In Italian, the following types of articles are distinguished: definite, indefinite, partial. Let's take a look at the definite article today.

Definite article - L'articolo determinativo

The definite article is used when talking about a specific person or thing.

The choice of the article depends not only on the gender, number of nouns, but also on the initial sounds of the noun.

Use of the definite article in Italian:
1. with nouns that have already been discussed:
Paola parla con un ragazzo. Il ragazzo studia al nostro istituto [Paola Parla con un ragazzo. Il ragAzzo studio al nostro istitUto] → Paula is talking to a guy. The guy studies at our institute.

2. When it comes to a specific person:
Andiamo dal medico [Andiamo dal medico] →Let's go to the doctor. We are talking about a specific doctor, which the one who says visits regularly.

3. Name of continents, states, regions, islands, rivers, lakes, seas and mountains:
La Sicilia → Sicily, Le Alpi → Alps, L'Italia → Italy, L'Europa → Europe, Il Mar Adriatico → Adriatic Sea.

4. The name of the islands and mountains is feminine (the exception is gli Urali - the Ural Mountains), the names of rivers, lakes, seas are masculine:
il Po [il by] → By

il Volga [il Volga] → Volga

il lago di Garda [il lago di garda] →Lake Garda

5. General concept:
Amo i fiori [Amo i fiori] → I love flowers.

6. Species concept in relation to generic
La rosa è un fiore [la rose e un fiore] → A rose is a flower.

7. In the case when a noun is preceded by a definition that specifies it:
E` lo studente che parla bene l'italiano [e lo studente ke parla bene l'italiano] → This student who speaks good Italian.

Article- this is a service part of speech, expressing the category of certainty or indefiniteness of the noun following it (an adjective or pronoun can be placed before the noun).

In Italian: indefinite, definite and zero.

Indefinite article - when the subject is "one of many".

Definite article - when there is a reference to a particular subject.

Zero article has a place in Italian and is used as an indefinite plural article *.

* the plural indefinite article does not have its own form, for such cases the partial article (l'articolo partitivo) is used, which is a form similar to "the preposition di + the corresponding definite article" (the topic of prepositions with articles is "Articulated prepositions / Le preposizioni articolate)
** The definite article “lo” has exactly the same meaning as “il”, and is placed before: s + acc., ps-, z-, x-, y-, gh- (this form arose solely for ease of pronunciation)

