Articles Flashcards
Translate “the boy.”
il ragazzo
“Il” is the masculine singular definite article before nouns beginning in a consonant other than z, s + consonant, y, ps, or gn.
What’s “the girl” in Italian?
la ragazza
“La” is the feminine singular definite article before nouns beginning in a consonant.
In Italian, “the boys” is…
i ragazzi
“I” is the plural version of the singular masculine definite article “il.”
State “the girls” in Italian.
le ragazze
“Le” is the plural form of the singular feminine definite article “la.”
Translate “a boy.”
un ragazzo
“un” is the masculine singular indefinite article for nouns beginning with vowels or consonants other than s + consonant, z, gn, pn, ps, x, and y.
What’s “a girl” in Italian?
una ragazza
“Una” is the feminine singular indefinite article preceding nouns beginning in a consonant.
In Italian, “an hour” is…
un’ora
“Un’” is the feminine singular indefinite article preceding nouns starting with a vowel.
State “some girls” in Italian.
delle ragazze
“Delle” is the feminine plural indefinite article.
Articles are…
placed before the noun and agree with it in number and gender.
Translate “I have one son.”
Ho un figlio.
Indefinite articles are used as numeral “one” to express only one thing a person has.
What’s “this is a book” in Italian?
Questo è un libro.
Indefinite articles are used to refer to someone or something not yet known or specifically identified.
In Italian, “There are some flowers on the table” is…
Sul tavolo ci sono dei fiori.
The indefinite article is used with plural nouns, meaning “some.”
State “Close the window” in Italian.
Chiudere la finestra.
The definite article is used to refer to someone or something specific in a particular situation.
Translate “the sun.”
il sole
The definite article is used to refer to an object unique in its category.
What’s “Lions are very fast animals” in Italian?
Il leone è un animale molte veloce.
The definite article is used before a noun to refer to an entire category of people or things in general.
In Italian, “We must reduce the poverty in our country” is…
Dobbiamo ridurre la povertà nel nostro paese.
The definite article is used with abstract nouns when they have a general use.
State “He has a car. The car is new” in Italian.
Lui ha una macchina. La macchina è nuova.
The definite article is used to refer to an object that became certain as it had been mentioned earlier.
Translate “I don’t like the color green.”
Non mi piace il verde como colore.
The definite article is used for any noun referring to a general idea, practice, or phenomenon (e.g., colors, diseases, fields of activity, meals).
What’s “Take the newspaper that is on the table” in Italian?
Prendete il giornale che sta sul tavolo.
The definite article is used before a noun that has a definition specifying the object being discussed.
In Italian, “Sunday” is…
la domenica
This is an exception to the rule that masculine definite articles are used before days of the week.
Translate “winter.”
l’inverno
Masculine definite articles are used before seasons.
Translate “January.”
il gennaio
Masculine definite articles are used before months.
What’s “spring” in Italian?
la primavera
This is an exception to the rule that masculine definite articles are used before seasons.
In Italian, “north” is…
il nord
Masculine definite articles precede corners of the earth.
State “Japanese” in Italian.
il giapponese
Masculine definite articles precede languages.
Translate “pine tree.”
il pino
Masculine definite articles precede trees.
What’s “palm tree” in Italian?
la palma
This is an exception to the rule that masculine definite articles precede trees.
In Italian, “gold” is…
l’oro
Masculine definite articles precede metals.
Translate “acid.”
l’acido
Masculine definite articles precede chemical substances.
What’s “toxin” in Italian?
la tossina
This is an exception to the rule that masculine definite articles precede chemical substances.
In Italian, “car” [not ‘macchina’] is…
l’auto
Masculine definite articles precede transport.
State “Italy” in Italian.
L’Italia
Feminine definite articles precede countries, cities, continents, and islands.
Translate “Paris.”
la città di Parigi
Feminine definite articles precede countries, cities, continents, and islands.
What’s “Europe” in Italian?
L’Europa
Feminine definite articles precede countries, cities, continents, and islands.
In Italian, “Hawaiian Islands” is…
le isole hawaiane
Feminine definite articles precede countries, cities, continents, and islands.
State “The Amazon (River)” in Italian.
Il Rio delle Amazzoni
Masculine definite articles precede rivers and lakes.
Translate “Lake Huron.”
il lago Huron
Masculine definite articles precede rivers and lakes.
What’s Italian for “chemistry”?
la chimica
Feminine definite articles precede sciences and academic fields.
Translate “Paris is the capital of France.”
Parigi è la capitale della Francia.
The definite article is usually omitted before names of cities and towns.
What’s Italian for “I speak French correctly?”
Io parlo correttamente il francese.
The article may be placed if an adverb separates the verb from the language name.
List the four cases in which the article is omitted.
- if there is a numeral or pronoun placed before a noun
- before nouns denoting quantity and used with a preposition (di)
- The indefinite article is usually omitted before prepositions (‘senza,’ without; ‘con,’ with; ‘come,’ as/like).
