{"id":69691,"date":"2019-04-03T05:01:07","date_gmt":"2019-04-03T09:01:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/italian-articles\/"},"modified":"2025-02-03T01:11:08","modified_gmt":"2025-02-03T06:11:08","slug":"italian-articles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/italian\/italian-articles\/","title":{"rendered":"The Easy Guide to Italian Articles"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Articles in Italian are small words that precede nouns to indicate their gender and number.<\/p>\n<p>Italian has <strong>11 articles<\/strong> divided into <strong>two types<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Definite articles\u00a0(<em>il, l&#8217;, lo, la, i, le, gli<\/em>)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Indefinite articles (<em>un, una, uno, un&#8217;<\/em>)<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Definite articles<\/strong> in Italian are used to specify known nouns, while<strong> indefinite articles<\/strong> specify unknown or unspecified nouns.<\/p>\n<p>Think about this same idea in English. &#8220;<strong>The<\/strong> dog&#8221; would refer to a dog that&#8217;s known to you, and &#8220;<strong>a<\/strong> dog&#8221; would refer to any old dog. It&#8217;s the same in Italian.<\/p>\n<p>I know it sounds intimidating at first. All that work just to say &#8220;the&#8221; and &#8220;a\/an&#8221;?\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Well it&#8217;s not as confusing as it looks!<\/p>\n<p>Read on to learn all about Italian articles, with lots of examples and all the necessary grammar rules, so you&#8217;ll never make an article mistake again.<\/p>\n<p>[fluentu-toc]<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<h2>What Are Italian Articles?<\/h2>\n<p>In Italian, like in many languages, there are two types of articles.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Indefinite articles<\/strong>\u00a0<strong>denote a noun but don&#8217;t refer to a specific noun<\/strong> (think of &#8220;a&#8221; or &#8220;an&#8221; in English).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Definite articles denote a specific noun<\/strong>\u00a0(think of &#8220;the&#8221; in English).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In addition to these two types of articles, Italian further categorizes articles in a way that English doesn&#8217;t: <strong>grammatical gender and number.<\/strong> In Italian, both types of articles change depending on the gender and number of the noun that follows them.<\/p>\n<h2>Italian Indefinite Articles<\/h2>\n<p>First thing&#8217;s first: indefinite articles are used to refer to a non-specific noun. For example, this is the equivalent to saying &#8220;a duck&#8221; or &#8220;an apple&#8221; in English. It can be any duck and any apple.<\/p>\n<p>In contrast to English&#8217;s two indefinite articles (&#8220;a&#8221; and &#8220;an&#8221;), <strong>Italian has four indefinite articles:<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3>1.<em> un<\/em><\/h3>\n<p><em>Un<\/em>\u00a0is usually the go-to indefinite article for\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/italian\/plural-in-italian\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">singular masculine nouns<\/a>. It is used before words that begin with a vowel and most (but not all) consonants.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Examples:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em><strong>un<\/strong> uomo<\/em> \u2014 a man<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>un<\/strong> gatto<\/em> \u2014 a cat<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>2.<em>\u00a0uno<\/em><\/h3>\n<p><em>Uno<\/em>, on the other hand, is used in more specific (but still non-specific) circumstances. It is used before words that start with s + a consonant or words that start with z, x, y, gn, ps, or pn.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Examples:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em><strong>uno<\/strong> zaino<\/em> \u2014 a backpack<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>uno<\/strong> strumento<\/em> \u2014 an instrument<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>3.<\/strong>\u00a0<em>una<\/em><\/h3>\n<p>With feminine nouns starting with a consonant, you use\u00a0<em>una.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Examples:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em><strong>una<\/strong> mela<\/em> \u2014 an apple<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>una<\/strong> donna<\/em> \u2014 a woman<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>4.\u00a0<em>un\u2019<\/em><\/h3>\n<p>If the feminine noun in question starts with a vowel, you use\u00a0<em>un\u2019<\/em>\u00a0instead. That apostrophe replaces the \u201ca\u201d on the end, almost like when you take out a letter to form a contraction like \u201cdon\u2019t\u201d from \u201cdo not.