NOUNS IN ITALIAN
NOUNS:
-Nouns ending in o = masculine and singular
 ragazzo = boy
 libro = book
*Extra Exception – “ema” (masc.)
-il tema = the theme
-il problema = the problem
-Nouns ending in a = feminine and singular
 ragazza = girl
 casa = house
*Extra Exception – “zione” (fem.)
-la stazione = the station
-la posizione = the position
-Nouns ending in i = masculine and plural
 ragazzi = boys
 libri = books
-Nouns ending in e = feminine and plural
 ragazze = girls
 case = houses
*EXCEPTIONS*
-Some nouns are irregular and end in “e” and are singular, and when you
need to make them plural the “e” turns into an “i”
 studente = student
o studenti = students
-Some nouns end in consonants or in accented vowels, and when you make
them plural, don’t change the ending of the noun, just make the article plural
 la città = the city
o le città = the cities
 L’album = the album
o Gli album = the albums
*There are always irregulars, so you should always memorize the definite article
with its noun when learning new vocabulary because the definite article is the
truest way to identify the gender and number of a noun!
*When you put a feminine noun and a masculine noun together, the plural form is
always masculine and plural (it takes the masculine-plural form = i)
A: Practice: Write whether the following nouns are masculine (M) or feminine (F) and
singular (S) or plural (P):
Example: Zaino: M & S_________
1) Treno: __________________________________________
2) Professoressa: _____________________________________
3) Musica: __________________________________________
4) Amiche: __________________________________________
5) Macchina: _________________________________________
6) Cappello: _________________________________________
7) Scuola: ___________________________________________
8) Fogli: ____________________________________________
9) Stanze: ____________________________________________
10) Divani: _________________________________________
B: Practice: Now take the words given in “A” and make the singular nouns plural, and
make the plural nouns singular:
Example: Zaino: zaini_________
11) Treno: __________________________________________
12) Professoressa: _____________________________________
13) Musica: __________________________________________
14) Amiche: __________________________________________
15) Macchina: _________________________________________
16) Cappello: _________________________________________
17) Scuola: ___________________________________________
18) Fogli: ____________________________________________
19) Stanze: ____________________________________________
20) Divani: _________________________________________
DEFINITE ARTICLES IN ITALIAN
“The”: Il, La, L’, Lo, I, Le, Gli
Gender &
Number:
Masculine
Il = masculine & singular
Singular
nouns, beginning with a
consonant.
-il ragazzo
-il libro
L’ = masculine & singular
nouns, beginning with a
vowel.
-l’amico
-l’orologio
Lo = masculine & singular
nouns, beginning with a
“Z” / “S + a consonant” /
“Gn” / “Ps” / “X”
-lo zaino
-lo stadio
I = masculine & plural
Plural
nouns, beginning with a
consonant. (Plural form of
the article “Il”)
-i ragazzi
-i libri
Gli = masculine & plural
nouns, beginning with a
vowel, , beginning with
a “Z” / “S + aconsonant”/
“Gn” / “Ps” / “X”
.
(Plural form of the
articles “L’ & Lo”)
-Gli amici
-Gli orologi
-Gli zaini
-Gli stadi
Noun-Endings:
M (masculine)
F (feminine)
S (singular)
-o
-a
Feminine
La = feminine & singular
nouns, beginning with a
consonant.
-la sorella
-la matita
L’ = feminine & singular
nouns, beginning with a
vowel
-l’ora
-l’alunna
Le =
All feminine & plural
Nouns (no matter with
what they begin). Plural
from of the articles “La”
and “L’-Feminine.
-le sorelle
-le matite
-le ore
-le alunne
P (plural)
-i
-e
C: Practice: Write the definite articles for the following nouns.
Example: Lo____ Zaino
1) _________ Treno
2) _______ Professoressa
3) _______ Musica
4) ______ Amiche
5) ______ Macchina
6) ______ Cappello
7) _______ Scuola
8) ________ Fogli
9) ______ Stanze
10) _______ Divani