The article is not used in cases where there is already some other specification or in some particular cases, stable expressions, impersonal constructions. For example:
- before the noun there is a demonstrative, interrogative, indefinite pronoun or numeral:
Questo libro. - This book
Che libro? - What book?
Qualche libro. = Alcuni libri.* - Several books.
Due/tre/quattro… libri. - Two/three/four... books.
- before proper names, names of settlements (exceptions are historical names: La Spezia, L’Aquila):
Laura e felice. - Laura is happy.
Moscow, Rome, San Pietroburgo.
- when the noun acts as a definition:
di papà - daddy / daddy
a piedi - on foot (with feet)
a voce - orally, verbally (voice)
senza cuore - heartless / -th (without a heart)
- when after the nominal predicate (the verbs essere-to be, nominare-to assign, diventare-to become, eleggere-to choose, etc.) the designation of the profession, status, type of activity, content, impersonal sign follows (in these cases, the noun also has a “defining character"):
Sono impiegata/studentessa. - I am an employee/student.
Sono impiegato/student. - I am an employee/student.
L'hanno nominato direttore. - He was appointed director.
Il canestro e pieno di mele. - The basket is full of apples.
è notte, è sera, è pomeriggio - night, evening, noon
nel mese di ottobre - in the month of October
Oggi and lunedy. - Today is Monday.
- when listing, when designating a target attribute or quantity:
c’è un po’ di tutto: libri, penne, quaderni… - there is a bit of everything here: books, pens, notebooks…
la camera da pranzo - dining room (dining room)
un chillo di fragole - a kilo of strawberries
andare in treno - to travel by train
- often in negative and interrogative constructions:
non ho tempo. - I have no time.
Vuole pomodori o cetrioli? - Do you want tomatoes or cucumbers?
né carne né pesce - neither fish nor meat (neither meat nor fish)
BUT(!) né l'uno né l'altro - neither one nor the other (in this sense, l'uno and l'altro are used only with the article, l'un l'altro - each other, l'imo con l'altro - together…)
- when contacting:
Signora, Lei conosce il russo? - Signora, do you know Russian?
Ragazzi, voi leggete poco. Guys, you don't read much.
— signs, announcements, clarification in the description:
"Pasticceria" - "Confectionery"
"Macelleria" - "Butcher's shop"
"Panetteria" - "Bakery"
Storia della Sicilia (title) / La storia della Sicilia… (narration)
Cercarsi regioniere. - An accountant is required.
Roma, capitale italiana, è una città molto antica. - Rome, the Italian capital, is a very ancient city.
- in set expressions, some proverbs:
aver (e) fretta - hurry (have a hurry)
aver(e) bisogno (di qc) - to need (something)
aver(e) sete - to be thirsty (to be thirsty)
aver(e) fame - want to eat, be hungry (hungry)
aver(e) paura - to be afraid (to have fear, fear)
aver(e) ragione - to be right (to be right, reason)
aver(e) torto - to be wrong (to have fault, mistake)
aver(e) sonno - to be sleepy (to have a dream (process))
far(e) piacere - to please (please)
far(e) festa - rest, not work (BUT: fare una festa - celebrate, fare La Pasqua - celebrate Easter)
con piacere - with pleasure
con allegria - with fun (with joy)
con appetito - with appetite
con interest - with interest
con rabbia - with fury
con gioia - with joy
con disprezzo - contemptuously, condescendingly
Altezza mezza belezza. - Height (high growth) is half of beauty.

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Noun. Il sostantivo.

Most* nouns have the following endings:


* In addition to the "correct" nouns, there are nouns that have special forms of endings.

Nouns in Italian are masculine and feminine. Some profession or status names have a general form, the gender in such cases is shown by the article, or is clear from the context. Nouns change by number - singular and plural. The plural has its own forms for masculine and feminine; for the mixed group, the masculine form is used. There are no cases in Italian, they are replaced by prepositions, articles and particles.

Conventionally, nouns can be divided into several groups:
✓ Most Italian nouns (about 75%) end in masculine with -o (plural -i), in feminine with -a (plural -e). Italian nouns ending in -e (plural -i) can be either masculine or feminine.

✓ Invariable nouns.

✓ Wrong plural endings:
l'uomo - gli uomini (man, person / men, people)
il Dio - i dèi (God / gods)
il bue - i buoi (bull, buffalo / bulls, buffaloes)
il tempio - i templi (temple/temples)
l'ala - le ali, obsolete or poetic pl. - ale (wing / wings)

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Useful words and expressions.
Dialogue (il dialogo).

Come stay? Come sta? - How are you? How are you?
Come va? - letters. How is it going? How is it?
Va bene. - letters. It goes well. Fine.
Sto bene, grace. Etu? - I'm fine thanks. And you?
Mi senti/vedi? - Can you hear/see me?
Ti sento/vedo bene. - I can hear/see you well.

Poi ripetere, per favor? - Can you repeat it, please?
Può ripetere, per favore? - Can you repeat it, please?
Potresti ripeterlo più lentamente, per favore? - Could you repeat it more slowly, please?
Potrebbe ripetere più lentamente, per favore? - Could you repeat more slowly, please?
Parla più piano, per favore. - Speak slower (lower), please.
Parli più piano, per favore. - Speak slower (lower), please.

