Genere e numero del nome: -o/-i, -a/-e, -e/-i

Genere e numero del nome: -o/-i, -a/-e, -e/-i means “Nouns are masculine or feminine; the plural is made by changing the final vowel, not by adding -s”. Three main patterns: masculine -o becomes -i (libro → libri); feminine -a becomes -e (casa → case); nouns in -e can be either gender and become -i (fiore → fiori, masculine; chiave → chiavi, feminine). Formation: libro → libri (m.) · casa → case (f.) · fiore → fiori (m.) / chiave → chiavi (f.)

Nouns are masculine or feminine; the plural is made by changing the final vowel, not by adding -s

A1

Formation

libro → libri (m.) · casa → case (f.) · fiore → fiori (m.) / chiave → chiavi (f.)

Explanation

Three main patterns: masculine -o becomes -i (libro → libri); feminine -a becomes -e (casa → case); nouns in -e can be either gender and become -i (fiore → fiori, masculine; chiave → chiavi, feminine). Because -e nouns give no clue, the article is what tells you the gender. Spelling adjustments keep the sound: amico → amici, but albergo → alberghi (h keeps the hard g), and arancia → arance. If you come from Spanish or French, the big shift is that Italian never uses -s for the plural.

Examples

Ho letto due libri questo mese.
I read two books this month.
Le case di questa via sono antiche.
The houses on this street are old.
Ho perso le chiavi di casa.
I lost my house keys.

Note

Nouns ending in an accented vowel (città, caffè) and foreign words (film, bar) never change: la città → le città.

FAQ

Genere e numero del nome: -o/-i, -a/-e, -e/-i — what does it mean and how is it used?

Nouns are masculine or feminine; the plural is made by changing the final vowel, not by adding -s. Three main patterns: masculine -o becomes -i (libro → libri); feminine -a becomes -e (casa → case); nouns in -e can be either gender and become -i (fiore → fiori, masculine; chiave → chiavi, feminine). Because -e nouns give no clue, the article is what tells you the gender. Spelling adjustments keep the sound: amico → amici, but albergo → alberghi (h keeps the hard g), and arancia → arance. If you come from Spanish or French, the big shift is that Italian never uses -s for the plural.

Genere e numero del nome: -o/-i, -a/-e, -e/-i — how do you form it?

libro → libri (m.) · casa → case (f.) · fiore → fiori (m.) / chiave → chiavi (f.)

Genere e numero del nome: -o/-i, -a/-e, -e/-i — any usage notes?

Nouns ending in an accented vowel (città, caffè) and foreign words (film, bar) never change: la città → le città.

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