Italian articles (the/a, an)
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Sign up for freeArticles (Gli articoli) are used to point out a noun or other substantivized parts of speech.
In the Italian language articles must agree in gender and number with the noun they precede.
Lesson outline
Hide- 1.Italian articles chart
- 1.1.Italian definite articles chart (il, lo, la, i, gli, le)
- 1.2.Italian indefinite articles chart (un, uno, una)
- 1.3.Italian partitive articles chart (dei, degli, delle, ...)
- 2.Exercises
- 2.1.Exercise on Italian articles - Fill in the blanks
- 2.2.Exercise on Italian articles definite or Indefinite articles - Single choice set
- 2.3.Exercise on Italian partitive and indefinite articles - Drag text
- 2.4.Review on Italian articles categories - Drag and drop
Italian articles chart
| Definite articles | Indefinite articles | Partitive articles | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Singular | Masculine | Il, Lo, L' | Un, Uno | Del, Dello |
| Feminine | La | Una | Della | |
| Plural | Masculine | I, Gli | / | Dei, Degli |
| Feminine | Le | / | Delle |
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Annarita S. 
Elena C. 
Giada T.
Elena P.
Andrea B.
Luisella Z.
Giovanna C.
Alberica T.
Eleonora P.
Gioele P.
Italian definite articles chart (il, lo, la, i, gli, le)
Definite articles are generally used with already known or already mentioned elements.
Their use depends on the initial letter of the following word.
| Singular | Plural | Rule | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Masculine | Il | I | + any consonant |
| Masculine | Lo | Gli | + gn, sp, st, ps, pn, z, y + consonant |
| Feminine | La | Le | + any consonant |
Lo and La can undergo some changed depending on the word that follows:
| Masculine | Feminine |
|---|---|
| Lo → L' + word beginning with a vowel | La → L' + word beginning with a vowel |
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Il cane che ho visto al parco stava giocando con l'osso. | The dog I saw in the park was playing with a bone. |
| La signora che abita di fronte casa mia è un'amica di mia zia. | The woman who lives in front of my home is a friend of my aunt's. |
| Gli uomini che lavorano in quell'ufficio sono europei. | The men who work in that office are European. |
| Le regole non sono cambiate. | Rules have not changed. |
| Ho fatto una torta con lo zenzero e i mirtilli. | I baked a cake with ginger and blueberries |
Italian indefinite articles chart (un, uno, una)
Indefinite articles are used to introduce unknown elements or to mention each single part of a group.
They are only singular.
| Masculine | Feminine |
|---|---|
| Uno | Una |
| Un | Un' |
It's important not to confuse un that precedes a masculine noun, and un' that introduces a feminine noun.
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Pensate che sia una cosa fattibile? | Do you think it is something doable? |
| Ho visto un ragazzo che ti salutava. | I saw a guy who was waving to you. |
| Ha messo un'ancora nell'acquario. | He put an anchor in the acquarium. |
| Manca uno studente. Dov'è? | A student is missing. Where is he? |
| Un amico è per sempre, dicono. | A friend is forever, or so they say. |
Italian partitive articles chart (dei, degli, delle, ...)
Italian partitives change according to number and gender of the noun they precede.
They translate as "some/any" in English.
| Masculine | Feminine | |
|---|---|---|
| Singular | del, dello, dell' | della, dell' |
| Plural | dei, degli | delle |
Remember not to confuse singular partitive articles (uncountable nouns) and indefinite articles (countable nouns).
Partitive articles can also be easily mistaken for articulated prepositions. Pay attention to the context to distinguish them correctly.
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Delle ragazze ci hanno informato che stasera ci saranno degli eventi interessanti. | Some girls told us that there will be some interesting events tonight. |
| Del cioccolato bianco mi farebbe piacere. | I wouldn't mind some white chocolate. |
| Ci serve della buona sangria spagnola. | We need some good Spanish sangria. |
| C'è del pepe? Se non c'è dammi il sale. | Is there any pepper? If there not, pass me the salt. |
| Dobbiamo decorare quella torta con dello zucchero di canna. | We have to decorate that cake with some brown sugar. |
Exercises
- Exercise on Italian articles - Fill in the blanks
- Exercise on Italian articles definite or Indefinite articles - Single choice set
- Exercise on Italian partitive and indefinite articles - Drag text
- Review on Italian articles categories - Drag and drop
Exercise on Italian articles - Fill in the blanks
Exercise on Italian articles definite or Indefinite articles - Single choice set
Exercise on Italian partitive and indefinite articles - Drag text
Review on Italian articles categories - Drag and drop
Exercises
- Exercise on Italian articles - Fill in the blanks
- Exercise on Italian articles definite or Indefinite articles - Single choice set
- Exercise on Italian partitive and indefinite articles - Drag text
- Review on Italian articles categories - Drag and drop