“Il” e gli altri articoli

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Definite articles
The Italian definite articles correspond to the English ‘the’. These articles, unlike their English counterparts, vary according to the gender, number, and initial letter(s) of the noun they precede.

Singular articles:

• lo, like uno, is used with singular masculine nouns beginning with: z (lo zucchero ‘the sugar’), the group s + consonant (lo spaghetto) group ps (lo psicologo ‘the psychologist’), the group gn (lo gnocco)
• il is used with singular masculine nouns beginning with all the other consonants except the ones already discussed above: il gelato, il limone  (the lemon);
• l’ is used with singular masculine and feminine nouns beginning with vowels or ‘h‘: l’olio (the oil), l’arancia (the orange), l’hotel (the hotel)
• la is used with singular feminine nouns beginning with consonants: la mela (the apple), la bistecca  (the steak)

Plural articles:

• gli replaces the masculine lo in the plural: lo zucchero > gli zuccheri , lo spaghetto > gli spaghetti,  lo psicologo > gli psicologi , lo gnocco > gli gnocchi
  • it also replaces the masculine l’ in the plural: l’olio > gli oli, l’hotel > gli hotel
• i replaces the masculine il in the plural: il gelato > i gelati, il limone > i limoni
• le replaces the feminine la in the plural: la mela > le mele, la bistecca > le bistecche; it also replaces the feminine l’: l’arancia > le arance

Unlike English, Italian uses the definite article before:

• plural nouns indicating an entire species or a category: Gli animali sono innocenti (‘Animals are innocent’), Le stelle sono belle (‘Stars are beautiful’)
• nouns indicating abstract concepts: La dignità è un valore (‘Dignity is a value’), Apprezzo la sincerità (‘I value sincerity’)
• nouns indicating substances and minerals: L’acqua è buona (‘Water is good’), L’oro è prezioso (‘Gold is precious’)
• names of countries, regions, and continents: l’Italia, la Toscana, gli Stati Uniti
• titles: il signore Bianchi (‘Mr. Bianchi’), la dottoressa Allegri (‘Doctor Allegri’). However, the article is not used when addressing someone directly: Buongiorno, Signora Rossi (‘Good morning, Mrs. Rossi’)

and in a few more cases that you will learn in the next Units.

• Based on the map provided,  from which Italian regions are 1) il tiramisù, 2) la pizza, 3) il pesto, 4) i cannoli? Explore the map of the Italian regions first and answer the questions. Check
• Using the same map of the Italian regions find out in which regions are located 1) Firenze, 2) Milano, 3) Bologna, 4) Torino, 5) Cagliari.
• How many Italian food names common in English do you know? Make a list and share it with your peers.
• Use Text to speech to hear how to correctly pronounce the Italian food and beverage words used in English.
• Repeat the food nouns preceded by the articles several times. Use speech to text to check if the computer recognizes your pronunciation.
• Che cosa ti piace mangiare? (What do you like eating?). Answer this question starting with Mi piace mangiare …. Then add four or five foods. Ask the same question to your peers.