by Carolyn Henry

Created on: October 25, 2009

The Italian definite article translates as the English as the definite article the. However, in Italian the definite article is somewhat more complex, having a variety of forms depending on the gender, number and initial phonetic sound of the noun which it precedes.

SINGULAR FORMS

With singular nouns, the Italian definite article has one of four singular forms: il, lo, l' and la.

Il is used with most masculine singular nouns. For example, one would say il libro (the book) and il padre (the father).

Lo is used with masculine singular nouns which begin with either a z or an s followed by another consonant. This is done for phonetic reasons, as the Italian language does not allow certain awkward consonant combinations. Thus, one would say lo zaino (the bookbag) and lo student (the male student).

L' is the definite article used with all masculine and feminine singular nouns which begin with a vowel. For example, one would say l'orologio (the clock) and l'uomo (the man), both of which are masculine nouns. Likewise, one would say l'aula (the classroom) and l'universita (the university) for those feminine nouns.

The final singular definite article, la, is the form of the article used with feminine singular nouns which do not begin with a vowel. For example, in Italian one says la finestra (the window) and la madre (the mother).

PLURAL FORMS

The definite article in Italian takes on one of the following three forms when used with plural nouns: i, gli and le. As with the singular, the form required depends on the gender, number and initial sound of the noun which follows.

I is the definite article most often used with masculine plural nouns. For example, one says i libri (the books) and i fratelli (the brothers).

Gli is the article used before all masculine plural nouns which begin with either a z, and s followed by another consonant, or a vowel. For example, one would say in Italian gli zaini (the bookbags) or gli studenti (the students). Similarly, one would say gli orologi (the clocks) and gli uomini (the men).

Le is the form of the definite article used with all feminine plural nouns, regardless of the initial sound. In Italian, one says le finestre (the windows) and le madri (the mothers), but one also says le aule (the classrooms) and le universita (the universities).

In conclusion, the definite article in Italian is more complex than the definite article in English. The seven forms of the Italian definite article (il, lo, l', la, i, gli, and le) are determined by the number, gender and the initial sound of the noun which follows.

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