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Examples:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em><strong>un&#8217;<\/strong>amica<\/em> \u2014 a female friend<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>un&#8217;<\/strong>universit\u00e0<\/em> \u2014 a university<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Italian Definite Articles<\/h2>\n<p>Unlike an indefinite article, definite articles are used to refer to a specific noun.<\/p>\n<p>For example, this would be like saying &#8220;the duck&#8221; or &#8220;the apple&#8221; in English, which implies that you&#8217;re speaking about a specific duck or apple.<\/p>\n<p>While there&#8217;s only one of these in English (&#8220;the&#8221;), <strong>there are seven definite articles in Italian.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3>4. <em>il<\/em><\/h3>\n<p>You use\u00a0<em>il<\/em>\u00a0for\u00a0<strong>masculine and singular nouns.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Benito Mussolini, during his time, was called\u00a0<em>Il Duce<\/em>\u00a0(The Leader), referring to his position in government. The Cathedral in Florence is called\u00a0<em>Il Duomo<\/em>\u00a0(The House).<\/p>\n<p><em>Il<\/em>\u00a0is the go-to article for those regular masculine and singular nouns. Think of buff, single guys.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Examples:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em><strong>il<\/strong> centro<\/em> \u2014 the center<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>il<\/strong> mare<\/em> \u2014 the sea<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>il<\/strong> ristorante<\/em> \u2014 the restaurant<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>il<\/strong> dottore<\/em> \u2014 the doctor<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>il<\/strong> professore<\/em> \u2014 the professor<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>il<\/strong> libro<\/em> \u2014 the book<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>il<\/strong> terrazzo<\/em> \u2014 the terrace<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>5.<em> l\u2019<\/em><\/h3>\n<p>The definite article\u00a0<i>l\u2019<\/i>\u00a0is\u00a0<strong>used when a vowel is involved.<\/strong>\u00a0When your masculine, singular word starts with a vowel, you pair it with\u00a0<em>l\u2019.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Native speakers of any language try to find ways to make their interactions smoother and help words naturally roll off the tongue. An opportunity arises when a noun starts with a vowel. Italians simply save energy and skip a few movements of the tongue: Instead of using the\u00a0article\u00a0<em>il<\/em>\u00a0for these words, they just use\u00a0<em>l\u2019\u00a0<\/em>and simply slide\u00a0into the noun.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Examples:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em><strong>l&#8217;<\/strong>ulivo<\/em> \u2014 the olive tree<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>l&#8217;<\/strong>oro<\/em> \u2014 the gold<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>l&#8217;<\/strong>argento<\/em> \u2014 the silver<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>l&#8217;<\/strong>angelo<\/em> \u2014 the angel<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>l&#8217;<\/strong>occhio<\/em> \u2014 the eye<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>l&#8217;<\/strong>albero<\/em> \u2014 the tree<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>l&#8217;<\/strong>arancio<\/em> \u2014 the orange tree<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>6.<em> lo<\/em><\/h3>\n<p>For masculine, singular nouns that start with the following letters, we use the article\u00a0<em>lo:<\/em>\u00a0<strong><em>s<\/em>\u00a0(followed by a consonant),\u00a0<em>z, y, sp, pn\u00a0<\/em>and<em>\u00a0gn.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>You\u2019ll notice that this group is a special case. Any other word that begins with a consonant uses\u00a0<em>il,<\/em>\u00a0but these six require a\u00a0<em>lo<\/em>.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em><strong>lo<\/strong> studio<\/em> \u2014 the office<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>lo<\/strong> zio<\/em> \u2014 the uncle<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>lo<\/strong> sci<\/em> \u2014 the ski<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>lo<\/strong> sport<\/em> \u2014 the sport<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>lo<\/strong> zucchero<\/em> \u2014 the sugar<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>lo<\/strong> yen<\/em> \u2014 the yen<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>lo<\/strong> psicologo<\/em> \u2014 the psychologist<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>lo<\/strong> gnocco<\/em> \u2014 the dumpling<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>lo<\/strong> pneumatico<\/em> \u2014 the tire<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>7.