Italian Language Lessons
Grammar, spelling, and usage
Italian Plural Nouns
Workbook Exercises About This Topic
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When forming the plural of Italian nouns, the vowel endings change to indicate a change in number. For regular masculine nouns that end in -o, the ending changes to -i in the plural.
The table below includes a few nouns to start with:
| PLURAL FORMS OF ITALIAN MASCULINE NOUNS ENDING IN -O |
|---|
| SINGULAR | PLURAL | ENGLISH |
|---|
| fratello | fratelli | brothers |
| libro | libri | books |
| nonno | nonni | grandfather |
| ragazzo | ragazzi | boys |
| vino | vini | wine |
Regular feminine nouns that end in -a take on -e endings in the plural.
| PLURAL FORMS OF ITALIAN FEMININE NOUNS ENDING IN -A |
|---|
| SINGULAR | PLURAL | ENGLISH |
|---|
| casa | case | houses |
| penna | penne | pens |
| pizza | pizze | pizzas |
| ragazza | ragazze | girls |
| sorella | sorelle | sisters |
When forming the plural of nouns ending in a consonant, such as words of foreign origin, only the article changes: il film/i film; la photo/le photo. Here are some exceptions to the rule for forming feminine plurals:
- Feminine-noun ending -ea changes to -ee in the plural. For example: dea/dee (goddess/goddesses).
- Feminine-noun ending -ca changes to -che in the plural. For example: amica/amiche (friend/friends). Remember that -che is pronounced as "keh" in Italian.
Finally, be aware that some nouns end in -e. The plural forms of these nouns will end in -i (regardless of whether these nouns are masculine or feminine).
| PLURAL FORMS OF ITALIAN NOUNS ENDING IN -E |
|---|
| SINGULAR | PLURAL | ENGLISH |
|---|
| bicchiere | bicchieri | (wine) glass |
| chiave | chiavi | keys |
| fiume | fiumi | rivers |
| frase | frasi | phrases |
| padre | padri | fathers |
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