Definite Articles

How to use Definite Articles in Italiano.

What is a Definite Article?~A Definite Article is the “the” before a noun.~ Every noun has a specific definite article. ~Definite articles are decided by the gender

and number of the noun.~Every noun has a gender,

masculine and feminine. The best way to decide the gender of a noun is by the last letter or the definite article.

o & i = masculinea & e = feminine.

List of Definite Articles

Singular PluralMasculine

il - ilo - glil’ - gli

Femininela - lel’ - le

When do you use each?Masculine Definite Articles (in the singular)il – used with masculine nouns beginning

with a consonant.ex – il ragazzo, il professore

lo – used with nouns beginning with z, s plus a consonant, ps, or gn.

ex – lo studente, lo zero, lo psicologol’ – is used with nouns, masculine or

feminine, beginning with a vowel.ex – l’amico, l’orologio, l’amica, l’università

Making Masculine Articles Plural

When the noun becomes plural, the article must change as well.

il becomes iex. i ragazzi, I professori

lo becomes gliex. gli studenti, gli zeri

l’ (in the masculine) becomes gliex. gli amici, gli orologi

When do you use each?

Feminine Definite Articles (in the singular)

la – used with the singular feminine nounsex. La ragazza la scuola la casa

l’ – used for both masculine and feminine for any noun starting with a vowel.

ex – l’amica, l’isola

Making Feminine Articles Plural

When making feminine articles plural, it is very simple.

Both la and l’ become le when they are pluralized.

la becomes le

ex. Le ragazze, le scuole

l’ becomes le

ex. Le amiche, le isole

Adesso, è toca voi!

Write in the definite article of each word.____ orologio _____ bandiera____ studenti _____ professoressa____ cestino _____ bacheca____ professore _____ amica____ ragazzo _____ quaderni____ banco _____ Signorina____ libro _____ pianta

Gender of NounsWhat is a noun?

~ a person, place or thingIn Italiano, nouns are either Masculine or FeminineMasculine

~in the singular ends in “o” and becomes an “i” when it is pluralized.

Feminine~in the singular, usually ends in “a” and

becomes an “e” when pluralized.

*When a noun ends in an “e” in the singular it can be either masculine or feminine, and you need to memorize which ones are which.

Esempi dei nomi

Examples of Nouns:

il ragazzo = the boy ~ i ragazzi = _________

la ragazza = the girl ~ le ragazze = _______

il libro = the book ~ i libri = ____________

la lavagna = the blackboard

~ le lavagne = _______