10. Articles in Italian
In Italian, the articles are words that are followed by a noun to indicate if we are talking about something specific (articoli determinativi) or generic/non-specific (articoli indeterminativi).
These vary according to the gender (male or female) and the number (singular or plural). You will also encounter variations based on the initial letter of the following word.
Defined articles (articoli determinativi)
Defined articles in Italian are the same as we have in English such as “the”, “a”, “an”. They are used when we are talking about specific, known or already said.
Singular male
| Article | Where to use it | Example |
|---|---|---|
| il | Words that start with a consonant | il libro (the book) |
| lo | Words that starts with an s + consonant, z, ps, gn, x, y | Io studente (the student) |
| l’ | Words that start with a vogal | l’amico (the friend) |
Plural male
| Article | Where to use it | Example |
|---|---|---|
| i | Plural of “il” | i libri (the books) |
| gli | Plural of “lo” and “l‘“ | gli studenti (the students), gli amici (the friends) |
Singular female
| Article | Where to use it | Example |
|---|---|---|
| la | Words that start with a consonant | la ragazza (the girl) |
| l’ | Words that start with a vogal | l’amica (the friend) |
Plural female
| Article | Where to use it | Example |
|---|---|---|
| le | Plural of “la” and “l‘“ | le ragazze (the girls), le amiche (the female friends) |
Undefined articles (articoli indeterminativi)
Undefined articles talks about things that are not known. They are used for unspecified things, things mentioned for the first time or generic ones
Singular male
| Article | Usage | Example |
|---|---|---|
| un | Words that start with a vogal or ordinary consonant | un libro (a book), un amico (a friend) |
| uno | Words that start with s + consonant, z, ps, gn, x, y | uno studente (a student), uno psicologo (a psychologist) |
Attention!
Attention!
There is no plural form of undefined male articles, but in some advanced contexts you can find “dei” (some) and “degli” (some)
Singular female
| Article | Usage | Example |
|---|---|---|
| una | Words that start with a consonant | una ragazza (a girl) |
| un’ | Words that start with a vowel | un’amica (a friend) |
Attention!
Attention!
Just like in the male version, there are no direct plural form. We use “delle” (some) to indicate undefined plural
Comparison between defined and undefined articles in Italian
The articles can change how a phrase is said. See these examples:
- Ho un gatto (I have a cat - any cat, not a specific one)
- Il gatto è sul divano (The cat is on the sofa - already known cat, already mentioned)
- Ho visto una ragazza al parco (I have seen a girl in the park)
- La ragazza aveva un capello rosso (The girl had a red hat)
Special cases for articles in Italian
There are a few cases we need to look at in Italian that you might find on a daily basis.
1. Contractions with prepositions
In more advanced levels, the defined articles merge into prepositions, forming contractions:
- di + il = del
- a + lo = allo
- su + gli = sugli
2. Elision (suppression of the final vowel)
The aricle l’ happens when the substantive starts with a vogal, both in male and female:
- l’uomo (the man)
- l’acqua (the water)
Exercises
💡 Click on any question to reveal the answer and explanation
Exercise 1: Defined Articles - Singular Male
1. _____ libro è interessante
Answer: Il
”libro” starts with a consonant, so we use “il”
2. _____ studente parla italiano
Answer: Lo
”studente” starts with s + consonant, so we use “lo”
3. _____ amico è simpatico
Answer: L‘
“amico” starts with a vowel, so we use “l’” (elision)
4. _____ psicologo lavora qui
Answer: Lo
”psicologo” starts with ps, so we use “lo”
Exercise 2: Defined Articles - Plural Male
5. _____ libri sono sulla tavola
Answer: I
Plural of “il” is “i”
6. _____ studenti sono intelligenti
Answer: Gli
Plural of “lo” is “gli”
7. _____ amici arrivano domani
Answer: Gli
Plural of “l’” is “gli”
Exercise 3: Defined Articles - Singular Female
8. _____ ragazza è bella
Answer: La
”ragazza” starts with a consonant, so we use “la”
9. _____ amica è simpatica
Answer: L‘
“amica” starts with a vowel, so we use “l’” (elision)
10. _____ acqua è fredda
Answer: L‘
“acqua” starts with a vowel, so we use “l’” (elision)
Exercise 4: Defined Articles - Plural Female
11. _____ ragazze sono intelligenti
Answer: Le
Plural female, so we use “le”
12. _____ amiche sono simpatiche
Answer: Le
Plural of “l’” is “le”
Exercise 5: Undefined Articles - Singular Male
13. Ho _____ cane
Answer: Un
”cane” starts with a consonant, so we use “un”
14. Vedo _____ amico al parco
Answer: Un
”amico” starts with a vowel, but we still use “un” for undefined
15. Compro _____ zaino nuovo
Answer: Uno
”zaino” starts with z, so we use “uno”
16. Lui è _____ psicologo
Answer: Uno
”psicologo” starts with ps, so we use “uno”
Exercise 6: Undefined Articles - Singular Female
17. Lei è _____ psicologa
Answer: Una
Singular female with consonant, so we use “una”
18. Ho _____ amica nuova
Answer: Un‘
“amica” starts with a vowel, so we use “un’” (elision)
19. Bevo _____ acqua fresca
Answer: Un‘
“acqua” starts with a vowel, so we use “un’” (elision)
Exercise 7: Defined vs Undefined
20. Ho mangiato _____ mela al parco. _____ mela era dolce
Answer: una / La
First mention (new info) uses undefined “una”. Second mention (already known) uses defined “la”
21. Vedo _____ ragazzo e _____ ragazzo sorride
Answer: un / il
First is new information (undefined “un”), second is specific (defined “il”)
22. Cerco _____ libro interessante. Dove è _____ libro?
Answer: un / il
First mention uses undefined “un”. Later reference uses defined “il”
Exercise 8: Mixed Challenge
23. _____ uomo e _____ donna arrivano presto
Answer: L’ / la
”uomo” starts with a vowel so “l’” (masculine). “donna” starts with consonant so “la” (feminine)
24. _____ studente e _____ studentessa imparano insieme
Answer: Lo / la
”studente” starts with s + consonant so “lo” (masculine). “studentessa” starts with consonant so “la” (feminine)
25. Trovo _____ sbaglio nel testo. _____ sbaglio è importante
Answer: uno / Lo
”sbaglio” starts with s + consonant so “uno” (undefined) and “lo” (defined)