<em> i<\/em><\/h3>\n<p>The article\u00a0<em>i<\/em>\u00a0is the\u00a0<strong>general identifier for masculine, plural nouns.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thoughtco.com\/plural-nouns-in-italian-4059924\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Turning things plural<\/a>\u00a0in Italian is a pretty straightforward affair. You change the ending of the noun and tag it with the proper definite article.<\/p>\n<p>To form a masculine plural noun, two things need to happen. First, drop the\u00a0<em>l<\/em>\u00a0in\u00a0<em>il<\/em>\u00a0so it becomes the definite article\u00a0<em>i.<\/em>\u00a0Then convert the \u2013<em>o<\/em>\u00a0found at the ends of masculine nouns\u00a0<em>(libr<strong>o,<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0<em>tavol<strong>o,<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0<em>terrazz<strong>o<\/strong>)\u00a0<\/em>into\u00a0an\u00a0<em>-i.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>So you now have two\u00a0<em>i\u2019s, o<\/em>ne as the definite article, and the other one at the end of the noun. In other words, for plural forms of masculine nouns, you\u2019re making it rain\u00a0<em>i\u2019s.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Examples:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em><strong>i<\/strong> libri<\/em> \u2014 the books<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>i<\/strong> ragazzi<\/em> \u2014 the boys<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>i<\/strong> vini<\/em> \u2014 the wines<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>i<\/strong> cavalli<\/em> \u2014 the horses<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>i<\/strong> negozi<\/em> \u2014 the shops<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>i<\/strong> gatti<\/em> \u2014 the cats<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>i<\/strong> cani<\/em> \u2014 the dogs<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>8.<em> gli<\/em><\/h3>\n<p>The article\u00a0<em>gli<\/em>\u00a0is used as the plural form of the\u00a0<em>lo.\u00a0<\/em>That means you use it before the plural versions of words that begin with\u00a0<strong><em>s<\/em>\u00a0(followed by a consonant),\u00a0<em>z, y, sp, pn\u00a0<\/em>and<em>\u00a0gn.\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>You also use\u00a0<em>gli<\/em>\u00a0<strong>before nouns that begin with vowels.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Just like the previous category, in order to make the nouns plural, you change the ending from\u00a0<em>-o<\/em>\u00a0to\u00a0<em>-i.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Examples:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em><strong>gli<\/strong> studenti<\/em> \u2014 the students<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>gli<\/strong> gnomi<\/em> \u2014 the gnomes<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>gli<\/strong> psicologi<\/em> \u2014 the psychologists<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>gli<\/strong> pneumatici<\/em> \u2014 the tires<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>gli<\/strong> zaini<\/em> \u2014 the backpacks<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>gli<\/strong> angeli<\/em> \u2014 the angels<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>gli<\/strong> alberi<\/em> \u2014 the trees<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>9.<em> la<\/em><\/h3>\n<p>Now, let\u2019s get to \u201cla la land\u201d!\u00a0<em>La<\/em>\u00a0is\u00a0<strong>used for singular words that begin with a consonant.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s actually the go-to identifier for anything grammatically feminine and single (like a potential girlfriend). For example, when you want to say \u201cthe good life,\u201d you say\u00a0<em>la dolce vita.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Examples:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em><strong>la<\/strong> strada<\/em> \u2014 the street<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>la<\/strong> testa<\/em> \u2014 the head<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>la<\/strong> guardia<\/em> \u2014 the guard<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>la<\/strong> pera<\/em> \u2014 the pear<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>la<\/strong> terra<\/em> \u2014 the earth<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>la<\/strong> madre<\/em> \u2014 the mother<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>la<\/strong> finestra<\/em> \u2014 the window<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>10.