- The indefinite article is omitted after “essere” (to be) when it precedes unmodified nouns denoting nationality, profession, or religion.
Translate “He left without money.”
Lui è uscito senza soldi.
The indefinite article is usually omitted before prepositions (‘senza,’ without; ‘con,’ with; ‘come,’ as/like).
Fill in the blank: “Lui va __ cinema ogge” (He goes to the cinema today).
al (to the)
a (to) + il (the, masculine singular) = al
Fill in the blank: “Questa città è la migliore __ mondo” (This city is the best in the world).
del (of the)
de (of) + il (the, masculine singular) = del
Fill in the blank: “Nuoto fino __ spiaggia” (I swim to the beach).
alla (to the)
a (to) + la (the, feminine singular) = alla
di + la (the, feminine singular) =
della (of/in the)
a (to) + lo (the, masculine singular) =
allo (to the)
The contraction of “di” (of/in) and “lo” (the, masculine singular) is…
dello (of/in the).
in (in) + il (the, masculine singular) =
nel/nello (in the)
What’s the contraction of “in” (in) and “la” (the, feminine singular)?
nella (in the)
What’s the contraction of “su” and “il” (the, masculine singular)?
su/sullo
Translate “the student.”
lo studente
The definite article “lo” precedes all masculine singular nouns beginning in z, s + consonant, y, ps, or gn.
Fill in the blank “__ zio” (the uncle).
lo
The definite article “lo” precedes all masculine singular nouns beginning in z, s + consonant, y, ps, or gn.
What’s Italian for “the gnome”?
lo gnomo
The definite article “lo” precedes all masculine singular nouns beginning in z, s + consonant, y, ps, or gn.
In Italian, “the psychologist” is…
lo psicologo
The definite article “lo” precedes all masculine singular nouns beginning in z, s + consonant, y, ps, or gn.
State “the friend” in Italian.
l’amico
“Lo” becomes “l’” before any vowel.
Translate “the Italians”
gl’italiani
Definite plural article “gli” becomes “gl’” before “i” (though there has been a recent trend towards preserving the vowel sound, e.g., ‘gli italiani’).
What’s Italian for “the female friend”?
l’amica
“La” becomes “l’” before feminine singular nouns beginning with a vowel.
Fill in the blank: ___ “libri” (some books).
dei (some)
“Dei” is the plural masculine indefinite article used before nouns not beginning with a-, u-, i-, or o-.
Fill in the blank: “_____ amici” (some friends).
degli (some)
“Degli” is the plural masculine indefinite article used before nouns beginning with a-, u-, i-, o-.
Translate “a student.”
uno studente
The masculine singular indefinite article “uno” is used before nouns starting with s + another consonant, z, gn, pn, ps, x, or y.
Translate “an uncle.”
uno zio
The masculine singular indefinite article “uno” is used before nouns starting with s + another consonant, z, gn, pn, ps, x, or y.
Fill in the blank: “___ psichiatra” (a [male] psychiatrist).
uno
The masculine singular indefinite article “uno” is used before nouns starting with s + another consonant, z, gn, pn, ps, x, or y.
In Italian, “Monday” is…
il lunedì
Masculine definite articles are used before days of the week.
Translate “He is a doctor.”
Lui è medico.
The indefinite article is omitted after “essere” (to be) when it precedes unmodified nouns denoting nationality, profession, or religion.
What’s Italian for “He is a very famous doctor”?
Lui è un medico molto famoso.
The indefinite article is used when the noun after “essere” is modified.
What is the partitive article?
a contraction of di + definite article that is used before uncounted nouns (e.g., like ‘some’ or ‘any’)
Fill in the blank: “Ha comprato ___ pane” (He bought some bread).
del (some, partitive)
di + il = del
Translate “He bought some sugar.”
Ha comprato dello zucchero.
di + lo = dello (some, partitive)
Fill in the blank: “Ha comprato _____ carne” (He bought some meat).
della (some, partitive)
di + la = della
di + l’ =
dell’ (some, partitive)
Fill in the blank: di + ___ = degli (some, partitive).
gli
The partitive “dei” is formed by combining…
“di” and “i.”
“Di” and “le” form the partitive…
delle.
Translate “They drank some milk.”
Hanno bevuto del latte.
The partitive is used with uncounted nouns.
What’s Italian for “You are talented”?
Hai del talento.
The partitive is used with abstract nouns, designating an abstract idea.
In Italian, “a bottle of wine” is…
una bottiglia di vino
The partitive is used after nouns, designating quantity.
State “a little” in Italian.
un po’ di
The partitive is used in expressions of quantity.
Translate “a piece of.”
un pezzo di
The partitive is used in expressions of quantity.
The contraction of “su” (on) and “la” (the, feminine singular) is…
sulla
What’s the contraction of “con” (with) and “il” (the)?
collo (archaic/dialect), col
Fill in the blank: per + __ = pel (archaic/dialect)
il
Fill in the blank: per + __ = pella (archaic/dialect)
la
Fill in the blank: con + __ = colla (archaic/dialect)
la
