This lesson introduces Italian articles and the way nouns express gender and number. These patterns matter because articles and adjectives often signal information that a noun ending alone does not show.
Partitive articles combine the preposition di with a definite article. The choice of article form depends on the noun that follows.
Italian nouns are masculine or feminine in grammatical gender. For people and animals, grammatical gender often corresponds to natural gender, but noun gender is a grammatical property and must be learned as part of the word. Italian nouns inflect for singular and plural. Adjectives and many articles agree with the noun in both gender and number.
All flashcards
What is a partitive article?
An article formed from *di* plus a definite article that expresses an uncertain quantity. It often means some in the singular and a few in the plural.
What does grammatical gender mean for an Italian noun?
Every noun belongs grammatically to a gender, usually masculine or feminine. For people and animals this often corresponds to natural gender, but the noun's grammatical gender must still be learned.
What is an invariable plural?
A plural form that does not change the noun itself. For example, *città* stays the same in *la città / le città*, while the article indicates number.
What is a common plural rule for -cia and -gia?
A common rule uses *-ce/-ge* when a consonant comes before the ending and *-cie/-gie* when a vowel comes before it: *faccia / facce*, *camicia / camicie*.
Name a noun with a masculine singular and feminine-looking plural.
*Uovo* is masculine singular, but its usual plural is *uova*: *l'uovo / le uova*. Other examples include *braccio / braccia*.
Quiz questions
What do Italian partitive articles generally express?Answer: An uncertain quantity, often translated as some in the singular or a few in the plural.
Which Italian word expresses equality in a comparison, as in “as tall as you”?Answer: *Come*
Where does an unstressed Italian clitic usually appear with a finite verb?Answer: Before the verb
With which auxiliary does the Italian past participle agree with the subject?Answer: *Essere*
Which set names Italian prepositions that generally do not combine with a following definite article?Answer: *Tra, fra, con,* and *per*
Based on the Wikipedia article Italian grammar, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.