<em> l\u2019<\/em><\/h3>\n<p>For any\u00a0<strong>feminine, singular word that starts with a vowel,<\/strong>\u00a0you use\u00a0<em>l\u2019.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>This, again, is an example of how native speakers game the language and make it easier on themselves. When a feminine noun begins with a vowel, instead of using\u00a0<em>la,<\/em>\u00a0just\u00a0drop the\u00a0<em>-a<\/em>\u00a0and use\u00a0<em>l\u2019.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>So, instead of saying\u00a0<em>la acqua,<\/em>\u00a0which sounds a bit redundant and takes a bit longer, you simply say\u00a0<em>l\u2019acqua<\/em>\u00a0and go on with your busy day.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019ve talked about using\u00a0<em>l\u2019<\/em>\u00a0earlier using masculine nouns. Here, let\u2019s see examples for feminine nouns.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Examples:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em><strong>l&#8217;<\/strong>ora<\/em> \u2014 the hour<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>l&#8217;<\/strong>auto<\/em> \u2014 the car<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>l&#8217;<\/strong>ananas<\/em> \u2014 the pineapple<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>l&#8217;<\/strong>oasi<\/em> \u2014 the oasis<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>l&#8217;<\/strong>austerit\u00e0<\/em> \u2014 the austerity<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>l&#8217;<\/strong>idea<\/em> \u2014 the idea<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>l&#8217;<\/strong>eco<\/em> \u2014 the echo<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>11. <em>le<\/em><\/h3>\n<p><em>Le<\/em>\u00a0is the article for<strong>\u00a0feminine,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/onlineitalianclub.com\/free-italian-exercises-and-resources\/online-italian-course-beginner-level-a1\/plurale-dei-nomi\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">plural nouns<\/a>.<\/strong>\u00a0It replaces the\u00a0<em>la<\/em>\u00a0or\u00a0<em>l\u2019<\/em>\u00a0of the singular noun.<\/p>\n<p>Can you guess what happens to the\u00a0<em>-a<\/em>\u00a0at the end of the singular noun\u00a0<em>(maestr<strong>a<\/strong><\/em><strong>,<\/strong>\u00a0<em>mes<strong>a<\/strong><\/em><strong>,<\/strong>\u00a0<em>finestr<strong>a<\/strong>)?<\/em>\u00a0You turn it into an\u00a0<em>-e<\/em>. So this time, you\u2019re making it rain\u00a0<em>e\u2019s!<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Examples:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em><strong>le<\/strong> sorelle<\/em> \u2014 the sisters<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>le<\/strong> amiche<\/em> \u2014 the friends<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>le<\/strong> farmacie<\/em> \u2014 the pharmacies<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>le<\/strong> ragazze<\/em> \u2014 the girls<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>le<\/strong> foto<\/em> \u2014 the photos<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>le<\/strong> case<\/em> \u2014 the houses<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>le<\/strong> ore<\/em> \u2014 the hours<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Example Sentences Using Italian Articles<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Example sentences with indefinite articles<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em><strong>Un amico <\/strong>viene a casa mia.<\/em> \u2014 A friend comes to my house.<\/li>\n<li><em>Ho fatto <strong>uno sbaglio<\/strong>.<\/em> \u2014 I made a mistake.<\/li>\n<li><em>Uso <strong>una penna<\/strong> per scrivere.<\/em> \u2014 I use a pen to write.<\/li>\n<li><em>Ha parlato per <strong>un&#8217;ora<\/strong>.<\/em> \u2014 She talked for an hour.<\/li>\n<li><em>Ho comprato <strong>un libro<\/strong> nuovo<\/em>. \u2014 I bought a new book.<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>Un insegnante<\/strong> sta entrando nella classe.<\/em> \u2014 A teacher is entering the classroom.<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>Un bambino<\/strong> ha trovato un tesoro nel giardino<\/em>. \u2014 A child found a treasure in the garden.<\/li>\n<li><em>Oggi voglio fare <strong>un viaggio<\/strong> in montagna<\/em>. \u2014 Today I want to take a trip to the mountains.<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>Un gatto<\/strong> nero sta attraversando la strada<\/em>. \u2014 A black cat is crossing the street.