In Italian the definite article (articolo determinativo) is placed before the noun to indicate a precise, quantifiable object or person. In English, the definite articles correspond to the term "the."
- il and i are used before masculine nouns that start with a consonant, except in cases where lo and gli are used:
il nome—i nome
noun—nouns
il cognome—i cognomi
surname—surnames
- lo and gli preface masculine nouns that start with:
» a vowel, in which case lo is apostrophized:
l'orologio—gli orologi
watch—watches
l'amico—gli amici
friend—friends
» a semivowel:
lo yoga
yoga
lo yogurt
yogurt
» s impura (s followed by a consonant):
lo sciame—gli sciami
swarm swarms
lo specchio—gli specchi
mirror—mirrors
lo stadio—gli stadi
stadium—stadiums
» gn, pn, ps, x, and z
lo gnocco—gli gnocchi
gnoccho—gnocchi
lo pneumatico—gli pneumatici
pneumatic tire—pneumatic tires
lo psicologo—gli psicologi
psychologist—psychologists
lo xenofobo—gli xenofobi
xenophobe—xenophobes
lo zero—gli zeri
zero—zeros
NOTE: In contemporary colloquial Italian, masculine words beginning with gn, pn, and ps are sometimes proceeded with the definite article forms il and i (that usage, though, is not recommended):
il gnocco—i gnocchi
gnoccho—gnocchi
il pneumatico—i pneumatici
pneumatic tire—pneumatic tires
il psicologo—i psicologi
psychologist—psychologists
NOTE: there are a few exceptions:
» certain nouns:
il dio—gli dèi
god—gods
» certain expressions:
per lo meno
at least
per lo più
mostly
- la and le preface feminine nouns:
la stazione—le stazioni
train station—train stations
la zia—le zie
aunt—aunts
» the article la is always apostrophized before a vowel:
l'amica
her friend
l'automobile
the car
NOTE: Before a semivowel the feminine definite article remains unchanged:
la ionosfera
ionosphere
la yucca
yucca
Usage of the Italian Definite Article
In Italian the definite article is used in a variety of instances.
- To indicate a category or a species in a generic sense:
Il cane è il miglior amico dell'uomo (tutti i cani).
Dog is man's best friend (all dogs).
- To indicate a particular thing or an object:
Hai visto il film? (quel film)
Have you seen the movie? (that movie)
- To indicate an action that takes place at regular intervals:
Il lunedì vado al cinema (ogni lunedì).
On Monday I go to the movies. (Every Monday)
- Preceding possessive pronouns:
L'auto di Carlo è nuova, la mia no.
Charles's car is new, but mine isn't.
- With the last names of famous female celebrities:
la Garbo
la Loren
- With all surnames in the plural:
i Verri
gli Strozzi
- With nicknames and pseudonyms:
il Barbarossa
il Griso
il Canaletto
il Caravaggio
- With geographical designations such as:
continents: l'Europa
countries: l'Italia
regions: la Toscana
large islands: la Sicilia
oceans: il Mediterraneo
lakes: il Garda
rivers: il Po
mountains: il Cervino (the Matterhorn)
Italian definite articles are not used in the following instances.
- With proper names used without any specification:
Mario but: il signor Mario
- With the last names of famous or well-known male characters, if not preceded by an adjective or title:
Mozart but: il grande Mozart
NOTE: There are instances in which the definite article is used, especially when referring to Italian writers:
il Petrarca
il Manzoni
- With the names of relatives in the singular preceded by the possessive adjectives mio, tuo, suo, nostro, or vostro:
mio padre
my father
vostra madre
your mother
NOTE: The terms babbo e mamma require the definite article:
il mio babbo
my dad
la mia mamma
my mom
- With the names of cities and towns, provided there are no attributes:
Roma
but: la Roma imperiale
Assisi
but: l'artistica Assisi
NOTE: Not suprisingly, there are exceptions:
L'Aia
L'Aquila
Il Cairo
La Mecca
La Spezia
- With the names of small islands:
Capri
Ischia
NOTE: There are many small islands that are the exception to the rule:
l'Asinara
la Capraia
l'Elba
la Gorgona
La Maddalena
- Shop signs and directions in general:
Incrocio
Intersection
Macelleria
Butcher
Ospedale
Hospital
- To give a partitive sense:
Ho bevuto latte stamattina.
I drank (some) milk this morning.
- To give more punch to an action:
Ha studiato giorno e notte.
He studied night and day.
ARTICOLO DETERMINATIVO
| SINGOLARE | PLURALE | |
| MASCHILE | il | i |
| lo (l') | gli | |
| FEMMINILE | la (l') | le |
