Il cane, lo zio, l’amico… What is the exact rule of the articles in Italian? Let’s learn everything about the definite and indefinite article together!
To learn the articles, we start with a little quiz. Observe how the articles behave… can you guess the rule?
IL gatto, IL pesce 
LO scoiattolo 
L’orso 
LA maschera 
L’acqua
Fai un esercizio!
The definite article
The definite article is used – as in English – to refer back to something known or already mentioned. In Italian, nouns and articles have two genders, masculine (male) and feminine (female) and they can be either singular or plural. For the articles it is also important to see which is the first letter of the following word. Have a look at the table with the rules and the sample words!
Masculine
| Singular | Plural | |
| before consonant | il cane the dog | i cani the dogs |
| before vowel | l’orso the bear | gli orsi the bears |
| before s+consonant before z before y before x before gn before ps | lo scoiattolo the squirrel lo zio the uncle lo yogurt the yoghurt lo xenofobo the xenophobe lo gnomo the gnome, dwarf lo psicologo the psychologist | gli scoiattoli the squirrels gli zii the uncles gli yogurt the yoghurts gli xenofobi the xenophobes gli gnomi the gnomes, dwarfs gli psicologi the psychologists |
Feminine
| Singular | Plural | |
| before consonant | la mucca the cow | le mucche the cows |
| before vowel | l’amica the (female) friend | le amiche the (female) friends |
Il giro in bici the bicycle tour: il cane the dog, il guinzaglio the leash, la bicicletta the bicycle
Cody: “Yay!”
Esercizi
Fai un esercizio!
The indefinite article
The indefinite article is used when things or people are mentioned for the first time. Indefinite articles exist only in the singular and they have different forms depending on gender and the first letter of the following word, like the definite articles.
| Masculine | Feminine | |
| before consonant | un cane a dog | una mucca a cow |
| before vowel | un orso a bear | un’amica a (female) friend |
| before s+consonant before z before y before x before gn before ps | uno scoiattolo a squirrel uno zio an uncle uno yogurt a yoghurt uno xenofobo a xenophobe uno gnomo a gnome, dwarf uno psicologo a psychologist | – |
Esercizi
Fai un esercizio!
Impara con Kira e Cody
Dal calendario 2019
indefinite article: UN + consonant*
This is a cat. That's a very funny cat.
This is a hedgehog. The hedgehog is in love.
This is a cookie. The cookie is delicious!
*With exceptions, see following.
indefinite article: UN + gn, ps, x, y, z, s+consonant
This is a gnome. The gnome says hello.
This is a squirrel. The squirrel is trembling.
This is a backpack. It's a very roomy backpack.
Pronunciation: gnomo [ˈɲɔmo], <gn> is pronounced like the Spanish ñ.
indefinite article: UNA + consonant
This is a sock. The sock is red and yellow.
This is a cow. The cow is mooing.
This is a pumpkin. The pumpkin is a little sad.
Feminine: L' / UN' + vowel
Feminine: This is a bee. The bee is flying happy.
Masculine: This is a bear. The bear is fast asleep.
Masculine: This is a Christmas tree. The Christmas tree is decorated with many colorful baubles.
extra vocabulary
la stella star
lo scoiattolo squirrel
la pallina di Natale Christmas bauble
"So much fruit!" exclaims Kira gaping.
Kira really likes watermelon and melon.
Cody in turn takes a peach, an apricot, an orange and a tangerine.
Ah, and he also takes the lemon and the ginger.
There are also many exotic fruits!
Kira buys the mango, the pineapple, the pomegranate, the avocado and the papaya.
"Tonight we'll make a smoothie!"
vocabulary
il fruttivendolo fruit seller
la frutta fruit
l'anguria (f.) watermelon
il melone melon
la pesca peach
l'albicocca (f.) apricot
l'arancia (f.) orange
il mandarino tangerine
il limone lemon
lo zenzero ginger
il mango mango
l'ananas pineapple
il melograno pomegranate
l'avocado (m.) avocado
la papaya papaya
il frullato smoothie
Masculine Esercizio: What article?
Solutions
lo / uno gnomo gnome
lo / uno zaino backpack
lo / uno zenzero ginger
la / una volpe fox
la / una mela apple
l' / un elefante (m.) elephant
il / un miele honey
lo / uno sport sport
lo / uno yogurt yoghurt
il / un ragno spider
la / una ciliegia cherry
il / un serpente snake
lo / uno scoiattolo squirrel
l' / un' anatra (f.) duck
lo / uno zio uncle
lo / uno zoo zoo
l' / un' aquila (f.) eagle
