Plurals of Nouns by Ronald Glenn Wrigley
In Italian, a noun is made plural by changing the final vowel of the noun.
Singular Nouns that End in -o
As a general rule, a singular noun ending in -o changes to -i in the plural.
Table 3-7
Singular |
Plural |
libro |
libri |
amico |
amici |
aeroporto |
aeroporti |
fratello |
fratelli |
teatro |
teatri |
Singular Nouns That End in -a</h2>
<p>A singular noun ending in <B>-a</B> changes to <B>-e</B> in the plural.</p>
<p><B>Table 3-8</B></p>
<table width="100%" frame="all">
<h2>
<tgroup cols="2">
<colspec colname="col1" colnum="1"/>
<colspec colname="col2" colnum="2"/>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><p><B>Singular</B></p></td>
<td><p><B>Plural</B></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p><B>sorella</B></p></td>
<td><p><B>sorelle</B></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p><B>pizza</B></p></td>
<td><p><B>pizze</B></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p><B>casa</B></p></td>
<td><p><B>case</B></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p><B>ragazza</B></p></td>
<td><p><B>ragazze</B></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p><B>macchina</B></p></td>
<td><p><B>macchine</B></p></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</tgroup>
</table>
<title>Singular Nouns That End in -e</h2>
<p>Singular nouns ending in <B>-e</B>, whether masculine or feminine, change to <B>-i</B> in the plural.</p>
<p><B>Table 3-9</B></p>
<table width="100%" frame="all">
<h2>
<tgroup cols="2">
<colspec colname="col1" colnum="1"/>
<colspec colname="col2" colnum="2"/>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><p><B>Singular</B></p></td>
<td><p><B>Plural</B></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p><B>dottore</B></p></td>
<td><p><B>dottori</B></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p><B>stazione</B></p></td>
<td><p><B>stazioni</B></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p><B>fiore</B></p></td>
<td><p><B>fiori</B></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p><B>televisione</B></p></td>
<td><p><B>televisioni</B></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p><B>autore</B></p></td>
<td><p><B>autori</B></p></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</tgroup>
</table>
<title>Nouns With Irregular Endings</h2>
<p>Though the general rule of forming plurals is easy to follow, there are a few important exceptions to bear in mind. Many of these exceptions affect commonly used nouns. First, a singular noun ending in <B>-io</B> changes to <B>-i</B> in the plural.</p>
<p><B>Table 3-10</B></p>
<table width="100%" frame="all">
<h2>
<tgroup cols="2">
<colspec colname="col1" colnum="1"/>
<colspec colname="col2" colnum="2"/>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><p><B>Singular</B></p></td>
<td><p><B>Plural</B></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p><B>calendario</B></p></td>
<td><p><B>calendari</B></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p><B>stadio</B></p></td>
<td><p><B>stadi</B></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p><B>diario</B></p></td>
<td><p><B>diari</B></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p><B>figlio</B></p></td>
<td><p><B>figli</B></p></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</tgroup>
</table>
<p>However, if the <B>i</B> of the <B>io</B> pair is stressed, as in the word <B>zio</B>, the plural is made by changing the <B>o</B> to an <B>i</B>. <B>Zio</B> becomes z<B>ii</B>.</p>
<p>Singular nouns ending in <B>-co</B>, <B>-go</B>, <B>-ca</B>, and <B>-ga</B> add an <B>h</B> before the final vowel to preserve the hard sound of the <B>c</B> or <B>g</B>.</p>
<p><B>Table 3-11</B></p>
<table width="100%" frame="all">
<tgroup cols="2">
<colspec colname="col1" colnum="1"/>
<colspec colname="col2" colnum="2"/>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><p><B>Singular</B></p></td>
<td><p><B>Plural</B></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p><B>tedesco</B></p></td>
<td><p><B>tedeschi</B></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p><B>albergo</B></p></td>
<td><p><B>alberghi</B></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p><B>amica</B></p></td>
<td><p><B>amiche</B></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p><B>maga</B></p></td>
<td><p><B>maghe</B></p></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</tgroup>
</table>
