Articles, Gender & Adjectives
In this lesson we will study:
- Definite and indefinite articles
- Gender and number (masculine/feminine, singular/plural)
- Adjectives and agreement
Definite Articles (Articoli determinativi)
Definite articles are used to refer to specific nouns. In English, this is "the".
| Italian |
English |
Usage |
| il libro | the book | Masculine singular, starting with consonant |
| lo studente | the student | Masculine singular, starting with s+consonant, z, ps, gn... |
| la casa | the house | Feminine singular, starting with consonant |
| l'amico | the friend | Masculine or feminine singular, starting with vowel |
| i libri | the books | Masculine plural (from il) |
| gli studenti | the students | Masculine plural (from lo) |
| le case | the houses | Feminine plural |
Indefinite Articles (Articoli indeterminativi)
Indefinite articles are used to refer to non-specific nouns. In English, this is "a/an".
| Italian |
English |
Usage |
| un libro | a book | Masculine singular, starting with consonant |
| uno studente | a student | Masculine singular, starting with s+consonant, z, ps, gn... |
| una casa | a house | Feminine singular, starting with consonant |
| un'amica | a friend | Feminine singular, starting with vowel |
Gender & Number (Genere e Numero)
- Most nouns ending in -o are masculine (singular → plural: -o → -i).
Example: libro → libri (book → books)
- Most nouns ending in -a are feminine (singular → plural: -a → -e).
Example: casa → case (house → houses)
- Nouns ending in -e can be masculine or feminine (plural: -e → -i).
Example: studente → studenti (student → students), insegnante → insegnanti (teacher → teachers)
- Exceptions exist: mano (hand) is feminine, problema (problem) is masculine.
Adjectives (Aggettivi qualificativi)
Adjectives describe nouns and must agree with them in gender and number.
| Italian |
English |
| bello | beautiful |
| grande | big |
| piccolo | small |
| buono | good |
Adjective Agreement Rule: Adjectives must match the noun in gender and number.
- Il libro bello (the beautiful book, masculine singular)
- I libri belli (the beautiful books, masculine plural)
- La casa bella (the beautiful house, feminine singular)
- Le case belle (the beautiful houses, feminine plural)
Note: In English, adjectives do not change, while in Italian they always agree with the noun.
Practice Activity
Translate into Italian:
4. A beautiful friend (f.).
The Verb Avere (To Have)
Why is avere important?
- It is one of the two most essential irregular verbs in Italian (together with essere)
- It expresses possession, age, and is part of many idiomatic expressions
- It is also used as an auxiliary verb to form compound tenses (e.g., ho mangiato - I have eaten)
Conjugation of avere in the Present Tense
| Italian |
English |
| io ho | I have |
| tu hai | you have (informal) |
| lui/lei ha | he/she has |
| noi abbiamo | we have |
| voi avete | you (plural) have |
| loro hanno | they have |
Usage Examples
1. Possession
- Io ho un libro. → I have a book.
- Lei ha una macchina. → She has a car.
2. Age (different from English – Italians say "I have X years")
- Ho 20 anni. → I am 20 years old.
- Quanti anni hai? → How old are you?
3. Idiomatic expressions
- Ho fame. → I am hungry. (lit. I have hunger)
- Hai sete. → You are thirsty.
- Ho freddo. → I am cold.
- Abbiamo sonno. → We are sleepy.
- Hanno ragione. → They are right.
- Ho paura. → I am afraid.
Grammar Notes & Rules
- Avere is irregular: you must memorize its forms.
- Unlike English, Italians use avere to express age, hunger, thirst, fear, etc.
- In compound tenses, avere is the auxiliary for most verbs (except intransitive verbs that use essere).
Example: Ho parlato (I have spoken)
- Be careful with pronunciation: ho is silent "h" (same as "o").
- Double consonant in hanno: do not confuse with "anno" (year).
Conversation Example
[Luca]
Ciao! Quanti anni hai?
Hi! How old are you?
[Marta]
Ho 25 anni. E tu?
I'm 25 years old. And you?
[Luca]
Io ho 27. Hai fratelli o sorelle?
I'm 27. Do you have brothers or sisters?
[Marta]
Sì, ho una sorella.
Yes, I have a sister.
[Luca]
Anch'io ho una sorella! Hai tempo domani per un caffè?
I also have a sister! Do you have time tomorrow for a coffee?
[Marta]
Sì, ho tempo!
Yes, I have time!
Practice Activity
Translate into Italian:
4. They have two children.
Practice Exercises
Complete the text with the correct form of "essere" or "avere"
Mi chiamo Luca e
20 anni. Io
uno studente di lingue e
molto curioso.
I miei amici
simpatici e noi
sempre voglia di divertirci insieme.
La mia migliore amica si chiama Giulia: lei
molto gentile e
sempre tempo per aiutarmi.
Oggi noi
un po' stanchi perché
lezione dalle 8 di mattina.
Ma domani
domenica e noi
tanti programmi!
English version
My name is Luca and I
20 years old. I
a student of languages and I
very curious.
My friends
nice and we
always in the mood to have fun together.
My best friend's name is Giulia: she
very kind and she
always time to help me.
Today we
a bit tired because we
class since 8 in the morning.
But tomorrow
Sunday and we
many plans!
Exercise 1 – Choose the right verb
Complete the sentences with the correct form of essere or avere (present tense).
1. Io
molto contento oggi.
2. Maria
due fratelli e una sorella.
3. Noi
stanchi perché
molto lavoro.
5. I miei genitori
italiani e
una casa a Roma.
Exercise 2 – Transform the sentences
Change the sentences from singular to plural.
Exercise 3 – Questions and answers
Match the question with the correct answer.
Possible answers:
- a) Sì, ho molta fame.
- b) Ho 22 anni.
- c) Sì, sono molto felice.
- d) Sono di Milano.
Exercise 4 – Talk about yourself
Write 5 sentences about yourself using essere and avere.
Example: I am Italian. I have two sisters.