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Example sentences with definite articles<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em><strong>Il cane<\/strong> mangia<\/em>. \u2014 The dog eats.<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>I ragazzi<\/strong> giocano a calcio<\/em>. \u2014 The boys play soccer.<\/li>\n<li><em>Ho visto <strong>lo specchio<\/strong><\/em>. \u2014 I saw the mirror.<\/li>\n<li><em>Lei ha mangiato <strong>gli gnocchi<\/strong><\/em>. \u2014 She ate the gnocchi.<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>La ragazza<\/strong> balla<\/em>. \u2014 The girl dances.<\/li>\n<li><em>Abbiamo toccato <strong>le farfalle<\/strong><\/em>. \u2014 We touched the butterflies.<\/li>\n<li><em>Dov&#8217;\u00e8 <strong>l&#8217;uomo<\/strong>?<\/em> \u2014 Where&#8217;s the man?<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>L&#8217;isola<\/strong> \u00e8 bella<\/em>. \u2014 The island is pretty.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Important Rules About Italian Indefinite Articles<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>DO<\/strong>\u00a0<strong>use them when you would use \u201ca\u201d or \u201can\u201d in English<\/strong><br \/>\nIn general, it is appropriate to use an indefinite article in Italian in the same situations you would use it in English: when you want to say \u201ca\u201d or \u201can.\u201d As you saw earlier, it isn\u2019t always a direct one-to-one translation of \u201can\u201d to \u201c<em>un<\/em>,\u201d for example, but the idea is the same. If you are referring to something indefinite, you usually use the indefinite article.<\/li>\n<li><strong>DON\u2019T<\/strong>\u00a0<strong>use them with some numbers<\/strong><br \/>\nThere are some cases where we might use an indefinite article in English, but not in Italian. With some\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/italian\/italian-numbers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Italian numbers<\/a>, for example (but not all of them!), you would leave out the indefinite article and just use the word as-is. This is most commonly done with\u00a0<em>cento<\/em>\u00a0(hundred) and\u00a0<em>mille<\/em>\u00a0(thousand).<\/p>\n<p><em>cento miglia<\/em> \u2014 a hundred miles<br \/>\n<em>mille volte<\/em> \u2014 a thousand times<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>DON\u2019T<\/strong>\u00a0<strong>use them in an expression that starts with\u00a0<em>che<br \/>\n<\/em><\/strong>There are several expressions in Italian that start with the word \u201c<em>che<\/em>.\u201d These are usually an exclamation of some sort, and they never take the indefinite article, even if it would be present in the English translation. For instance:<strong><em><br \/>\n<\/em><\/strong><br \/>\n<em>Che peccato!<\/em> \u2014 What a shame!<br \/>\n<em>Che idiota!<\/em> \u2014 What an idiot!<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>DON\u2019T<\/strong>\u00a0<strong>use them when saying \u201cfew\u201d or \u201ca lot\u201d<br \/>\n<\/strong>In English, we don\u2019t think twice about using the phrase \u201ca few\u201d or \u201ca lot.\u201d We always take it for granted that the \u201ca\u201d is in there, but in Italian, that poor \u201ca\u201d goes away:<\/p>\n<p><em>qualche mela<\/em> \u2014 a few apples<br \/>\n<em>molti libri<\/em> \u2014 a lot of books<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Important Rules About Italian Definite Articles<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>DO keep in mind that the definite article is used quite a bit more than in English.<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong><br \/>\n<\/strong>For example, in English, we might be able to say &#8220;I like bread&#8221; with the definite article &#8220;the&#8221; missing from the phrase before the word &#8220;bread.&#8221; However, in Italian, we must add that definite article, to make <em>mi piace\u00a0<strong>il<\/strong><\/em><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><em>pane\u00a0<\/em>(I like bread).<\/li>\n<li><strong>DO use the definite article with days of the week and the months of the year.<\/strong> So, to say &#8220;I play soccer every Sunday,&#8221; we&#8217;d say <em><strong>la<\/strong>\u00a0domenica gioco il calcio<\/em>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>DO add the definite article\u00a0in addition to the possessive pronoun in Italian.<\/strong> For example, to say &#8220;my book&#8221; in Italian, we&#8217;d get\u00a0<em><strong>il mio<\/strong> libro\u00a0<\/em>where\u00a0<em>il\u00a0<\/em>is the masculine, singular definite pronoun and\u00a0<em>mio<\/em> is the possessive pronoun.