Italian articles
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There are more Italian articles than in any other Western Romance language. They include: un, uno, una and un'; il, i, lo, gli, l', la, and le; and, del, dei, dello, degli, dell', della, and delle. These are differentiated according to definiteness (a/the), gender (masculine/feminine), number (singular/plural), and phonology (pronunciation).
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Indefinite Articles
The indefinite articles are un, uno, una and un'.
Masculine
The masculine indefinite articles are un and uno.
Un is used before most masculine nouns: un ragazzo a boy, un amico a friend (male).
Uno is used before masculine nouns beginning with z, gn, s+consonant, and p+consonant: uno zio an uncle, uno gnocco a dumpling, uno scambio an exchange, uno psicologo a psychologist.
Feminine
The feminine indefinite articles are una and un'.
Una is used before most feminine nouns: una ragazza a girl, una stagione a season.
Un' is used before feminine nouns beginning with a vowel: un'amica a friend (female), un'eccezione an exception.
Definite Articles
The definite articles are: il, i, lo, gli, l', la, and le.
Masculine
The masculine definite articles are: il, i, lo, and gli, and l'.
Singular
The masculine singular definite articles are: il, lo, and l'.
Il is used for most masculine nouns: il ragazzo the boy, il colore the color.
Lo is used for masculine nouns beginning with z, gn, s+consonant, and p+cognsonant: lo zio the uncle, lo gnocco the dumpling, lo scambio the exchange, lo psicologo the psychologist.
L' is used for masculine nouns beginning with a vowel: l'amico the friend (male), l'indirizzo the address.
Plural
The masculine plural definite articles are: i and gli.
I is used for the plural of those singular masculine nouns which take il: i ragazzi the boys, i colori the colors.
Gli is used for the plural of those singular masculine nouns which take lo and l': gli zii the uncles, gli gnocchi the dumplings, gli scambi the exchanges, gli psicologi the psychologists, gli amici the friends, gli indirizzi the addresses.
Feminine
The feminine definite articles are: la, l', and le.
Singular
The feminine singular definite articles are: la and l'.
La is used for most feminine nouns: la ragazza the girl, la stagione the season.
L' is used for feminine nouns beginning with a vowel: l'amica the friend (female), l'eccezione the exception.
Plural
The feminine plural definite article is: le.
It is used with all feminine plurals: le ragazze the girl, le stagione the seasons, le amiche the friends, le eccezioni the excpetions.
Partitive Articles
The partitive articles are del, dei, dello, degli, dell', della, and delle.
The partitive article corresponds to di+ the definite article:
- di+il -> del
- di+i -> dei
- di+lo -> dello
- di+gli -> degli
- di+l' -> dell'
- di+la -> della
- di+le -> delle
Singular
The singular of the partitive article corresponds to scenarios in English where we would say "some" indicating a part of a larger whole (i.e. some cheese, some cake, some water; but not ALL the cheese, ALL the cake, or ALL the water).
Therefore, we have:
- del formaggio some cheese
- della torta some cake
- dell'acqua some water
etc.
Plural
The plural of the aprtitive article corresponds to scenarios in English where we would say "some" indicating an indefinite number of people (some boys, some girls). It essentially functions as the plural of the indefinite article.
Therefore, we have:
- dei ragazzi some boys
- delle ragazze some girls
- degli alberi some trees