Non ho capito. non capisco. - Didn't understand). I don't understand.

capisci? - Understand?
Hai capito? - Understood?
Mi capisci? - Do you understand me?
Conosci? - You know?
Non lo so. lo so. - I don't know (this). I know (this).*
Non conosco … Conosco … - I don't know/I don't know. I know/I know.
Come sit dice…? - As the saying goes … ?

Che lavoro fai? - What do you do for a living? (lit. What kind of work do you do?)
Che faccio di bello nella vita? - What do you do good (beautiful) in life. (also about work)
sono manager. - I am a manager.
Faccio l'operaio di fabrica. - I'm a factory worker.
Lavoro nel ufficio. - I work in an office.

Imparo l'italiano due mesi. - I have been studying (learning) Italian for 2 months.
Studio l'italiano tre mesi. - I have been learning Italian for 3 months.

Mi piace… - I like…
Mi piacciano… - I like…
Non mi piace ... - I don't like ...
Non mi piacciono… - I don't like…
Vorrei …andare in Italy. - I would like to ... go to Italy.

© Lara Leto (Ci Siciliano), 2016
© Italy and Italian. Travel beautifully, learn easily, 2016

One of the grammatical difficulties that a native Russian speaker faces when learning Italian is related to the presence of articles in it. In Russian there is no such official part of speech, in English it is similar in meaning to Italian, but differs in grammatical features and usage norms.

What is an article

The article indicates whether we are talking about some specific, known to the speaker and listener, or about an unremarkable part of some class of objects. In Russian, the meaning of the Italian definite article is conveyed in the sentences of the model I bought this car, that is, not just any, but her. The indefinite article, on the contrary, would emphasize the very fact of the purchase. Italian articles combine with nouns and agree with them in gender and number.

Features of the use of the definite article

The Italian articolo determinativo (articolo determinativo - “definite article”) is used when talking about something obviously unique, including place names, or about an already mentioned subject. It has 4 forms:

• Maschile (maskile - "masculine") in the singular - il tavolo (iltavolo - "table"). Before combining s with a consonant or before z, it turns into lo: lo sbaglio (lo zballo - “error”), before a vowel - into l ’: l’amico (lamiko - “friend”).
• The feminine gender singolare (singolare - “singular”) is la casa (lacaza - “house”, but the final a is truncated before the vowel and is replaced by an apostrophe in writing: l’aula (lyaula - “class”).
• Masculine plurale (plurale - "plural") - i tavoli (itavoli - "tables"), before a vowel, z and s with a consonant - gli: gli studenti (listudenti - "students"). The last form is truncated before i: gl'insegnanti (linsenyanti - "teachers").
• Femminile (feminile - "feminine") in the plural - le case (lekaze - "at home"), the vowel drops out before e.

Indefinite article

Articolo indeterminativo (articolo indeterminative - "indefinite article") also has 4 forms, but it is often omitted in the plural:

When the article is not needed

• masculine, singular - un tavolo (untavolo), before z, a combination of consonants beginning with s, an additional vowel appears - uno studente (unostudente - "student"). Before a word starting with a vowel, the pronunciation does not change, but an apostrophe appears in the letter - un'amico (unamiko);
• feminine, singular - una parola (unaparola - "word"), but if the noun begins with a vowel - un'amica (unamika - "girlfriend");
• masculine, plural - dei amici (dei amici - "friends"). Before z, vowels, combinations of s with consonant(s) change to degli: degli studenti (degli students - "students");
• feminine, singular - delle parole (delle password - "words").

The norms for reducing the indefinite article before vowels have recently lost their rigidity, and full variants are also found in journalism.

When the article is not needed

Italians don't usually use the indefinite article in the plural. Appeals, phraseological units in the broad sense of the word, signboards and headings also do without articles. Articles do not combine with personal names and names of cities and streets, however, in colloquial forms, it is permissible to add the definite article to female names: l'Anna (lyanna). In the literary language, the exceptions to which the article joins are the names of prominent figures of art and literature. The pronoun or numeral before the noun also replaces the article: questa tavola (cuesta tavola - "this board").

Articles and adjectives

In Italian, most often the adjective comes after the noun on which it depends, so you should literally translate, for example, the indefinite article, and not vice versa. However, some adjectives are sometimes placed before the noun. It is most convenient to memorize the most common of them in pairs: bello - brutto (bello - gross; "beautiful - ugly), buono - cattivo (buono - cattivo; "good - bad"), grande - piccolo (grande - piccolo; "big - small "). In this case, the indefinite article comes before the adjective: un piccolo tavolo (unpiccolo tavolo - "small table"), una grande casa (unagrande casa - "big house"). The rules for modifying the article are valid, but you need to look at the sounds with which the adjective begins.

Combining definite articles with prepositions

For ease of pronunciation, articles are often combined with other service parts of speech. This is reflected in writing as well. This gives the Italian language a special smoothness and melodiousness, but at the same time it makes it difficult for foreigners to find and understand articles and prepositions. Such hybrid phenomena are called preposizioni articolate (preposizione articolate - "articulated prepositions"). Prepositions a (a - “in”), da (yes - “from”), di (di - “from”), in (in - “in”), su (su - “on”), preposition con (kon - "s") changes optionally.

If we formulate the rule in a generalized way, then i in prepositions changes to e, the remaining vowels are preserved, the main changes concern consonants. Let's look at them as an example of the preposition di:

• masculine, singular: di + il, lo, l’ = del (del), dello (dello), dell (dell);
• feminine, singular: di + la, l’ = della (della), dell’ (dell);
• masculine, plural: di + i, gli = dei (dei), degli (dely);
• feminine, plural: di + le = delle (delle).

So, for Russian-speaking students, Italian articles present difficulties. When memorizing and using them, you need to pay special attention to phonetic changes before some sounds and the formation of articulated prepositions.

Articles in Italian depend on the gender, number and initial letters of the word following the article (see table above). The article is either definite or indefinite. The article always refers to a noun, although it can also appear before other parts of speech, for example, before an adjective, numeral, pronoun.

The indefinite article is used to denote some indefinite thing or when something is called for the first time.

vedo un albero (I see (some, one) tree)

If we mention the same tree for the second, third, fourth time, then it will already be necessary to use the definite article there, since this tree is no longer some kind, but quite specific, we are already familiar with it.

L' albero è alto ((this) tree is tall)
Someone got sick, for example a child (God forbid), maybe a mother-in-law is better, you need to call a doctor

Chiamero un medico (I will call (some) doctor)

In this case, it is not yet known what kind of doctor it will be. The speaker does not yet know which doctor he will call.

But when you know a good doctor (for a sick child) or a bad doctor (for a mother-in-law), you know his name, surname, at least you know what he looks like. Are you representing a particular doctor when you say

Chiamero il medico (I will call a (certain) doctor)
The indefinite article is omitted from exclamations

Che fortune! (What a luck!)- not some kind of luck and not specific luck, but luck in general

Che disastro! (What a nightmare!)- not some kind of nightmare and not a specific nightmare, but a nightmare in general
It is also omitted when a noun is used to explain a name, as in the example

Adriano Celentano, famosissimo italiano cantante (Adriano Celentano, a very famous Italian singer)
The indefinite article is usually omitted before the word mezzo (half), but to indicate an approximate amount (about half), the article is placed before mezzo or before the numeral

ha comprato mezzo chilo di mele (He bought a pound of apples)

ha comprato un mezzo chilo di mele (He bought about half a kilo of apples)
The indefinite article can be used to reinforce

Ho una set! (How I'm thirsty)
When it comes to proper names, that is, before the name and before the name With the surname of people known to the speaker, the article is put only when this name has a definition with it, for example, when an adjective is in front of it, naturally the article is put in this case, as we mean a certain Vaska or a certain Vasilisa. However, in letters, when addressing, the article is not put.

Aldo e Mario sono arrivati ​​oggi (Aldo and Maria arrived today)- there is no article, there is no definition with the name

il caro Adriano (dear Adriano)- the name has a definition, the definite article is used

Cara Maria (dear Maria)- address in a letter
Now about the articles before the surname without the name - this is an interesting feature that must be remembered. Firstly, when it comes to a married couple or the whole family, the masculine plural definite article is always used ( Ho conosciuto i Rossi a Roma (I met the Rossi family in Rome)). Certain, since the Rossi family is not some kind of incomprehensible family, but a specific such family, and there are at least two of them, therefore the definite article is plural. Secondly, when it comes to one woman, calling her last name, or rather, naturally, this is a specific specific woman, since we know her last name, then the definite article is always used, of course, feminine (la or l ') ( La Loren è una bravissima attrice (Lauren is a great actress)). Thirdly, however, when we give the name of one man we know, we use the definite article only when he is our good friend, in other cases the article is not used (Il Bucci è un mio caro amico (Bucci is my dear friend), Celentano è un attore celebre (Celentano is a famous actor))

Let's take another look at the last example about Celentano, and the name of the actor-singer is without the article, but why before Attore There is an indefinite article when talking about a specific actor. Recall that the meaning of the word un is one, Celentano is one famous actor, one actor out of many actors. If there were only one Celentano actor in the world, and there were no more actors, we would use the definite article. But he is not the only actor in the universe (fans forgive me), there are many others besides him, i.e. he is one actor out of many actors. So, when we choose from something general private, that is, from a set of someone specific, then this set comes with an indefinite article.

Febbraio e un mese freddo (February is a cold month)

La primavera e una stagione molto bella (Spring is a very beautiful season)

Dostoevskiy e uno bravissimo scrittore (Dostoevsky is an excellent writer)

However, there are nouns in the world, both animate and not, that exist in only one copy and are used with the definite article:

la luna (moon)

il sole (Sun)

la Terra (Earth as a planet)

l' Universo (Universe)

Francisc e il Papa (Francis - Pope of Rome)
By the way, about professions, they are usually used without articles with the verb essere (to be), if they do not have definitions with them:

Aldo è ingegnere (Aldo the engineer)

La mia amicaè economista (My friend is an economist)

But if we use the verb fare (to do) , then the definite article is needed here

Aldo fa l' ingegnere (Aldo works as an engineer)

Il mia amica fa l' economista (My friend works as an economist)

The last example, of course, caused panic among some, for example, those who studied English or German. Why the definite article before mia amica if there is a possessive pronoun mia. Yes, in Italian, the definite article is almost always used before possessive pronouns, except for those that indicate the degree of relationship (mia sorella, mio ​​fratello, mia madre, suo padre) in the singular, but before plural possessive pronouns, and also if after the possessive pronoun there are words like brother, sister, then the definite article is obligatory ( la mia sorellina (my sister), i loro fratelli (their brothers)). By the way, possessive pronouns in Italian are more like adjectives than pronouns.

The names of countries, continents, large islands, regions are used with the definite article (l’Italia, la Russia, la Francia), except when the name is used with a preposition (in Russia, da Francia)

L' Italia è un paese interessante (Italy is an interesting country)

Io vado in Italia (I'm going to Italy)

With the names of cities and small islands, the article is used only if they are more precisely defined, for example using an adjective ( Roma, L'antica Roma).
When we talk about time like now 8 o'clock or about a date, the definite article is usually used.

Sono le otto (It's eight o'clock now)

Io vengo le due (I'll be there at two)

The names of the days of the week are used with the article only when it comes to their regular repetition.

Lunedì vado da Mario (On ​​Monday I will go to Mario)

La Domenica vado sempre da mia sorella (On Sundays I always go to my sister)
The names of the months are almost always without an article (Gennaio, febbraio, marzo), the seasons are almost always with a definite article (l'estate, la primavera), but when the season is with a preposition, then the article is not put (in autunno, di primavera)

Ordinal numbers are preceded by the definite article.

il primo maggio

il due marzo

il tre agosto

mio compleanno e il cinque novembre (I have a birthday on the fifth of November)
When we call a profession, title, degree of relationship, then addressing directly, the article is not used

Buongiorno, dottore (Good evening doctor)

Ciao, mamma (Bye, mom)

however, when we are talking about someone, the definite article is obligatory

il dottore Rossi abita a Torino (Dr. Rossi lives in Turin)
Materials are always used with the definite article.

L' oro è un metallo prezioso (Gold is a precious metal)

Interests, subjects, sports and languages ​​- with the definite article

studio la lingua italiana (I study Italian)

La politica mia annoia (Politics is boring to me)

Color designations, names of diseases, parts of the body, designations of musical instruments and dances, indication of percentages are always used with a definite article

ho i capelli biondi (I have blonde hair)

il rosso è un bel colore (Red is a beautiful color)

I mio fratellino ha l' influenza (My brother has the flu)

Mi piace il violino (I like the violin)
Partial article

As you noticed, the indefinite article does not have a plural, but in Italian there is a so-called partial article, which is used with the plural to indicate an indefinite amount. It is formed by combining the preposition di with the definite article.

di+il=del

di+lo=dello

di+l'=del'

di+la=della

di+i= dei

di+gli= degli

di+le= delle

Don't worry, of all the partial articles, we only need the last three (dei, degli, delle) plurals. As mentioned, the partial article is used to denote an indefinite amount of something, that is, it replaces the indefinite article for the plural

Hai comprato dello zucchero? (Did you buy sugar? (some amount of sugar))

Ho comprato dei pomodori (I bought tomatoes (a certain number of tomatoes))

Sento dei rumori (I hear a noise (a certain amount of noise))

Ho delle amiche simpatiche (I have pretty girlfriends (some number of girlfriends))

Now consider situations where the partial article is not used:

- when transferring, when the number does not play a role

Aldo compra zucchero, pane, mele e pesci (Aldo buys sugar, bread, apples and fish)

- in abstract nouns

C'ancora speranza (There is still hope)

- with denials

Non mangio mai aglio (I don't eat garlic)

- after specifying the quantity

Ho comprato un chilo di pere (I bought a kilo of pears)

Ha comprato molti libri (She bought a lot of books)

You noticed the preposition "di" in the penultimate example, in this case it just means the genitive case ( kilogram of what? kilogram of pears).

Ciao, amici! - Hello friends!

Come va? Tutto a post? - How are you? Everything ok?

We have analyzed nouns and adjectives in previous lessons, we know some exceptions, and I think it's time to move on to articles. D'accordo? Do you agree?
D'accordo - this expression means: agree, agree, agree. Remember that this word does not change its form, in any person and number the form will remain: d'accordo.

The definite article (L'ARTICOLO DETERMINATIVO)

What is an article?

Article- This is a part of speech that is used in tandem with a noun and is placed before it. The article indicates the definiteness / indefiniteness of the noun, and also, namely, the article will come to our aid in order to determine what kind of this or that noun, when it is difficult to determine at the end.

In Italian, the following types of articles are distinguished:

articolo determinativo- "definite article"
articolo indeterminate- "indefinite article"
articolo partivo- "partial article"

Are you already in a panic? Do not worry!

We will learn articles gradually.

If a noun denotes an object, then it is always used with an article. We put the article before the noun, and agree it in gender and number with the noun.

Advice:

Get used to using nouns with articles right away. When you learn new words, write them down right away with the definite article. It will be easier for you.

We'll start with the definite article, l'articolo determinativo.

The definite article can take several forms. What determines the choice of which article to put?

To begin with, I would like you to understand how the article is chosen. Below I will give you words with a definite article in the singular. You look at them carefully and think about why the following nouns have different article forms:

lo zingaro - gypsies

l'amico - friend

il ragazzo - boy

la bambola - doll

l'universo - the universe

l'altalena - swing

Well, friends, guess what?

The choice of the article depends not only on the gender and number of the noun, but also on the letter(s) with which the given word begins.

Let's figure it out.

So let's start with the masculine.

Masculine singular nouns will have:

Article "LO"

if they start with:

1) "s + consonant"

(- sp, - st, - sc, etc.)

For example:

lo spettacolo - performance

lo studente - student

lo sci - skiing

lo scudo - shield

lo scoiattolo - squirrel

lo spumante - champagne

lo sdegno - indignation

lo scemo - fool, fool

lo specchio - mirror

2) z; y; x;

For example:

lo zero - zero

lo yougurt - yogurt

lo zaino - backpack

lo xilofono - xylophone

lo zucchero - sugar

lo zingaro - gypsies

lo xenofobo - xenophobe

lo yeti - bigfoot (yeti)

3) for such letter combinations as: "pn", "ps", "gn"

lo psicologo – psychologist

lo pneumatico - tire

lo gnomo - gnome

lo gnocco - dumpling

4) "i + vowel"

There are very few such words in Italian.

lo iettatore - a person with an evil eye, one who can jinx

lo iodio - iodine

lo iato - gaping (linguistic term)

The article "GLI"

That is, all these masculine nouns, which in the singular had the article - "lo", in the plural will have the article: "gli"

For example:

gli gnomi - gnomes

gli zii - uncles

gli studenti - students

gli sceriffi - sheriffs

gli psicologi - psychologists

gli spettacoli - performances

gli scudi - shields

gli sbagli - errors

gli scopi - targets

The article "IL"

if they begin with all other consonants that do not belong to the group indicated above:

il ragazzo - boy

il mare - the sea

il libro - book

il vino - wine

il cibo - food

il panino - sandwich

il testo - text

il quaderno - notebook

The plural of this article is:

Article "I"

i ragazzi - guys

i mari - seas

i libri - books

i vini - wine

i panini - sandwiches

i quaderni - notebooks

Masculine singular nouns will have an article:

Article "L'"

if these nouns begin with a vowel.

For example:

l'olio - oil

l'albero - tree

l'inno - anthem

l'attore - actor

l'attimo - moment, moment

l'occhio - eye

The plural of this article is:

The article "GLI"

gli oli - oils

gli alberi - trees

gli inni - hymns

gli attori - actors

gli attimi - moments

gli occhi - eyes

We figured out the masculine gender, friends. Now let's move on to feminine nouns. With the female gender, everything is a little simpler. We will have two forms of the definite article: "la" and "l'". You guessed correctly when we will use which article.

Feminine singular nouns will have an article:

Article "LA"

If they start with any consonant.

For example:

la donna - woman

la studentessa - student

la borsa - bag

la barzelleta - an anecdote

la professoressa - professor (female)

la stanza - room

la camera da letto - bedroom

The plural of this article is:

The article "LE"

le donne - women

le studentesse - students

le borse - bags

le barzellette - jokes

le professoresse - professors (women)

le stanze - rooms

le camere da letto - bedrooms

Feminine singular nouns will have:

Article "L'"

if these nouns begin with a vowel.

For example:

l'amica - girlfriend

l'età - age

l'albicocca - apricot

l'università - university

l'ispirazione - inspiration

The plural of this article is:

The article "LE"

le amiche - girlfriends

le albicocche - apricots

le università - universities

le ispirazioni - inspirations

Conclusion: for feminine nouns in the plural, the definite article is always: "le".

Friends, we will not analyze now when the definite article is used, but when some other one is used. At this point, you should learn the forms of the definite article well and get used to using it. In the future, when we learn other articles, we will analyze their use.