\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>DO combine Italian definite articles with prepositions\n<p><\/strong>In addition to the masculine, feminine and plural forms of the definite articles in Italian,<strong>\u00a0definite articles also combine with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/italian\/italian-prepositions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">certain Italian prepositions<\/a>.<\/strong> Since this post focuses on articles, we won&#8217;t go into many details about prepositions here, so be sure to check out <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/italian\/italian-prepositions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">more information about Italian prepositions<\/a> to get a fuller understanding of them.<\/p>\n<p>When you use an article after a preposition in Italian, <strong>you make something similar to a contraction in English.<\/strong> For example, when placed together, the word &#8220;they&#8221; and the word &#8220;are&#8221; combine to become &#8220;they&#8217;re&#8221; in English. A similar process happens between prepositions and definite articles in Italian, too.<\/p>\n<p>However, be careful! Unlike in English, most of these article and preposition contractions in Italian <strong>aren&#8217;t\u00a0optional:<\/strong> they&#8217;re obligatory, and you <strong>must<\/strong> make such combinations when you use the two words next to one another.<\/p>\n<p>Check out the most common combinations:<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong><em>a\u00a0<\/em>(to)<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>Ho dato la mela <strong>al<\/strong> cane<\/em>. \u2014 I gave the apple to the dog.<\/li>\n<li><em>Ha dato la penna <strong>allo<\/strong> studente<\/em>. \u2014 He gave the pen to the student.<\/li>\n<li><em>Lei non crede <strong>alla<\/strong> sua versione<\/em>. \u2014 She doesn&#8217;t believe his version.<\/li>\n<li><em>Abbiamo fatto un regalo <strong>all&#8217;<\/strong>avvocato.<\/em> \u2014 We gave a gift to the lawyer.<\/li>\n<li><em>Non tengo <strong>ai<\/strong> loro consigli.<\/em> \u2014 I don&#8217;t care about their advice.<\/li>\n<li><em>Lui scrive <strong>agli<\/strong> amici.<\/em> \u2014 He writes to his friends.<\/li>\n<li><em>Avete pensato <strong>alle<\/strong> case?<\/em> \u2014 Did you think about the houses?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong><em>di\u00a0<\/em>(of)<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>Ho bisogno <strong>del<\/strong> computer<\/em>. \u2014 I need the computer.<\/li>\n<li><em>Questo \u00e8 il cappello <strong>dello<\/strong> zio<\/em>. \u2014 This is the uncle&#8217;s hat.<\/li>\n<li><em>Guarda la macchina <strong>della<\/strong> ragazza<\/em>. \u2014 Look at the girl&#8217;s car.<\/li>\n<li><em>L&#8217;alveare \u00e8 la casa <strong>dell&#8217;<\/strong>ape.<\/em> \u2014 A hive is the bee&#8217;s home.<\/li>\n<li><em>Lei ha paura <strong>dei<\/strong> ragni<\/em>. \u2014 She&#8217;s scared of spiders.<\/li>\n<li><em>\u00c8 un regalo <strong>degli<\/strong> angeli.<\/em> \u2014 It&#8217;s a gift from the angels.<\/li>\n<li><em>Ho trovato le borse <strong>delle<\/strong> ragazze<\/em>. \u2014 I found the girls&#8217; bags.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong><em>da <\/em>(from)<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>Ho preso lo zaino <strong>dall&#8217;<\/strong>armadio<\/em>. \u2014 I took the backpack from the closet.<\/li>\n<li><em>Sono tornato <strong>dallo<\/strong> zoo<\/em>. \u2014 I returned from the zoo.<\/li>\n<li><em>Lei viene <strong>dalla<\/strong> Francia<\/em>. \u2014 She comes from France.<\/li>\n<li><em>Torno <strong>dall&#8217;<\/strong>Italia domani<\/em>. \u2014 I return from Italy tomorrow.<\/li>\n<li><em>Andiamo <strong>dai<\/strong> signori Ferrari<\/em>. \u2014 Let&#8217;s go to the Ferraris&#8217; house.<\/li>\n<li><em>Noi siamo tornati <strong>dagli<\/strong> zii.<\/em> \u2014 We returned from our aunt&#8217;s and uncle&#8217;s.<\/li>\n<li><em>Quando tornate <strong>dalle<\/strong> vacanze?<\/em> \u2014 When do you return from vacation?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong><em>in<\/em><em>\u00a0<\/em>(in)<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>La gomma \u00e8 <strong>nell&#8217;<\/strong>astuccio?<\/em> \u2014 Is the eraser in the pencil case?<\/li>\n<li><em>La penna \u00e8 <strong>nello<\/strong> zaino<\/em>. \u2014 The pen is in the backpack.<\/li>\n<li><em>C&#8217;\u00e8 ancora vino <strong>nella<\/strong> bottiglia.<\/em> \u2014 There is still wine in the bottle.<\/li>\n<li><em>La scrivania \u00e8 <strong>nell&#8217;<\/strong>ufficio<\/em>. \u2014 The desk is in the office.<\/li>\n<li><em>Ci sono i fiori <strong>nei<\/strong> giardini.<\/em> \u2014 There are flowers in the gardens.<\/li>\n<li><em>Vedi gli uccelli <strong>negli<\/strong> alberi?<\/em> \u2014 Do you see the birds in the trees?