<p>There are some exceptions to this rule. There are no rules for which nouns add an <B>h</B> and which simply change to an <B>i</B>, so you'll just have to memorize the exceptions.</p>
<p><B>Table 3-12</B></p>
<table width="100%" frame="all">
<tgroup cols="2">
<colspec colname="col1" colnum="1"/>
<colspec colname="col2" colnum="2"/>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><p><B>Singular</B></p></td>
<td><p><B>Plural</B></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p><B>amico</B></p></td>
<td><p><B>amici</B></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p><B>politico</B></p></td>
<td><p><B>politici</B></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p><B>medico</B></p></td>
<td><p><B>medici</B></p></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</tgroup>
</table>
<p>Singular nouns that end in an accented vowel are invariable, meaning they do not change from the singular to the plural.</p>
<p><B>Table 3-13</B></p>
<table width="100%" frame="all">
<tgroup cols="2">
<colspec colname="col1" colnum="1"/>
<colspec colname="col2" colnum="2"/>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><p><B>Singular</B></p></td>
<td><p><B>Plural</B></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p><B>città</B></p></td>
<td><p><B>città</B></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p><B>caffè</B></p></td>
<td><p><B>caffè</B></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p><B>tassù</B></p></td>
<td><p><B>tassù</B></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p><B>tribù</B></p></td>
<td><p><B>tribù</B></p></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</tgroup>
</table>
<p>Nouns that end in consonants are invariable and do not change from the singular to the plural.</p>
<p><B>Table 3-14</B></p>
<table width="100%" frame="all">
<tgroup cols="2">
<colspec colname="col1" colnum="1"/>
<colspec colname="col2" colnum="2"/>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><p><B>Table 3-14</B></p></td>
<td><p> </p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p><B>Singular</B></p></td>
<td><p><B>Plural</B></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p><B>sport</B></p></td>
<td><p><B>sport</B></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p><B>bar</B></p></td>
<td><p><B>bar</B></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p><B>yogurt</B></p></td>
<td><p><B>yogurt</B></p></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</tgroup>
</table>
<p>Nouns that are commonly used in their truncated form do not change from the singular to the plural.</p>
<p><B>Table 3-15</B></p>
<table width="100%" frame="all">
<tgroup cols="2">
<colspec colname="col1" colnum="1"/>
<colspec colname="col2" colnum="2"/>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><p><B>Singular</B></p></td>
<td><p><B>Plural</B></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p><B>cinema (short for cinematografo)</B></p></td>
<td><p><B>cinema</B></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p><B>auto (short for automobile)</B></p></td>
<td><p><B>auto</B></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p><B>moto (short for motocicletta)</B></p></td>
<td><p><B>moto</B></p></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</tgroup>
</table>
<title>Exercise 3-3</h2>
<p>Repeat the nouns after the narrator. Pay close attention to the final syllable sound. Is the noun masculine or feminine? Singular or plural? Circle the correct answers.</p>
<p></p>
<table width="100%" frame="all">
<tgroup cols="2">
<colspec colname="col1" colnum="1"/>
<colspec colname="col2" colnum="2"/>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><p>1. <B>amici</B></p></td>
<td><p>masculine or feminine?</p></td>
<td><p>singular or plural?</p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p>2. <B>stazioni</B></p></td>
<td><p>masculine or feminine?</p></td>
<td><p>singular or plural?</p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p>3. <B>maghe</B></p></td>
<td><p>masculine or feminine?</p></td>
<td><p>singular or plural?</p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p>4. <B>bar</B></p></td>
<td><p>masculine or feminine?</p></td>
<td><p>singular or plural?</p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p>5. <B>religione</B></p></td>
<td><p>masculine or feminine?</p></td>
<td><p>singular or plural?</p></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</tgroup>
</table>
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