If you are studying Italian, it is very important that you learn the definite articles in order to speak Italian properly. Remember that the English definite article is always “the”, but in Italian articles can change depending on the words they accompany.
- Italian definite articles that accompany masculine words:
IL: this article usually accompanies masculine singular words which start with a consonant.
For example: il libro — the book
L’: this article is used with masculine singular words which start with a vowel.
For example: l’elefante — the elephant
LO: this article is used with masculine singular words which start with
- s+consonant (lo spazzolino — the toothbrush)
- ps (lo psicologo — the psychologist)
- gn (lo gnomo — the gnome)
- x (lo xilofono — the xylophone)
- y (lo yogurt — the yogurt)
- z (lo zaino — the backpack)
The plural form of IL is I (i libri — the books), while the plural form of the Italian articles L’ and LO is GLI (gli elefanti — the elephants / gli psicologi — the psychologists).
- Italian definite articles that accompany feminine words:
LA: this article is used with feminine singular words which start with a consonant.
For example: la sedia — the chair
L’: this article is used with feminine singular words which start with a vowel.
For example: l’amica — the friend
With feminine plural words we always use the Italian article LE (le sedie — the chairs / le amiche — the friends).
Watch our video about Italian definite articles and learn how to pronounce them:
If you want to practice Italian definite articles, here there are some exercises. These exercises will help you improve your Italian level easily and quickly. And if you want to learn even faster, remember that with Parlando Italiano you can have private Italian lessons at your home/office or via Skype with native and qualified Italian tutors.
Contact us to receive more information about our Italian courses. Don’t be afraid, we will be very happy to help you improve your Italian.