osso | Gli ossi (bones of an animal) | Le ossa (bones of a person) |
| Il grido | I gridi (cries of animals) | Le grida (cries of people) |
Tocca a voi! Have you ever seen any other nouns with dual meanings in the plural?
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About the Author: Bridgette
Just your average Irish-American Italo-Francophone. Client Engagement for Transparent Language.
Comments:
marga:
How about the noun ginocchio?
Bridgette:
@marga Hi Marga,
Ginocchio can be feminine or masculine plural, you’re right, however there is no different meaning between the two forms, so I didn’t include it on my list. Same with orecchio, sopracciglio… I believe there are regional differences as to when one is favored over the other.
Joan Engelhaupt:
Hi, Bridgette! My comment actually goes back a couple of weeks to the lesson where you included the partisan song, “Ciao, Bella, Ciao, Ciao, Ciao”. In the past week I was so excited to hear it twice: on the radio I heard the Sardine Movement people singing it, and then last night I watched the movie, “The Two Popes”, in which it forms part of the musical soundtrack. I felt like I was in on some kind of Italian secret because you’d taught it to us!
Bridgette:
@Joan Engelhaupt Joan, your comment made me smile, thank you! I’m so glad that I can teach you and everyone else a little something that makes you feel like it’s an “Italian secret!”
Nek:
Does somebody know why the “Ciao Bella” is used as one of the soundtrack in “The two Popes” ?