Definite Articles Flashcards
three questions you need to ask yourself to decide which definite article to use in Italian:
- Noun gender
- Singular or plural?
- Does the following word begin with a vowel?
Lo
Masculine singular with nouns starting with z, or s + another consonant, gn, pn, ps, x or y.
lo zio the uncle
lo studente the student
Il
Masculine singular for most words starting with a consonant
L’
Masculine singular- for all nouns starting with a vowel
i with most nouns starting with a consonant
The definite article to use for masculine plural nouns
i fratelli the brothers
i tablet the tablets
The masculine plural noun gli
gli with nouns starting with z, s + another consonant, gn, pn, ps, x or y.
gli studenti the students
gli zii the uncles
All nouns starting with a vowel for masculine plural
gli amici the friends
gli orari the timetables
The definite article to use for feminine singular nouns with all nouns starting with a consonant.
la with all nouns starting with a consonant. la ragazza the girl
la macchina the car
L’ ?
Feminine singular for words starting with a vowel
l’ with all nouns starting with a vowel. l’amica the (girl)friend l’arancia the orange
The definite article to use for feminine plural nouns is:
● le with all nouns, whether they start with a consonant or a vowel. le ragazze the girls le amiche the (girl)friends
Masculine singular
Singular: il(c), lo (weird one), l’(v)
Masculine plural
i (c), gli (weird), gli (v)
Female singular and plural
La (c), l’ (v), le plural (c/v)
What does the article depend on?
The starting word: l’amico the friend BUT il migliore amico the best friend
