11. Nouns and adjectives in Italian
In Italian, nouns (names of things, people, places, ideas) and adjectives (characteristics or qualities) always vary in gender (masculine and feminine) and the number (singular or plural). They should also agree between them i.e. the adjective follows the gender and the number of the noun.
Nouns genders (genere)
In Italian, all nouns are masculine or female. The end of the word can help us figure out which one is which:
| Ending | Gender | Example |
|---|---|---|
| -o | Male | il libro (the book) |
| -a | Female | la casa (the house) |
| -e | Can be both male or female | il padre (the father) / la chiave (the key) |
| -zione | Female | la televisione (the television) |
| -ore | Male | il dottore (the doctor) |
Attention!
Attention!
This is a general guide. There are some words that do not follow this pattern although not as usual.
Nouns numbers (numero)
In Italian, to form the plural we usually change the final vowel of the noun. Here are a few general rules:
| Singular | Plural | Gender | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| -o | -i | Male | libro -> libri (books) |
| -a | -e | Female | casa -> case (houses) |
| -e | -i | Male/Female | chiave -> chiavi (keys) |
It is important to note that nouns ending in -ista can be male or female. The plural only changes with the article or the context:
- il turista -> i turisti (the tourist -> the tourists) [male]
- la turista -> le turiste (the tourist -> the tourists) [female]
Agreement between noun and adjective
The adjective must agree in gender and numbers with the noun to which it refers to.
Singular example:
- il ragazzo italiano (the Italian boy)
- la ragazza italiana (the Italian girl)
Plural example:
- i ragazzi italiani (the Italian boys)
- le ragazze italiane (the Italian girls)
Special observations
Nouns ending in -e (neutral)
There are a few nouns which ends with -e in singular, both for male and female which gets transformed to -i in plural:
- il ragazzo grande -> i ragazzi grandi
- la ragazza grande -> le ragazze grandi
Invariables nouns
There are a few words in Italian that do not change in plural:
- il film -> i film
- la città -> le città
Foreign words
Usually foreign words do not change and stay the same in plural:
- il computer -> i computer
- lo sport -> gli sport
Exercises
💡 Click on any question to reveal the answer and explanation
Exercise 1: Identify Noun Gender - Singular
1. Is “libro” masculine or feminine?
Answer: Masculine
It ends in -o, so it is masculine
2. Is “casa” masculine or feminine?
Answer: Feminine
It ends in -a, so it is feminine
3. Is “chiave” masculine or feminine?
Answer: Feminine
It ends in -e. You need to memorize this word - it is feminine
4. What gender is “televisione”?
Answer: Feminine
Words ending in -zione are always feminine
5. What gender is “dottore”?
Answer: Masculine
Words ending in -ore are typically masculine
Exercise 2: Singular to Plural - Nouns
6. What is the plural of “libro”?
Answer: libri
Masculine nouns ending in -o change to -i in plural
7. What is the plural of “casa”?
Answer: case
Feminine nouns ending in -a change to -e in plural
8. What is the plural of “chiave”?
Answer: chiavi
Nouns ending in -e change to -i in plural, regardless of gender
9. What is the plural of “televisione”?
Answer: televisioni
Nouns ending in -zione change to -zioni in plural
10. What is the plural of “film”?
Answer: film
”Film” is an invariable word - it does not change in plural
Exercise 3: Adjective Agreement - Gender
11. Complete: il libro _____ (italiano)
Answer: italiano
”Libro” is masculine singular, so the adjective stays in masculine form
12. Complete: la casa _____ (italiano)
Answer: italiana
”Casa” is feminine singular. The adjective changes from -o to -a
13. Complete: il ragazzo _____ (grande)
Answer: grande
Adjectives ending in -e do not change for masculine or feminine in singular
14. Complete: la ragazza _____ (grande)
Answer: grande
Adjectives ending in -e stay the same for both masculine and feminine
Exercise 4: Adjective Agreement - Number
15. Complete: i ragazzi _____ (italiano)
Answer: italiani
”Ragazzi” is masculine plural. The adjective changes from -o to -i
16. Complete: le ragazze _____ (italiano)
Answer: italiane
”Ragazze” is feminine plural. The adjective changes from -o to -e
17. Complete: i ragazzi _____ (grande)
Answer: grandi
Adjectives ending in -e change to -i in plural for both masculine and feminine