In Italian, every noun has a grammatical gender: masculine or feminine. This has nothing to do with meaning — it's a property you need to memorize. The definite article ('the' in English) changes form depending on the noun's gender (masculine/feminine) and number (singular/plural). Instead of one 'the', Italian has seven forms: il, lo, la, l', i, gli, le.
| Article | Gender | Number | Used before... |
|---|---|---|---|
| il | Masculine | Singular | Most consonants → il libro, il gatto, il pane |
| lo | Masculine | Singular | z, s+consonant, gn, ps, pn, x, y → lo zaino, lo studente, lo gnocco |
| la | Feminine | Singular | Most consonants → la casa, la porta, la scuola |
| l' | M or F | Singular | Any vowel (a, e, i, o, u) → l'amico, l'amica, l'ora, l'ufficio |
| i | Masculine | Plural | Most consonants → i libri, i gatti, i ragazzi |
| gli | Masculine | Plural | Vowels, z, s+consonant, gn → gli amici, gli zaini, gli studenti |
| le | Feminine | Plural | All feminine plural nouns → le case, le amiche, le ore |
For masculine singular nouns, you must choose between 'il' and 'lo'. Use 'lo' before words starting with: z (zaino, zero), s followed by a consonant (studente, sport, schermo), gn (gnocchi, gnomo), ps (psicologo), pn (pneumatico), x (xilofono), y (yogurt). In all other cases, use 'il'. In the plural: 'lo' becomes 'gli' and 'il' becomes 'i'.
Both 'la' and 'lo' contract to 'l'' before any vowel (a, e, i, o, u). This applies to both genders. Examples: l'appartamento (masc.), l'estate (fem.), l'ora (fem.), l'ufficio (masc.). In the plural there is no elision: gli amici (masc.), le amiche (fem.).
There are no absolute rules for gender in Italian. The best approach is to learn each word with its article: not just 'libro' but 'il libro'. Most nouns ending in -o are masculine (il libro, il gatto) and those ending in -a are feminine (la casa, la porta). But there are exceptions: il problema (masculine!), la mano (feminine!).
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Masculine Nouns
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Feminine Nouns
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