Imagine a crossword that’s almost done, but a few key letters are missing that prevent completing the whole puzzle. That’s exactly what Italian sentences feel like without articles—those small yet essential words that bring everything together!
Italian articles play a crucial role in shaping meaning, clarifying whether you’re talking about something specific or general. So, as you learn to speak Italian confidently, mastering articles is a must-have skill on your checklist. Here’s a quick overview of the types of Italian articles—definite, indefinite, and partitive—along with tips on how to use them to always get your Italian right.
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What are Italian articles?
Like English articles, Italian articles are words that precede a noun to introduce people, places, or ideas. They can establish whether you are talking about something or someone specific (that you are familiar with) or something nonspecific.
There are three main types of articles in Italian:
- Articoli determinativi (definite articles) corresponds to the English article “the.”
- Articoli indeterminativi (indefinite articles) serve as the Italian equivalent of “a” or “an” in English.
- Articoli partitivi (partitive articles) represent a part of something, an undefined amount, similar to “some” or “a few” in English.
Articles in Italian work almost like English ones but have a unique feature: They are variable and change according to the noun’s gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural).
Italian definite articles: What they are and how to use them
Italian definite articles, or articoli determinativi, are used before common nouns when discussing something already mentioned or familiar to the speaker and listener.
There are seven definite articles in Italian, all translated into “the” in English.
| Italian Definite Article | Gender and Number | Pronunciation |
| il | masculine singular | eel |
| lo | masculine singular (before “s” + consonant, “z,” “gn,” or “ps”) | low |
| la | feminine singular | lah |
| l’ | masculine or feminine singular (before a vowel) | l |
| i | masculine plural | ee |
| le | feminine plural | leh |
| gli | masculine plural (before a vowel) | yee |
When to use definite articles in Italian
There are four main rules you’ll need to remember when using definite articles.
- Definite articles are used for things or ideas that are familiar or already known. For example:
- Il cane è in giardino. = The dog is in the yard.
This sentence means you are talking about a specific dog. And it’s very different from:
- C’è un cane in giardino! = There’s a dog in the yard!
- Use Italian definite articles to talk about people, animals, objects, places, or ideas using a common noun. For example:
- Il bambino è a scuola. = The kid is at school.
- La città è molto grande. = The city is very big.
Do not use articles before proper nouns, geographical names, or a member of your family:
IlPietro è a scuola. = Peter is at school.LaRoma è molto grande. = Rome is very big.- Ho salutato
ilmio fratello. = I said hello to my brother.
- Always match the article’s gender and number with the nouns they refer to.
- The article lo is another form of the masculine singular article used before masculine nouns that begin with “s” + consonant (like “st”), “z,” or “gn,” and “ps.”
- lo studente = the student.
- lo zaino = the backpack
- lo gnomo = the gnome
- lo psicologo = the psychologist
- The article l’ is the only Italian article that can be feminine or masculine. This is because l’ is abbreviated for both articles lo (masculine) and la (feminine), with the last letter dropped before any words starting with vowels like l’uomo (the man).
Exceptions
There is no rule without an exception, and the Italian articles have some that are very surprising. Some apply to the various dialects and languages of Italy.
- Definite articles are sometimes acceptable before proper nouns if you’re talking about famous artists, works of art, and sports teams:
- il Caravaggio = (the) Caravaggio
- la Carmen di Bizet = (the) Bizet’s Carmen
- la Roma (soccer team) = (the) Roma
- Northern Italians often use definite articles before proper nouns when talking. While regionally typical, it’s best to avoid this in standard Italian, but you might hear sentences like:
- Ho visto la Mary questo pomeriggio. = I saw (the) Mary this afternoon.
- The plural of il dio (the god) is gli dei (the gods), not i dei, as it should be. This is because of its ancient Italian version, Iddio.
- Ares era fra gli dei dell’Olimpo. = Ares was among the gods of Olympus.
- Before acronyms and abbreviations, articles depend on the acronym’s pronunciation.
- l‘UFO (singular)/gli UFO (plural) = the UFO/the UFOs
- la NATO = (the) NATO
You’ll master these exceptions as you practice and learn Italian, so don’t worry if they seem tricky at first—they can even trip up advanced Italian speakers.
Italian indefinite articles: What they are and how to use them
Italian indefinite articles are the equivalents of “a” and “an” in English. They refer to something or someone new to the conversation that still needs to be defined. Just like with definite articles, Italian indefinite articles vary based on gender and, occasionally, the starting sound of the noun.
Remember that Italian indefinite articles only have the singular form. They’re straightforward in some ways, but subtle differences exist, especially with masculine nouns that start with certain consonant sounds.
| Italian Article | Gender and Number | Pronunciation |
| un | masculine singular (general use) | oon |
| uno | masculine singular (before “s” + consonant, “z,” “gn,” or “ps”) | oo-no |
| una | feminine singular (before a consonant) | oo-na |
| un’ | feminine singular (before a vowel) | oon |
How to use Italian indefinite articles
To help bring this structure to life, let’s walk through each form of the indefinite article with some examples to understand how they adapt to different types of nouns.
- Un is the most common of masculine singular articles. It’s placed before masculine nouns that start with a vowel or any consonant (except: “s” + consonant, “z,” “gn,” or “ps.”)
