Previously in this series, we covered singular definite articles (how to say "THE" for singular nouns), so "the dog" is:
il cane
Then, we talked about regular noun endings, and how those change to form the plural, so "dogs" is:
e->i
cani
Now suppose we want to combine the two and say "the dogs."
? cani
For that, we need to learn the three plural definite articles and when to use them (hint: it's easy!) so go to page 11 of the BASICS Digital Workbook (link below) and let's get started!
(New to this series?… You may want to start with…)
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ITALIAN BASICS:
(1) Indefinite Articles, (How to say "A/AN")
(2) Definite Articles (singular), (How to say "THE")
(3) Pluralization, (How to make singular nouns plural)
(1) Indefinite Articles, (How to say "A/AN")
(2) Definite Articles (singular), (How to say "THE")
(3) Pluralization, (How to make singular nouns plural)
Recapping on Masculine Articles/Plurals:
There are three singular, masculine, definite articles:
IL for most masculine nouns
L' for masculine nouns that begin with a vowel.
LO for masculine nouns that begin with z, s+consonant, ps, and gn.
Most masculine nouns end in o, which becomes i in the plural.
il -> i
If the noun takes IL in the singular, it takes I in the plural:
il libro -> i libri
the book the books
il ragazzo -> i ragazzi
the boy the boys
il giorno -> i giorni
the day the days
l' / lo -> gli
Any masculine noun that takes L' or LO in the singular takes GLI in the plural:
l'occhio -> gli occhi
the eye the eyes
l'albero -> gli alberi
the tree the trees
lo zaino -> gli zaini
the backpack the backpacks
lo sport -> gli sport
the sport the sports
lo psicologo -> gli psicologi
the psychiatrist the psychiatrists
lo gnocco -> gli gnocchi
the dumpling the dumplings
Recapping on Feminine Articles/Plurals:
There are two singular, feminine, definite articles:
LA for most feminine nouns
L' for feminine nouns that begin with a vowel.
Most feminine nouns end in a, which becomes e in the plural.
Some feminine nouns end in e, which becomes i in the plural.
LA for most feminine nouns
L' for feminine nouns that begin with a vowel.
Most feminine nouns end in a, which becomes e in the plural.
Some feminine nouns end in e, which becomes i in the plural.
All feminine nouns take LE in the plural:
the thing the things
la ragazza -> le ragazze
the girl the girls
la casa -> le case
the house the houses
la birra -> le birre
the beer the beers
l'occasione -> le occasioni
the occasion the occasions
l'aranciata -> le aranciate
the orange sodas the orange sodas
All of the definite articles, as well as when to use each can be summed up in the following chart:
If you haven't done so already, fill-in the "Notes" section of the Definite Articles (Plural) worksheet on page 11 of the Italian Basics digital workbook and then complete the quick exercises! (Submit your answers by email for free corrections!)
Ready for the next lesson in this series?
Previous lessons in this series…
(01) Indefinite Articles (How to say "A/AN" in Italian
(02) Definite Articles (How to say "THE" in Italian)
(03) Pluralization, (How to make singular nouns plural)
(01) Indefinite Articles (How to say "A/AN" in Italian
(02) Definite Articles (How to say "THE" in Italian)
(03) Pluralization, (How to make singular nouns plural)
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The Beginner's Italian Grammar Series, starting with:
