Italian Definite Articles

Italian Definite Articles In English, the definite article (larticolo determinativo) has only one form: the. In Italian, on the other hand, l’articolo determinativo has different forms according to the gender, number, and even the first letter of the noun or adjective it precedes. It’s meant to indicate a precise, quantifiable object or person. This makes learning definite articles a bit more complicated, but once you know the structure, it’s relatively simple to get used to. il quaderno e la penna - the notebook and pen: In this example, the definite articles are â€Å"il† and â€Å"la.†i ragazzi e le ragazze - the boys and girls: In this example, the definite articles are â€Å"i† and â€Å"le.† Heres a table with the definite articles. Singular Plural Masculine il, lo, l i, gli Feminine la, l le Sometimes the articles can be tricky to pronounce (especially â€Å"gli†). When To Use  Definite Articles Here is a list of general rules for when to use definite articles. 1. Lo (pl. gli) is used before masculine nouns beginning with s consonant or z, like â€Å"lo zaino - the backpack† or â€Å"gli scoiattoli - the squirrels†. You will also see â€Å"lo† being used with masculine nouns that begin with â€Å"gn,† like â€Å"lo gnomo.† Here are some examples. lorologio- gli orologi watch- watcheslamico- gli amici friend- friends lo yoga   yogalo yogurt yogurtlo specchio- gli specchi mirror- mirrorslo stadio- gli stadi stadium- stadiumslo psicologo- gli psicologi psychologist- psychologistslo zero- gli zeri zero- zeros NOTE: there are a few exceptions: il dio- gli dà ¨i god- godsper lo meno at leastper lo pià ¹Ã‚  Ã‚  mostly 2. Il (pl. i) is used before masculine nouns beginning with all other consonants, like â€Å"il cibo - the food† or â€Å"i vestiti - the clothes.† 3. L’ (pl. gli) is used before masculine nouns beginning with a vowel, like â€Å"l’aeroporto - the airport,† 4. La (pl. le) is used before feminine nouns beginning with any consonant, like â€Å"la borsa - the purse† or â€Å"le scarpe - the shoes.† Here are some examples: la stazione- le stazioni train station- train stationsla zia- le zie aunt- auntslamica her friendlautomobile the car 5. L’ (pl. le) is used before feminine nouns beginning with a vowel, like â€Å"l’amica - the friend† or â€Å"le donne - the women.† The article agrees in gender and number with the noun it modifies and is repeated before each noun. la Coca–Cola e l’aranciata - the Coke and orangeadegli italiani e i giapponesi - the Italians and the Japanesele zie e gli zii - the aunts and unclesle zie e il nonno - the aunts and the grandfather The first letter of the word immediately following the article determines the article’s form. Compare the following: il giorno (the day) → l’altro giorno (the other day)lo zio (the uncle) → il vecchio zio (the old uncle)i ragazzi (the boys) → gli stessi ragazzi (the same boys)l’amica (the girl  friend) → la nuova amica (the new girl friend) Tips When Using Definite Articles In Italian, the definite article must always be used before the name of a language, except when the verbs parlare (to speak) or studiare (to study) come before the name of the language; in those cases, its up to you whether you want to use it or not. Studio l’italiano. - I study Italian.Studio italiano e arabo. - I study Italian and Arabic.Parlo italiano. - I speak Italian.Parlo l’italiano e il russo. - I speak Italian and Russian.Parlo bene l’italiano. - I speak Italian well. The definite article is also used before the days of the week  to indicate a repeated, habitual activity. Domenica studio. - I’m studying on Sunday. → Marco non studia mai la domenica. - Marco never studies on Sundays.Il lunedà ¬ vado al cinema (ogni lunedà ¬). - On Mondays, I go to the movies.On Monday I go to the movies. (Every Monday)Cosa fai di solito il giovedà ¬? - What do you usually do on thursday evenings?Di solito vado a giocare a carte con i miei nonni -   On thursday, usually I go and play cards with my grandparents. Finally, another common situation where the definite article is used is with telling the time. Notice here though that the article is combined with a preposition making something called an articulated preposition. Mi sono svegliato all’una. - I woke up at one.Vado a scuola alle dieci. - I’m going to school at ten. You can use it to indicate a category or a species in a generic sense: Il cane à ¨ il miglior amico delluomo (tutti i cani). - Dog is mans best friend (all dogs).Luomo à ¨ dotato di ragione. - Man is endowed with reason. (To talk about â€Å"every man†) Or to indicate a particular thing or an object: Hai visto il film? (quel film) - Have you seen the movie? (that movie)Hai visto il professore? - Have you seen the professor?Mi hanno rubato il portafogli. - They stole my wallet.Non trovo pià ¹ le scarpe. - I can’t find my shoes. You’ll also want to use it when preceding possessive pronouns: Lauto di Carlo à ¨ nuova, la mia no. - Charless car is new, but mine isnt. Or with geographical destinations, like: continents: lEuropacountries: lItaliaregions: la Toscanalarge islands: la Siciliaoceans: il Mediterraneolakes: il Gardarivers: il Pomountains: il Cervino (the Matterhorn) And finally, with parts of the body: Mi fa male la testa.- My head hurts. Definite Articles with Names Use definite articles with the last names of famous female celebrities: la Garbola Loren With all surnames in the plural: i Verrigli Strozzi With nicknames and pseudonyms: il Barbarossail Grisoil Canalettoil Caravaggio With proper names used without any specification: Mario but: il signor Mario With the last names of famous or well-known male characters, if not preceded by an adjective or title: Mozart but: il grande Mozart NOTE: There are instances in which the definite article is used, especially when referring to Italian writers: il Petrarcail Manzoni