- Ho comprato un libro. = I bought a book.
- Uno is another masculine singular article used before masculine nouns that begin with “s” + consonant (like “st”), “z,” or “gn,” and “ps.” This rule is unique to Italian and helps pronunciation.
- uno studente = a student
- uno zaino = a backpack
- uno gnomo = a gnome
- uno psicologo = a psychologist
- Una is the indefinite feminine article before any feminine noun starting with a consonant.
- una casa = a house
- Un’ is used before feminine nouns starting with a vowel, creating a smoother, more natural flow in speech by avoiding back-to-back vowel sounds.
- un’amica = a (female) friend
- un amico = a (male) friend
Italian partitive articles: A handy way to say “some” or “a few”
Italian partitive articles, or articoli partitivi, express an unspecified quantity and translate roughly to “some” or “a few.”
They are less commonly used than the definite and indefinite articles since they are often replaced by Italian expressions like un po’ di (a little bit of) or alcuni/alcune (some). But they are helpful since they can also work as the plural for Italian indefinite articles.
| Italian Article | Gender and Number | Pronunciation |
| del | masculine singular | dehl |
| della | feminine singular | deh-lah |
| dello | masculine singular (before “s” + consonant, “z,” “ps,” “gn,” or “ps”) | dehl-loh |
| dell’ | Masculine or feminine singular (before vowels) | dehl |
| dei | masculine plural | day-ee |
| delle | feminine plural | deh-leh |
| degli | masculine plural (before vowels or specific consonants like before “s” + consonant, “z,” “ps,” “gn,” or “ps”) | deh-lyee |
Here is the tricky part. Don’t confuse partitive articles with articulated Italian prepositions! Although they look alike—since both are formed by combining simple prepositions with definite articles—their functions are quite different.
In the following sentences, articles dei and del express a non-specific amount of cookies and wine:
- Vorrei dei biscotti. = I would like some cookies.
- Ho comprato del vino. = I bought some strawberries.
Compare with these other two sentences, where the prepositions della and del indicate possession or origin rather than an unspecified quantity:
- Ho comprato i biscotti della pasticceria. = I bought cookies from the bakery.
- Mi piace il vino del Sud Italia. = I like wine from southern Italy.
The main difference between English and Italian articles
Both Italian and English use articles to clarify nouns. However, there are notable differences in their usage, forms, and grammar rules. Here’s the breakdown:
- Variable vs invariable articles: Italian articles are variable, meaning they must coincide in gender and number with the nouns that follow them. English uses only one definite article (“the”) and two indefinite articles (“a” and “an”), and they never change form to adapt to the nouns.
- Usage with proper nouns: Italian definite articles can be used with specific proper nouns when referring to well-known artists. English does not typically use articles with proper nouns.
- Articles omission: In English, articles can be omitted in certain situations. Generally, Italian doesn’t omit them.
Frequently asked questions about Italian articles
Learning to use Italian articles can be tricky for English speakers, as the Italian language introduces some unique concepts that don’t exist in English. Here are some of the most common questions you may have while studying Italian articles, along with answers to help clarify the rules!
Can I leave out the articles in Italian as I sometimes do in English?
If you are familiar with Italian pronouns, you know they can be dropped from sentences. Alternatively, Italians don’t do that with articles.
Italian articles are omitted only in the exceptions mentioned in this article and are used in all the other cases. For example, you would say La pizza è buona (The pizza is good) instead of omitting the article as you would in English.
Are there any situations where Italian articles don’t match English ones?
Yes! Here are a few examples:
- Days of the week: Italians often use definite articles regarding repeated actions on specific days.
- Il lunedì vado in palestra. = I go to the gym on Mondays.
- Languages: In Italian, the article often precedes languages, even when omitted in English.
- L’italiano non è difficile da imparare. = Italian is not hard to learn.
Why is there no plural for indefinite articles in Italian?
In English, there isn’t really a plural for “a” or “an,” and it’s the same in Italian.
When you want to say “some” or “a few” (like “some friends” or “a few apples”), you get to use partitive articles to handle the plural form of indefinite articles.
- Sono uscito con degli amici. = I went out with some friends.
You can also use words like alcuni/alcune (some) or qualche (a few), which is very common in Italian.
Do I need to use articles when talking about family members?
You typically omit articles with singular, unmodified family members, like mia madre (my mother), or mio fratello (my brother). However, you would use an article if the family member is plural or modified, like i miei fratelli (my brothers) or la mia cara madre (my darling mother).
Why do Italians sometimes say “il Mario” when talking about people?
In Northern Italy, it’s common to use definite articles with first names, especially informally. So, il Mario would mean Mario, with a casual, familiar tone. But this is region-specific, so it’s better not to imitate it when you speak Italian.
Can articles in Italian be contracted with other words?
Yes, the Italian definite articles can combine with simple prepositions to create articulated prepositions and partitive articles. For example:
- a + il = al (to the)
- di + i = dei (of the/some)
Learning Italian prepositions is very helpful for fluency because you cannot avoid or replace them while talking!
How can I learn Italian articles fast?
The best way to get confident with Italian grammar is to practice often, and it’s the best advice for learning Italian articles, too. So why don’t you do it with an expert? Rosetta Stone Tutoring helps boost your Italian language skills with language instructors in an immersive, small-group setting.
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