In Italian, compounding (or word-compounding or composition) is a widely used linguistics process, which involves joining two or more different words to create a new word. Italian nouns formed in this way are called compound nouns (nomi composti).
Forming the plural of Italian compound nouns depends upon the types of words used to create them. Here are the most common cases:
Noun + Noun / Sostantivo + Sostantivo
- Compound nouns formed from two nouns only change the second element into the plural:
l'arcobaleno—gli arcobaleni
rainbow—rainbows
la ferrovia—le ferrovie
railway—railways
la banconota—le banconote
banknote—banknotes
la madreperla—le madreperle
mother-of-pearl—mother-of-pearl
il cavolfiore—i cavolfiori
cauliflower—cauliflowers
l'autostrada—le autostrade
highway—highways
Compound nouns with the word capo (boss, head) do not always behave the same way.
» In some cases the second element is pluralized: il capogiro—i capogiri, il capolavoro—i capolavori, il capoverso—i capoversi.
» In many other instances the first element is usually changed into the plural (especially when capo means "person who is in charge of something"): il capobanda—i capibanda, il capoclasse—i capiclasse, il capofamiglia—i capifamiglia, il capolista—i capilista, il capopopolo—i capipopolo, il caposcuola—i capiscuola, il caposquadra—i capisquadra, il capostazione—i capistazione, il capotavola—i capitavola, il capoufficio—i capiufficio.
» When the compound noun is feminine, it remains unchanged in the plural: la capoclasse—le capoclasse, la capolista—le capoliste, la caposquadra—le caposquadra, la capotavola—le capotavola.
Noun + Adjective / Sostantivo + Aggettivo
- Compound nouns formed from a noun followed by an adjective change both elements into the plural:
il caposaldo—i capisaldi
cornerstone—cornerstones
il pellerossa—i pellirosse
Indian—Indians
la cartastraccia—le cartestracce
scrap paper—scrap paper
la piazzaforte—le piazzeforti
stronghold—strongholds
la cassaforte—le casseforti
safe—safes
But palcoscenico becomes palcoscenici; pellerossa can also remain unchanged: i pellerossa.
Adjective + Noun / Aggettivo + Sostantivo- Compound nouns formed from an adjective followed by a noun only change the second element into the plural:
l'altoparlante—gli altoparlanti
speaker—speakers
il bassorilievo—i bassorilievi
bas-relief—bas-reliefs
il francobollo—i francobolli
postage stamp—postage stamps
il mezzogiorno—i mezzogiorni
midday—middays
There are also exceptions in this instance: la mezzaluna—le mezzelune, la mezzanotte—le mezzenotti, la mezzatinta—le mezzetinte, il purosangue—i purosangue (invariabile)
Verb + Noun / Verbo + Sostantivo
- Compound nouns formed from a verb and a noun behave differently depending on whether the noun is singular or plural.
- If the noun is plural, the compound noun remains unchanged:
l'accendisigari—gli accendisigari
lighter—lighters
il lustrascarpe—i lustrascarpe
shoe shine—shoe shines
il cavatappi—i cavatappi
corkscrew—corkscrews
il portaombrelli—i portaombrelli
umbrella—umbrellas
il guastafeste—i guastafeste
damper—dampers
lo stuzzicadenti—gli stuzzicadenti
toothpick—toothpicks
- If the noun is singular, the compound noun can take the plural ending or remain unchanged. It takes the plural ending when the noun element is masculine:
il battibecco—i battibecchi
bickering—bickerings
il parafango—i parafanghi
fender—fenders
il parafulmine—i parafulmini
lightning rod—lightning rods
il passaporto—i passaporti
passport—passports
- It remains unchanged when the noun element is feminine:
l'aspirapolvere—gli aspirapolvere
vacuum cleaner—vacuum cleaners
il portacenere—i portacenere
ashtray—ashtrays
il cacciavite—i cacciavite
screwdriver—screwdrivers
il salvagente—i salvagente
life jacket—life jackets
Verb + Verb and Verb + Adverb / Verbo + Verbo e Verbo + Avverbio
- Compound nouns formed from two verbs or a verb and an adverb are invariable in the plural:
comings and goings—comings and goings
il saliscendi—i saliscendi
switchback—switchbacks
il dormiveglia—i dormiveglia
sleepyhead—sleepyheads
il posapiano—i posapiano
slowpoke—slowpokes
il parapiglia—i parapiglia
commotion—commotions
il viavai—i viavai
comings and goings—comings and goings
Preposition or Adverb + Noun / Preposizione o Avverbio + Sostantivo
- Nouns formed from a preposition and a noun or an adverb and a noun are not technically compound nouns but prefixed nouns. They do not follow a uniform rule; some remain the same, while others change the ending of the second element:
il doposcuola—i doposcuola
after-school activity—after-school activities
il senzatetto—i senzatetto
homeless—homeless
il retroterra—i retroterra
hinterland—hinterlands
il sottoscala—i sottoscala
closet under the stairs—closets under the stairs
il dopopranzo—i dopopranzi
afternoon—afternoons
il sottopassaggio—i sottopassaggi
underpass—underpasses
la soprattassa—le soprattasse
surcharge—surcharges
la sottoveste—le sottovesti
petticoat—petticoats
There are also nouns formed from more than two elements, among them those comopund nouns consisting of two nouns joined by a preposition, such as: ficodindia (prickly pear), fiordaliso (cornflower), messinscena (mise-en-scène), which in the plural become: fichidindia, fiordalisi, and messinscene.
One case in particular is the noun pomodoro (tomato), which has three plurals: pomodori, pomidori (popular), pomidoro (regional).
