Definite Articles
The definite article is used to talk about a thing or a person known to the listener or that has been mentioned at least once before during
the conversation.
In English there is only one definite article: 'the'. There are eight different
ways to say ‘the’ in Italian.
Articles vary because they have to agree in
gender and number with the noun they are referring to, and the added complication is that they also vary
depending on with which letter (or first two letters) the noun starts. Just like nouns, articles can be masculine or
feminine, singular or plural. Let’s
start with the masculine:
Masculine
Singular
LO
– is used before any masculine singular noun that starts with s+consonant, z, ps, gn, y. There aren't that many of them, but it's good to remember these few:
Lo studente, lo zio (the uncle), lo sbaglio (the
mistake), lo specchio (the mirror), lo yogurt, lo psicologo (the psychologist).
IL – is used before any masculine singular noun that starts with any other consonant. This is the most common masculine article, so when in doubt use this one. Examples:
Il bambino, il libro, il cane, il
tavolo, il ragazzo, il film, il professore, il pesce, il pane
L’
– is used before all masculine singular words that start with any vowel:
L’ amico, l’albergo, l’ufficio (the
office), l’uomo, l’esercito (the army)
Masculine
Plural
Gli
– is used before any masculine plural noun that start with s+consonant, z, ps, gn, y
AND for all masculine plural noun starting with any vowel:
Gli studenti, gli zii, gli sbagli,
gli yogurt, gli psicologi, gli gnomi, gli amici, gli alberghi, gli uffici, gli
uomini, gli eserciti
I
– is used before all masculine plural nouns that start with any other consonant:
I bambini, i libri, i cani, i
tavoli, i ragazzi, i film, i professori, i pesci
Feminine
Singular
La
– is used before all feminine singular nouns that start with any consonant:
La ragazza, la famiglia (the
family), la casa, la mamma, la rosa (the rose), la scuola (the school), la zia
L’
- is used before all feminine singular nouns
starting with any vowel:
L’amica, l’oca (the goose), l’opera,
l’uva (the grapes), l’indipendenza (independence)
Feminine
Plural
Le
– is used before ALL feminine plural nouns:
Le ragazze, le famiglie, le case, le
mamme, le rose, le scuole, le zie, le amiche, le oche, le opere
