Italian definite articles (il, lo, la, i, gli, le)
Sign up for free to get all information about private lessons and our available group courses (A1, A2, B2, B2, C1, C2)
Sign up for freeLesson outline
Hide- 1.Italian definite articles chart
- 1.1.Masculine definite articles (il, lo, i, gli, l')
- 1.2.Feminine definite articles (la, le, l')
- 2.Exercises
- 2.1.Exercise on Italian definite articles - Fill in the blanks
- 2.2.Exercise on Italian definite articles - Drag Text
- 2.3.Exercise on Italian masculine definite articles
- 2.4.Exercise on Italian feminine definite articles - Single choice set
Italian definite articles chart
In Italian definite articles (Gli articoli determinativi) are used to indicate:
- an element we've already mentioned
- a unique thing
- a category of things
- abstract concepts.
| Singular | Plural | |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | Il libro (The book) | I libri (The books) |
| Lo studente (The student) | Gli amici (The friends) | |
| L'uomo (The man) | Gli uomini (the men) | |
| Feminine | La vita (The life) | Le scuole (The schools) |
| L'anatra (The goose) | Le anatre (The geeze) |
Have a question?
Take online language lessons with a professional teacher
- Native & verified teachers
- Free trial lesson
- Learning materials included
Giusy I. 
GIULIA P.
NIKHIL D. 
Emily M.
Federica S.
Donatella P.
Anselmo M.
Elena T.
Giuseppina P.
Paola F.
Masculine definite articles (il, lo, i, gli, l')
The use of masculine definite articles in Italian depends on the initial letter of the word they precede:
| Singular | Plural | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| IL | I | + any consonant |
| LO | GLI | + gn, ps, pn, z, x, y, s + consonant |
| L' | GLI | + any vowel |
| Singular | Plural | English |
|---|---|---|
| Il limone | I limoni | The lemon(s) |
| Il cane | I cani | The dog(s) |
| Il giorno | I giorni | The day(s) |
| Lo sciocco | Gli sciocchi | The fool(s) |
| Lo zaino | Gli zaini | The backpack(s) |
| Lo pneumatico | Gli pneumatici | The tyre(s) |
| L'amico | Gli amici | The friend(s) |
| L'albero | Gli alberi | The tree(s) |
| L'hotel | Gli hotel | The hotel(s) |
Feminine definite articles (la, le, l')
The use of feminine definite articles in Italian depends on the initial letter of the word they precede:
| Singular | Plural | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| LA | LE | + any consonant |
| L' | LE | + any vowel |
| Singular | Plural | English |
|---|---|---|
| La casa | Le casa | The house(s) |
| La macchina | Le macchine | The car(s) |
| La ragione | Le ragioni | The reason(s) |
| L'acqua | Le acque | The water(s) |
| L'arancia | Le arance | The orange(s) |
| L'ora | Le ore | The hour(s) |
Exercises
- Exercise on Italian definite articles - Fill in the blanks
- Exercise on Italian definite articles - Drag Text
- Exercise on Italian masculine definite articles
- Exercise on Italian feminine definite articles - Single choice set
Exercise on Italian definite articles - Fill in the blanks
Exercise on Italian definite articles - Drag Text
Exercise on Italian masculine definite articles
Exercise on Italian feminine definite articles - Single choice set
Exercises
- Exercise on Italian definite articles - Fill in the blanks
- Exercise on Italian definite articles - Drag Text
- Exercise on Italian masculine definite articles
- Exercise on Italian feminine definite articles - Single choice set