In Italian, both definite and indefinite articles must agree with the noun they describe in gender and number.
Definite Articles
Below are the definite articles in Italian, equivalent to “the” in English. We have seven definite articles in Italian because the definite article has to agree with the noun in both gender and number. In addition, some nouns that begin with a vowel or certain consonants require different definite articles.
| Singular | Plural | |
| Before a masculine noun that begins with a vowel | l’ | gli |
| Before a masculine noun that begins with “z,” “gn,” “ps,” or “s” + consonant | lo | |
| Before any other masculine noun | il | i |
| Before a feminine noun that begins with a vowel | l’ | le |
| Before any other feminine noun | la |
If an adjective precedes the noun, the definite article is adjusted according to the beginning of the adjective. For example, “l’amico” means “the friend,” whereas “il buon amico” means “the good friend.” Notice the change in the definite article from “l’” to “il.”
We use the article “gli” before any plural masculine noun (or preceding adjective) that begins with a vowel, “z,” “gn,” “ps,” or “s” + consonant, e.g., “gli amici” (the friends), “gli gnocchi” (the dumplings), “gli studenti” (the students), etc.
The feminine plural article “le” is used before any plural feminine plural noun (or preceding adjective), regardless of whether it begins with a vowel or consonant, e.g., “le ore” (the hours), “le donne” (the women), “le zone” (the zones), etc.
Using the proper article in Italian is more complicated than in English or other Romance languages such as Spanish or French. After determining whether the noun is singular or plural, you need to think of the following three questions:
- Is the noun masculine or feminine?
- Does the noun or preceding adjective begin with a vowel?
- Does the noun or preceding adjective begin with “z,” “gn,” “ps,” or “s” + consonant?
“Bello” & “Quello”
There are two common adjectives in Italian that undergo similar form-changing contractions to the definite articles: “bello” (beautiful) and “quello” (that), e.g., “quell’amico” (that friend), “begli uccelli” (beautiful birds).[1]
The adjective “bello” can be placed before or after the noun. Notice that the contraction applies to the adjective “bello” only if it precedes the noun. Otherwise, the contractions are not applied, e.g., “uccelli belli” (beautiful birds).
There will be more detail on “quello” and other demonstrative adjectives and pronouns in Level II, Lesson 4.
We hope that you will not let the complexity of the definite articles in Italian frustrate you, and that, with little practice using the Anki cards of this lesson, you will master the definite articles.
Indefinite Articles
There are four indefinite articles in Italian; two masculine articles: “un” and “uno,” and two feminine articles: “un’” and “una.” These are equivalent to “a” or “an” in English. The table below indicates when to use each of these four indefinite articles:
| Before a masculine noun that begins with “z,” “gn,” “ps,” or “s” + consonant | uno |
| Before any other masculine noun | un |
| Before a feminine noun that begins with a vowel | un’ |
| Before any other feminine noun | una |
Similar to the definite articles, if an adjective precedes the noun, the indefinite article is adjusted according to the beginning of the adjective. For example, “un’amica” means “a (female) friend,” whereas “una buona amica” means “a good (female) friend.” Notice the change in the indefinite article from “un’” to “una.”
We use the article “uno” before any masculine noun (or preceding adjective) that begins with “z,” “gn,” “ps,” or “s” + consonant. For example, “uno sport” (a sport), “uno gnocco” (a dumpling), “uno zio” (an uncle), etc.
All other masculine nouns use the indefinite article “un.” For example, “un amico” (a friend), “un ragazzo” (a boy), “un gatto” (a cat), etc.
We use the article “un’” before any feminine noun (or preceding adjective) that begins with a vowel, e.g., “un’amica” (a friend), “un’ora” (an hour), “un’isola” (an island), etc. All other feminine nouns use the indefinite article “una,” e.g., “una casa” (a house), “una zia” (an aunt), “una porta” (a door), etc.
Use of the Definite Article in Italian vs. English
There are cases in which Italian uses the definite article, while in English we would omit it, such as:
1. Abstract concepts or speaking in a general sense. For example, “La scienza è importante” (Science is important), “Gli animali sono intelligenti” (Animals are intelligent), etc.
2. Languages and nationalities. For example, “l’italiano” (Italian), “i tedeschi” (Germans), etc. Exceptionally, we drop the definite article in Italian when the language name is an object of some verbs, e.g., “Parlo e insegno italiano” (I speak and teach Italian), or after the preposition “in,” e.g., “scritto in italiano” (written in Italian).
3. Days of the week when referring to a repeated action or habit on the same day of every week. For example, “Vado in palestra il giovedì” (I go to the gym on Thursdays). If we do not refer to a repeated action, we do not use the definite article, e.g., “Arrivo lunedì” (I arrive on Monday).
4. Body parts and clothes are often preceded with the definite instead of the possessive pronoun if the possessor is the same as the subject of the sentence. For example, “Alza la mano” (Raise your hand), “Mettiti le scarpe” (Put on your shoes).
5. Telling time. For example, “Sono le due” (It’s two o’clock), “Ci incontriamo dopo l’una” (We meet after one o’clock), etc.
6. Before a personal title, such as “signore” (Mr.), “signora” (Mrs.), “dottore” (doctor), “professore” (professor), etc.. For example, “il professor Kennedy,” “la signora Anna,” “il dottor Marco,” etc. One exception is when addressing the person directly, e.g., “Signor Flavio, come sta?” (Mr. Flavio, how are you?).
Notice the dropping of the final “e” in “professore,” “signore,” and “dottore” when followed by a masculine proper name. This is common in Italian with many profession titles.
7. Before each noun in the case of multiple nouns. For example, “il padre e la madre” (the father and mother), “i cani e i gatti” (the dogs and cats). Although you can use one definite article in English to refer to all nouns, the grammatically correct way in Italian is to repeat the definite article for each noun. Like in English, it is common to omit the definite article before the seasons of the year. Thus, we say: “in estate” (in summer), “in inverno” (in winter), “in autunno” (in autumn), and “in primavera”” (in spring).
Next: Interrogative Pronouns & Adjectives
[1] Another adjective that changes form, but only in the singular before a proper noun, is “santo” (saint). It has the following forms:
- “Sant’”: before a proper masculine or feminine noun that starts with a vowel, e.g., “Sant’Antonio” (St. Anthony), “Sant’Anna” (St. Ann).
- “Santo”: before a proper masculine noun that starts with “z,” “gn,” “ps,” or “s” + consonant, e.g., “Santo Stefano” (St. Stephen).
- “San”: before any other proper masculine noun, e.g., “San Marco” (St. Mark).
- “Santa”: before any other proper feminine noun, e.g., “Santa Maria” (St. Mary).
