Definite Articles in Italian

In English, the definite article is always the. In Italian, the form changes depending on:

• Gender (masculine or feminine)
• Number (singular or plural)
• The first letter of the noun or adjective

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Masculine Articles

• Lo (plural gli) → before masculine nouns beginning with s + consonant, z, ps, gn
  • Examples: lo zucchero, lo psicologo, lo gnocco, lo studente → gli zuccheri, gli psicologi, gli gnocchi, gli studenti
• Il (plural i) → before masculine nouns beginning with other consonants
  • Examples: il pane, il telefono, il giornale → i pani, i telefoni, i giornali
• L’ (plural gli) → before masculine nouns beginning with a vowel
  • Examples: l’albero, l’uomo, l’ospedale → gli alberi, gli uomini, gli ospedali

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Feminine Articles

• La (plural le) → before feminine nouns beginning with a consonant
  • Examples: la strada, la porta, la finestra → le strade, le porte, le finestre
• L’ (plural le) → before feminine nouns beginning with a vowel
  • Examples: l’isola, l’amica, l’ora → le isole, le amiche, le ore

Definite Articles in Italian

Gender / Number	Before a consonant	Before a vowel	Before s+consonant, z, ps, gn
Masculine singular	il → il telefono (the phone)	l’ → l’albero (the tree)	lo → lo studente (the student)
Masculine plural	i → i telefoni (the phones)	gli → gli alberi (the trees)	gli → gli studenti (the students)
Feminine singular	la → la porta (the door)	l’ → l’amica (the (female) friend)	—
Feminine plural	le → le porte (the doors)	le → le amiche (the (female) friends)	—

Practise