A1.22 - Body parts

The plural of nouns

Il plurale dei sostantivi

Impariamo a formare i tipi di plurale dei sostantivi in italiano.

(Let’s learn how to form the different types of plural nouns in Italian.)

The key idea: the article shows singular vs plural

In Italian, you usually understand number (one vs more than one) from the article:

  • Singular: il, la, l’
  • Plural: i, le, gli

So when you make a noun plural, you normally change both:

  • article + noun ending

Regular plural patterns (the endings you can trust)

Type (singular ending) Singular Plural ending Plural
-o (usually masculine) il naso -i i nasi
-a (usually feminine) la gamba -e le gambe
-e (can be m. or f.) il piede -i i piedi

A quick self-check: which plural article do I choose?

  1. Start from the singular article (not from English).

    • il → i (most common)
    • la → le
    • l’ → can become gli or le (depends on the noun)

  2. Then change the noun ending using the table above.

“Gli” vs “i”: the one point that confuses many learners

For masculine plural you sometimes need gli instead of i.

  • gli is used with masculine nouns that in the singular often start with “difficult” sounds.
Singular Plural Note
l’uomo gli uomini irregular plural + plural article is gli

Practical tip: if you learn a new masculine noun, learn it with its article (e.g., l’uomo). Then the plural article is easier to remember.

Gender changes in the plural (learn as fixed pairs)

Some body nouns change gender from singular to plural. Don’t “logic” them—memorize them as pairs:

Singular Plural What changes?
il dito le dita masc. → fem. + article changes
la mano le mani feminine stays feminine, but ending changes -o → -i
il braccio le braccia masc. → fem. + article changes

Self-check question: “Does the plural article become le?” If yes, you are dealing with a feminine plural (even if the singular was masculine).

Other irregular plurals you’ll meet in this unit

These nouns don’t follow the normal ending rules. Learn them as complete forms:

  • l’uomo → gli uomini
  • la faccia → le facce
  • la pancia → le pance

Work tip: when a word ends in -cia/-gia, the plural can vary. For now, treat faccia → facce and pancia → pance as vocabulary items to memorize.

Mini checklist before you speak (especially with body parts)

  1. Do I mean one or more than one?

  2. Did I change the article (il/la/l’ → i/le/gli)?

  3. Did I change the noun ending (-o→-i, -a→-e, -e→-i)?

  4. Is it one of the special pairs (dito/dita, braccio/braccia, uomo/uomini)?

Common mistakes to avoid

  • Don’t keep the singular article in the plural: il nasi → i nasi

  • Don’t apply “-e” to masculine -o nouns: il naso → le nase → il naso → i nasi

  • Watch the gender-switch nouns: i dita → le dita; i braccia → le braccia

  1. The article tells us whether the noun is singular or plural.
Singolare (Singular) Plurale (Plural)
-o -iIl naso (The nose)I nasi (The noses)
-a -eLa gamba (The leg)Le gambe (The legs)
-e -iIl piede (The foot)I piedi (The feet)

Exceptions!

  1. Some nouns change gender from singular to plural: il dito → le dita; la mano → le mani; il braccio → le braccia.
  2. Some irregular plurals: l'uomo → gli uomini; la faccia → le facce; la pancia → le pance

Exercise 1: Multiple choice

Instruction: Choose the correct answer

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1. Oggi ho mal di testa e mi fanno male ___ occhi.

Today I have a headache and my ___ eyes hurt.

2. Dottore, da ieri mi fanno molto male ___ gambe e ___ piedi.

Doctor, since yesterday my ___ legs and my ___ feet have been hurting a lot.

3. Non vengo in ufficio perché ho ___ braccia e ___ schiena molto stanche.

I’m not coming to the office because my ___ arms and my ___ back are very tired.

4. Il medico guarda ___ mani e conta ___ dita.

The doctor looks at the ___ hands and counts the ___ fingers.

Exercise 2: Rewrite the phrases

Instruction: Change the sentences from singular to plural, correctly changing the article and the noun.

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  1. Ho mal di testa, mi fa male la gamba sinistra.
    ⇒ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
    Ho mal di testa, mi fanno male le gambe sinistre.
    (I have a headache, my left legs hurt.)
  2. Oggi il collega ha mal di braccio e di piede.
    ⇒ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
    Oggi i colleghi hanno mal di braccia e di piedi.
    (Today the colleagues have armaches and footaches.)
  3. In ufficio l'uomo ha mal di schiena e di pancia.
    ⇒ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
    In ufficio gli uomini hanno mal di schiena e di pance.
    (In the office the men have backaches and stomachaches.)
  4. La mano è gonfia e il dito è rosso.
    ⇒ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
    Le mani sono gonfie e le dita sono rosse.
    (The hands are swollen and the fingers are red.)
  5. In palestra il trainer controlla la faccia e il naso dello sportivo.
    ⇒ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
    In palestra i trainer controllano le facce e i nasi degli sportivi.
    (At the gym the trainers check the athletes’ faces and noses.)
  6. La collega è stanca, le fa male il braccio e la gamba.
    ⇒ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
    Le colleghe sono stanche, hanno male alle braccia e alle gambe.
    (The colleagues are tired, their arms and legs hurt.)

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Fabio Pirioni

Bachelor in Humanities

University of Udine

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Last Updated:

Wednesday, 15/04/2026 20:31