<\/li>\n<li><em>Ci sono sostanze chimiche dannose <strong>nelle<\/strong> sigarette<\/em>. \u2014 There are harmful chemicals in cigarettes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong><em>su\u00a0<\/em>(on)<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>La bottiglia \u00e8 <strong>sul<\/strong> tavolo<\/em>. \u2014 The bottle is on the table.<\/li>\n<li><em>La ragazza riflette <strong>sul<\/strong> suo sbaglio<\/em>. \u2014 The girl reflects on her mistake.<\/li>\n<li><em>Ho trovato i documenti <strong>sulla<\/strong> scrivania<\/em>. \u2014 I found the documents on my desk.<\/li>\n<li><em>Dove sono i libri <strong>sull&#8217;<\/strong>amore?<\/em> \u2014 Where are the books about love?<\/li>\n<li><em>Il ragazzo pesa <strong>sui<\/strong> quaranta chili<\/em>. \u2014 The boy weighs about 40 kilograms.<\/li>\n<li><em>Concentrati <strong>sugli<\/strong> alberi!<\/em> \u2014 Concentrate on the trees!<\/li>\n<li><em>Ci sono volute <strong>sulle<\/strong> sei ore per fare l&#8217;esame.<\/em> \u2014 It took about six hours to take the exam.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong><em>con\u00a0<\/em>(with)<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>Ho camminato <strong>col<\/strong> professore.<\/em> \u2014 I walked with the professor.<\/li>\n<li><em>La donna giocava <strong>coi<\/strong> cani.<\/em> \u2014 The woman was playing with the dogs.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Where to Practice Italian Articles<\/h2>\n<p>Now that we&#8217;ve mastered the Italian articles, we should practice them! Here are a few places where you can do this:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"margin-bottom: 12px\"><strong><em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.lezionidiitaliano.altervista.org\/esercizi_gli_articoli\/esercizi_gli_articoli.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Lezioni di Italiano<\/a><\/em> <\/strong>has a pretty comprehensive quiz of the indefinite and definite articles.<\/li>\n<li>Listen to Italian speakers using these articles in action through authentic Italian videos on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/italian\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>the FluentU program<\/strong><\/a>.<p><strong>FluentU<\/strong> takes authentic videos\u2014like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks\u2014and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.<\/p>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<p>You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download <a href=\"https:\/\/apps.apple.com\/us\/app\/fluentu-learn-language-videos\/id917892175\">the iOS app<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.fluentflix.fluentu&amp;hl=en&amp;gl=US\">Android app.<\/a><\/p>\r\n<p><i><a data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/try\/april-sale-3331\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">P.S. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)<\/a><\/i>\r\n<\/p>\r\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/italian\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\r\n  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/try-fluentu-for-free.jpg\" alt=\"FluentU Ad\" \/>\r\n  <p style=\"text-align: center\">\r\n    <button class=\"btn-blue\" style=\"border: none;font-size: 18px;text-align: center;padding: 0.75rem 1.5rem;cursor: pointer\">\r\n      Try FluentU for FREE!\r\n    <\/button>\r\n  <\/p>\r\n<\/a>\r\n\r\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"margin-bottom: 12px\">Take a more in-depth look at the indefinite articles with <a href=\"http:\/\/www.softschools.com\/quizzes\/italian\/the_italian_articols\/quiz2365.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">this quiz from<strong> SoftSchools.com<\/strong><\/a><strong>. <\/strong><\/li>\n<li style=\"margin-bottom: 12px\">To practice Italian articles with prepositions, try <a href=\"https:\/\/onlineitalianclub.com\/free_italian_exercises\/esercizi_a1_2.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a quiz from the<strong> Online Italian Club<\/strong><\/a><strong>. <\/strong><\/li>\n<li style=\"margin-bottom: 12px\">Lastly, you can practice choosing Italian articles &#8220;in the wild&#8221; (i.e. in context) in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.oneworlditaliano.com\/english\/italian-exercises\/italian-definite-indefinite-articles.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a quiz from<strong> One World Italiano<\/strong><\/a><strong>.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>The Italian Article Quiz: Test Your Knowledge!<\/h2>\n<!-- quiz #39479 not found -->\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>So there you have it: Italian articles demystified and explained. Practice using articles today in Italian and see how impressed the locals are on your next trip to Italy.