Introduction
Introduzione
Definite articles are words that specify a particular and identifiable noun. In English we use the word “the” for this purpose. In Italian, there are various words that can translate as “the” based on the gender and plurality of the noun as well as its surrounding sounds.
| Masculine | Feminine | |
|---|---|---|
| Singular |
il
the
l'
the
before vowel
lo
the
before /z/ or /s/ + consonant
|
la
the
|
| Plural |
i
the
gli
the
before vowel, or /z/ or /s/ + consonant
|
le
the
|
Phrases
Proposizioni
il ragazzo
the boy
i ragazzi
the boys
la ragazza
the girl
le ragazze
the girls
l'uomo
the man
gli uomini
the men
la donna
the woman
le donne
the women
lo spagnolo
the Spaniard (masculine)
la spagnola
the Spaniard (feminine)