L'articolo determinativo: il / lo / la / i / gli / le
L'articolo determinativo: il / lo / la / i / gli / le means “"the" — the form changes with gender, number and the sound that follows”. Italian has six forms where English has one. Formation: il + C · lo + s+cons., z, gn, ps, y · l' + vocale · la + C(f.) — plurali: i / gli / le
"the" — the form changes with gender, number and the sound that follows
A1Formation
il + C · lo + s+cons., z, gn, ps, y · l' + vocale · la + C(f.) — plurali: i / gli / le
Explanation
Italian has six forms where English has one. Masculine singular is il before most consonants (il libro), but lo before s+consonant, z, gn, ps, y (lo studente, lo zio), and l' before a vowel (l'amico). Feminine singular is la (la casa), or l' before a vowel (l'amica). Plurals: i (i libri), gli (gli studenti, gli amici) and le (le case). Notice the choice depends on the *sound* that follows, not just the letter — this is why lo studente but il tavolo.
Examples
Note
Learn each noun together with its article — the article carries the gender information that the noun ending does not always show (e.g. il fiore is masculine, la chiave is feminine, both end in -e).
FAQ
L'articolo determinativo: il / lo / la / i / gli / le — what does it mean and how is it used?
"the" — the form changes with gender, number and the sound that follows. Italian has six forms where English has one. Masculine singular is il before most consonants (il libro), but lo before s+consonant, z, gn, ps, y (lo studente, lo zio), and l' before a vowel (l'amico). Feminine singular is la (la casa), or l' before a vowel (l'amica). Plurals: i (i libri), gli (gli studenti, gli amici) and le (le case). Notice the choice depends on the *sound* that follows, not just the letter — this is why lo studente but il tavolo.
L'articolo determinativo: il / lo / la / i / gli / le — how do you form it?
il + C · lo + s+cons., z, gn, ps, y · l' + vocale · la + C(f.) — plurali: i / gli / le
L'articolo determinativo: il / lo / la / i / gli / le — any usage notes?
Learn each noun together with its article — the article carries the gender information that the noun ending does not always show (e.g. il fiore is masculine, la chiave is feminine, both end in -e).