<\/p>\n<p><em>Buon viaggio!<\/em> (Have a good trip!)<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<h2>And One More Thing...<\/h2>\r\n<p>\r\nIf you're as busy as most of us, you don't always have time for lengthy language lessons. <strong><a data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/try\/april-sale-3331\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"> The solution? FluentU<\/a><\/strong>!\r\n<\/p>\r\n<p>\r\nLearn Italian with funny commericals, documentary excerpts and web series, as you can see here:\r\n<\/p>\r\n<a data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/try\/april-sale-3331\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-2554\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Italian-5.jpg\" alt=\"learn-italian-with-videos\" width=\"307\" height=\"546\" \/><\/a>\r\n<p>\r\nFluentU helps you get comfortable with everyday Italian by combining all the benefits of complete immersion and native-level conversations with <strong>interactive subtitles<\/strong>. Tap on any word to instantly see an image, in-context definition, example sentences and other videos in which the word is used.\r\n<\/p>\r\n<a data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/try\/april-sale-3331\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-2755\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Italian-2.jpg\" alt=\"learn-italian-with-captioned-videos\" width=\"307\" height=\"546\" \/><\/a>\r\n<p>\r\nAccess a complete interactive transcript of every video under the <strong>Dialogue<\/strong> tab, and review words and phrases with convenient audio clips under <strong>Vocab<\/strong>.\r\n<\/p>\r\n<a data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/try\/april-sale-3331\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-2555\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Italian-6.jpg\" alt=\"learn-conversational-italian-with-subtitled-dialogue\" width=\"307\" height=\"546\" \/><\/a>\r\n<p>\r\nOnce you've watched a video, you can use FluentU's <strong>quizzes<\/strong> to actively practice all the vocabulary in that video. Swipe left or right to see more examples of the word you\u2019re on.\r\n<\/p>\r\n<a data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/try\/april-sale-3331\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-2556\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Italian-7.jpg\" alt=\"practice-italian-with-adaptive-quizzes\" width=\"307\" height=\"546\" \/><\/a>\r\n<p>\r\nFluentU will even keep track of all the Italian words you\u2019re learning, and give you extra practice with difficult words. Plus, it'll tell you exactly when it's time for review. Now that's a <strong>100% personalized experience<\/strong>!\r\n<\/p>\r\n<p>\r\nThe best part? You can try FluentU for free with a trial.\r\n<\/p>\r\n<p>\r\nStart using the FluentU website on your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes or Google Play store. <a data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/try\/april-sale-3331\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)<\/a>\r\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Articles in Italian are small words that precede nouns to indicate their gender and number. Italian has 11 articles divided into two types: Definite articles\u00a0(il, l&#8217;, lo, la, i, le,&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":236,"featured_media":249747,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"slim_seo":{"title":"The Easy Guide to Italian Articles | FluentU Italian Blog","description":"Learning Italian articles can be confusing at first. But never fear, here's the definitive guide to Italian definite and indefinite articles, all simply explained with plenty of examples, so you'll never get an Italian article wrong again. From \"un,\" \"uno\" and \"una\" to \"il,\" \"lo\" and \"la,\" we've got you covered!"},"footnotes":""},"categories":[420,422],"tags":[],"coauthors":[176],"class_list":["post-69691","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-italian","category-italian-grammar-lessons"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69691","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/236"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=69691"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69691\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":242289,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69691\/revisions\/242289"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/249747"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=69691"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=69691"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=69691"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=69691"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}