Learning to choose the article

We look at the ending of the noun

1. Determine its gender and number
2. We look at which letter the word begins and, depending on this, choose the correct definite article

And now, let's look at two very important verbs in Italian.

These are the verbs: "to be" and "to have". These two verbs are irregular, therefore, dear ladies and gentlemen, they just need to be learned. These verbs are used in various phrases that we will analyze.

In order to conjugate a verb, we need pronouns.

"Singolare" - "Singular"
"io"- "I"
"tu"- "You"
"lui"- "He"
"lei"- "she"
Lei- "You" (this is a polite form of address, to one person on "You", both to a man and a woman)
"Plurale" - "Plural"
noi- "We"
"voi"- "You"
loro- "They"

The verb "ESSERE"

"be"

"Essere" is the initial form of the verb, the infinitive. What to do? Be. To conjugate this verb by person: I am, you are, etc., we must change the form of the verb depending on the person and number.

Io - sono - I am
Tu - sei - you are
Lui, lei, Lei - è - he, she, you are
Noi - siamo - we are
Voi - siete - you are
Loro - sono - they are

Please note that in the 3rd person singular above the verb form there is a graphic stress. It should be placed exactly in this direction (from the upper left corner down).

Do not forget to put it on the letter, because otherwise you will get the union "e", which translates into Russian as "and".
We can omit pronouns when we understand who we are talking about, since the form of the verb indicates who we are talking about. But at the beginning, when you are just learning, we advise you to pronounce the form of the verb with the pronoun each time in order to remember faster.
And we, dear friends, can already say with the help of this verb what our name is:

Io sono Daria.

I am Daria.
(literally it turns out: I am Daria)

E tu sei Mario?

Are you Mario?
(Are you Mario?)

No, io sono Andrea.

No, I'm Andrea.

We can also combine the already adjectives that we have learned with this verb.

For example:

"triste" - sad

"felice" - happy

Perche tu sei triste?

Why are you sad?

No, non sono triste. Io sono felice.

No, I'm not sad. I'm happy.

To form a negation, as in the last example, we put the negative "non" in front of the verb.

Maria e Alessio sono felici.

Maria and Alessio are happy.

Set expression:
Essere in ritardo- to be late
(lit. to be late)

To conjugate this phrase, we only need to change the form of the verb "essere", "in ritardo" does not change)

Io - sono in ritardo - I'm late
Tu - sei in ritardo - you are late
Lui, lei, Lei - è in ritardo - he, she, you are late
Noi - siamo in ritardo - we are late
Voi - siete in ritardo - you are late
Loro - sono in ritardo - they are late

Verb "AVERE"

"have"

In the conjugation of this verb, our mute letter "h" is added in some forms. Do not forget that this letter has no sound, that is, it is written, but not pronounced.

Io - ho - I have
Tu - hai - you have
Lui, lei, Lei - ha - he has, she has, you have
Noi - abbiamo - we have
Voi - avete - you have
Loro - hanno - they have

This verb is used in so many set expressions. We will now examine some.

avere fame- to want to eat (literally: to have hunger)

avere sete- to be thirsty (literally: to be thirsty)

avere freddo- to feel cold (literally: to have cold)

avere caldo- to experience heat (literally: to have heat)

Friends, remember these phrases exactly verbatim so that you do not get confused.

In all these phrases (the above) only the form of the verb “avere” will change, nouns: “fame” - hunger, “sete” - thirst, “freddo” - cold, “caldo” - heat, will not change their form when conjugated.

For example:

Io - ho fame - I want to eat, I'm hungry, hungry
Tu - hai fame - do you want to eat
Lui, lei, Lei - ha fame - he is hungry, she is hungry, you are hungry
Noi - abbiamo fame - we want to eat
Voi - avete fame - you are hungry
Loro - hanno fame - they want to eat