Gender and number of nouns

Grammatica: Genere e numero dei sostantivi

Il genere e il numero dei nomi si vede nel finale e cambia con il plurale.

Learn how Italian nouns change in gender and number, including singular and plural forms for masculine and feminine nouns. Understand article agreement and discover common patterns and exceptions to improve your Italian grammar skills.

There are masculine and feminine nouns.
The article always agrees with the gender.

	Singolare (Singular)	Plurale (Plural)
Maschile -o-i	Il ragazzo (The boy)	I ragazzi (The boys)
Femminile -a -e	La ragazza (The girl)	Le ragazze (The girls)
Maschile -e-i	L'abitante (The inhabitant)	Gli abitanti (The inhabitants)
Femminile -e -i	La nazione (The nation)	Le nazioni (The nations)

Exceptions!

Some plurals are irregular: il braccio becomes le braccia in the plural.

Exercise 1: Genere e numero dei sostantivi

Instruction: Fill in the correct word.

Show translation Show answers

abitante, l'uomo, ragazze, ragazzo, ragazza, città, uomini

Conosco una ... di Napoli.

Le ... parlano italiano.

Vivo con un ... di Roma.

Conosco ... che vive lì.

Lui è un ... di Milano.

Gli ... sono arrivati tardi.

Abitiamo in una ... piccola.

Ci sono due ... famose in Italia.

Exercise 2: Multiple Choice

Instruction: Choose the correct solution

1. ___ ragazzo è di Milano.

2. ___ studente studia italiano.

3. ___ città è bellissima.

4. ___ zia lavora a Roma.

5. ___ studente è in aula.

6. ___ amico è italiano.

Gender and Number of Nouns in Italian

This lesson focuses on understanding how Italian nouns change according to their gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural). Recognizing these changes is essential for forming correct sentences and using the appropriate articles.

Singular and Plural Forms

Italian nouns typically end with specific vowels that indicate their gender and change when they become plural. For example, masculine nouns ending in -o often change to -i in the plural, such as il ragazzo (the boy) becoming i ragazzi (the boys).

Feminine nouns ending in -a usually change to -e in the plural: la ragazza (the girl) becomes le ragazze (the girls).

Other Endings and Irregular Plurals

Some masculine nouns end in -e and change to -i in the plural, like l'abitante (the inhabitant) becoming gli abitanti. Feminine nouns ending in -e also change to -i in the plural, e.g., la nazione (the nation) becomes le nazioni.

Note that some plurals are irregular. For instance, il braccio (the arm) changes to le braccia in the plural, which is an important exception to remember.

Articles and Agreement

The definite or indefinite articles must always match the gender and number of the noun they accompany. For example, il for masculine singular nouns, i for masculine plural, la for feminine singular, and le for feminine plural. There are also special forms like lo and gli used before certain consonants or vowels.

Differences Between English and Italian Nouns

Unlike English, where nouns do not have grammatical gender, every Italian noun is classified as masculine or feminine. This influences the articles and adjective endings that must be used. Moreover, Italian plurals are formed by changing the final vowel(s), whereas English usually adds an "-s" or "-es" without altering the root vowel.

Useful Italian words include ragazzo (boy), ragazza (girl), abitante (inhabitant), and nazione (nation). Key phrases to practice articles are Il ragazzo è di Milano (The boy is from Milan) and La città è bellissima (The city is beautiful), showing definite article agreement with the noun gender.

Exercise 1: Genere e numero dei sostantivi

Exercise 2: Multiple Choice