Definite and Indefinite Articles
Nouns often are accompanied by a definite article (corresponds to “the” in English). There are seven definite articles in Italian: il, lo, l', la (singular); i, gli, le (plural).
There are four indefinite articles (corresponding to “a” or “an” in English) — un, uno, un', and una are all used before singular nouns. Which definite or indefinite article you choose depends on the number (singular or plural), the gender (masculine or feminine), and the first letter of the word in question.
ESSENTIAL
Italian articles are sometimes difficult to master, because they have to agree with the noun they modify and don't always correspond to articles in other languages. As a general rule, there is almost always an article in front of a noun in Italian, except when indicating a profession. In Italian, “I am a professor” is Sono professore.
Indefinite Articles
The indefinite articles un and uno are used for masculine nouns, and un' and una are used for feminine nouns. We must look at the first letter of the word in order to come up with the correct form of the indefinite article.
If the first letter of the noun is … |
Masculine |
Feminine |
… a consonant |
un ragazzo |
una casa |
oon rah-GAHTS-so |
oo-nah KAH-zah |
|
… a vowel |
un amico |
un'amica |
oon ah-MEE-koh |
oon-ah-MEE-kah |
|
… s + consonant |
uno stadio |
una studentessa |
oo-noh STAH-dee-yoh |
oo-nah stoo-dehn-TESS-ah |
|
… z |
uno zero |
una zebra |
oo-noh DSEH-roh |
oo-nah DSAY-brah |
Definite Articles
There are seven forms of the definite article in Italian — il, l', lo, i, gli (masculine), and la, l', le (feminine).
If the word is feminine, and the first letter of the word is … |
Singular |
Plural |
… a consonant |
la ragazza |
le ragazze |
lah rah-GAHTS-sah |
leh rah-GAHTS-seh |
|
… a vowel |
l'amica |
le amiche |
lah-MEE-kah |
leh ah-MEE-keh |
If the word is masculine, and the first letter of the word is … |
Singular |
Plural |
… a consonant |
il libro |
i libri |
eel LEE-broh |
ee LEE-bree |
|
… a vowel |
l'amico |
gli amici |
lah-MEE-koh |
lyee ah-MEE-chee |
|
… z |
lo zero |
gli zeri |
loh DSEH-roh |
lyee DSEH-ree |
|
… an s + a consonant |
lo studente |
gli studenti |
loh stoo-DEHN-teh |
lyee stoo-DEHN-tee |
