Every Italian noun has a gender and a number: In Italian every noun is either masculine or feminine, and either singular or plural — and the article in front of it must match. Most nouns tell you their gender by their ending: -o is usually masculine (il libro), -a is usually feminine (la casa), and -e can be either (il fiore m., la chiave f.). Get the gender and number right and the correct article follows automatically.
- il genere
- gender — masculine (maschile) or feminine (femminile)
- il numero
- number — singular (singolare) or plural (plurale)
- il sostantivo / il nome
- the noun (libro, casa, studente)
- l'articolo determinativo
- the definite article — 'the' (il, lo, la, i, gli, le)
- l'articolo indeterminativo
- the indefinite article — 'a/an' (un, uno, una)
- concordare
- to agree — the article matches the noun in gender and number
Why it carries the marks: Articles and agreement appear in every sentence you read or write. A wrong article («la problema» instead of il problema) is an immediate Criterion A (Language) error the examiner spots at once. Learn the pattern once and it protects every noun you use.
Choose the article by gender, number and first sound: The definite article ('the') has six forms. Masculine: il (before most consonants — il libro), lo (before s+consonant, z, gn, ps, x, y — lo studente, lo zio), l' (before a vowel — l'amico); their plurals are i and gli. Feminine: la (la casa), l' (l'amica), plural le. The indefinite article ('a/an'): masculine un (un libro, un amico) but uno before s+cons/z (uno studente, uno zio); feminine una (una casa) but un' before a vowel (un'amica).
| Definite sing. | Definite plur. | Indefinite | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Masc. + consonant | il (il libro) | i (i libri) | un (un libro) |
| Masc. + s+cons / z | lo (lo studente) | gli (gli studenti) | uno (uno studente) |
| Masc. + vowel | l' (l'amico) | gli (gli amici) | un (un amico) |
| Fem. + consonant | la (la casa) | le (le case) | una (una casa) |
| Fem. + vowel | l' (l'amica) | le (le amiche) | un' (un'amica) |
How nouns form the plural: Change the ending, not the whole word: masculine -o → -i (libro → libri), feminine -a → -e (casa → case), and nouns in -e → -i for both genders (fiore → fiori, chiave → chiavi). Then swap the article for its plural: il → i, lo/l' → gli, la/l' → le.
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Italian uses 'the' more than English: Italian often uses the definite article where English drops it: with general ideas (Mi piace la musica — I like music), with languages (Studio l'italiano), with countries (l'Italia, la Francia), and often with body parts and possessions. The indefinite article works like English 'a/an' — for one non-specific thing (Ho un fratello — I have a brother).
When to use each article
- General nouns → definite: «Mi piace il caffè.» (I like coffee.)
- Languages & school subjects → definite: «Studio la matematica e l'inglese.» (I study maths and English.)
- Countries → definite: «L'Italia è bella; la Spagna anche.» (Italy is beautiful; Spain too.)
- One non-specific thing → indefinite: «Vorrei un caffè e una brioche.» (I'd like a coffee and a pastry.)
- Plurals of 'some' → no indefinite plural, use the definite or «dei/delle»: «Ho degli amici a Roma.» (I have some friends in Rome.)
The article can change meaning: Definite points to something known or general (la macchina — the/that car, or cars in general); indefinite introduces one new thing (una macchina — a car). Choosing the right one is part of sounding natural — and part of Criterion A.
A short scene, every article agreeing: Here is a short everyday paragraph built one sentence at a time. Watch how each article matches its noun in gender and number, and how lo/gli and uno/un' appear before the right sounds. Read it for meaning, then tap Mostra traduzione for the English or 🔊 to hear it.
IB-style task — gli articoli in azione
Una scena, frase per frase
- Il ragazzo e la ragazza entrano nella nuova scuola.
- Lo studente saluta lo zio e prende un panino con un'aranciata.
- Le amiche comprano i libri e gli zaini per il nuovo anno.
- Una professoressa spiega le regole e uno studente prende appunti.
- Alla fine, il ragazzo, la ragazza e gli amici sono contenti della nuova classe.
Steal this for your writing: Notice how few decisions you make: for each noun ask gender? number? first sound? and the article follows. Reuse everyday nouns (libro, casa, studente, amico, zaino) with the right article and your sentences read as natural, accurate Italian.
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The slips to watch for: Four mistakes dominate: using il/i before s+consonant or z («il studente» instead of lo studente; «i zaini» instead of gli zaini), not eliding before a vowel («la amica» instead of l'amica; «un amica» for a feminine noun instead of un'amica), getting the gender wrong on tricky nouns (il problema, not «la problema»), and forming the plural wrongly («il libri» instead of i libri). Compare the right version with the typical mistake and the fix is clear.
Corretto
- lo studente, gli studenti
- l'amica, un'amica
- il problema, i problemi
Errore frequente
- il studente, i studenti
- la amica, un amica
- la problema, il libri
Ask: gender, number, first sound?: Before you write an article, run three quick checks. 1. What is the noun's gender (watch the tricky -a masculines: il problema, il programma). 2. Is it singular or plural — change the ending and the article together. 3. What is the first sound — s+cons/z/gn/ps/x/y → lo/gli/uno; a vowel → l' / un'.