{"id":15480,"date":"2018-01-15T17:29:34","date_gmt":"2018-01-15T16:29:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/italian\/?p=15480"},"modified":"2018-01-16T19:07:37","modified_gmt":"2018-01-16T18:07:37","slug":"how-to-use-the-italian-definite-article","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/italian\/how-to-use-the-italian-definite-article\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Use The Italian Definite Article"},"content":{"rendered":"

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.<\/span><\/p>\n

Let’s begin by breaking down the articolo determinativo<\/strong> (definite article) into its two main categories: masculine and feminine:<\/p>\n

masculine
\nil<\/strong> = the singular<\/em>
\ni<\/strong> = the plural<\/em>
\nlo<\/strong> = the singular<\/em>
\ngli<\/strong> = the plural<\/em><\/p>\n

feminine
\nla<\/strong> = the singular<\/em>
\nle<\/strong> = the plural<\/em><\/p>\n

Now let’s look at the rules governing which specific article we use:<\/p>\n

for masculine nouns beginning with a consonant, apart from x<\/strong>, z<\/strong>,\u00a0 gn<\/strong>, ps<\/strong>, and s<\/strong> followed by another consonant, we use il<\/strong> (singular) and i<\/strong> (plural).<\/span>
\nexamples:<\/em>
\nil cane<\/strong> = the dog, i cani<\/strong> = the dogs
\nil coltello<\/strong> = the knife, i coltelli<\/strong> = the knives
\nil fagiolo<\/strong> = the bean, i fagioli<\/strong> = the beans
\nil fucile<\/strong> = the rifle, i fucili<\/strong> = the rifles
\nil cucchiaio<\/strong> = the spoon, i cucchiai<\/strong> = the spoons<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Geoff e Serena con i fucili!<\/em><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

for masculine nouns beginning with x<\/strong>, z<\/strong>,\u00a0 gn<\/strong>, ps<\/strong> and s<\/strong> followed by another consonant we use\u00a0lo<\/strong> (singular) and gli<\/strong> (plural).<\/span>
\nexamples:<\/em>
\nlo xenofobo<\/strong> = the xenophobe, gli xenofobi<\/strong> = the xenophobes
\nlo zoo<\/strong> = the zoo, gli zoo<\/strong> = the zoos
\nlo gnomo<\/strong> = the gnome, gli gnomi<\/strong> = the gnomes
\nlo psicologo<\/strong> = the psychologist, gli psicologi<\/strong> = the psychologists
\nlo scarpone\u00a0<\/strong>= the boot, gli scarponi<\/strong> = the boots
\nlo sci<\/strong> = the ski, gli sci<\/strong> = the skis
\nlo specchio<\/strong> = the mirror, gli specchi<\/strong> = the mirrors<\/p>\n

for masculine nouns beginning with a vowel lo<\/strong> becomes l’<\/strong> (singular) and gli<\/strong> (plural) remains the same.<\/span>
\nexamples:<\/em>
\nl’uomo<\/strong> = the man, gli uomini<\/strong> = the men
\nl’albero<\/strong> = the tree, gli alberi<\/strong> = the trees
\nl’orologio<\/strong> = the watch, gli orologi<\/strong> = the watches
\nl’ombrello<\/strong> = the umbrella, gli ombrelli<\/strong> = the umbrellas
\nl’italiano<\/strong> = the Italian, gli italiani<\/strong> = the Italians<\/p>\n

For feminine nouns, you’ll be relieved to hear, things are much simpler.<\/p>\n

For feminine nouns beginning with a consonant we use la<\/strong> (singular) and le<\/strong> (plural).<\/span>
\nexamples:<\/em>
\nla casa<\/strong> = the house, le case<\/strong> = the houses
\nla ragazza<\/strong> = the girl, le ragazze<\/strong> = the girls
\nla farfalla<\/strong> = the butterfly, le farfalle<\/strong> = the butterflies
\nla macchina<\/strong> = the car, le macchine<\/strong> = the cars
\nla spalla<\/strong> = the shoulder, le spalle<\/strong> = the shoulders<\/p>\n

for feminine nouns beginning with a vowel la<\/strong> becomes l’<\/strong> (singular) and le<\/strong> (plural) remains the same<\/span>
\nexamples:<\/em>
\nl’arancia<\/strong> = the orange, le arance<\/strong> = the oranges
\nl’attrice<\/strong> = the actress, le attrici<\/strong> = the actresses
\nl’idea<\/strong> = the idea, le idee <\/strong>= the ideas
\nl’amica<\/strong> = the female friend, le amiche<\/strong> = the female friends
\nl’estate<\/strong> = the summer, le estati<\/strong> = the summers<\/p>\n

If you have any questions feel free to leave a comment.<\/p>\n

Alla prossima!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

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…<\/p>\n

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