Nouns: Declension

01

Identifying Gender by Singular Endings

The ending of a noun in its singular form is the most common indicator of its gender.

Nouns Ending in -o

The vast majority of nouns ending in -o are masculine.

• Il libro è sul tavolo.

  The book is on the table.

• Ho un gatto nero.

  I have a black cat.

Nouns Ending in -a

Most nouns ending in -a are feminine.

• La casa è grande.

  The house is big.

• Vorrei una penna blu.

  I would like a blue pen.

Nouns Ending in -e

Nouns ending in -e can be either masculine or feminine. Their gender must be learned along with the word itself, often by memorizing the article.

• Il fiore è rosso.

  The flower is red. (Masculine)

• La notte è scura.

  The night is dark. (Feminine)

• Il ristorante chiude presto.

  The restaurant closes early. (Masculine)

Predictable Feminine Endings

Certain endings almost always indicate a feminine noun:

• -ione: la stazione - the station, la lezione - the lesson
• -ice: l'attrice - the actress, la scrittrice - the female writer
• -tà: la città - the city, l'università - the university
• -tù: la gioventù - the youth, la virtù - the virtue

02

Gender Exceptions

Some common nouns do not follow the main patterns.

• Feminine nouns ending in -o: la mano (the hand), la radio (the radio), l'auto (the car, short for l'automobile).
• Masculine nouns ending in -a: Many are of Greek origin, especially those ending in -ma. Examples include il problema (the problem), il tema (the theme), il cinema (the cinema).
• Nouns for professions ending in -ista can be masculine or feminine, distinguished by the article: il pianista (the male pianist), la pianista (the female pianist).

03

Forming Regular Plurals

To make a noun plural, its ending changes based on its singular ending and gender.

• Masculine nouns in -o change to -i.

• ragazzo → ragazzi

  boy → boys

• Ho due fratelli.

  I have two brothers.

• Feminine nouns in -a change to -e.

• ragazza → ragazze

  girl → girls

• Le finestre sono aperte.

  The windows are open.

• All nouns (masculine and feminine) in -e change to -i.

• cane → cani

  dog → dogs (Masculine)

• chiave → chiavi

  key → keys (Feminine)

04

Plurals with Spelling Changes

Some plural formations require minor spelling adjustments to maintain pronunciation.

Nouns in -co and -go

The plural form depends on where the stress falls in the singular word.

• If the stress is on the second-to-last syllable, the plural ends in -chi or -ghi to keep the hard 'k' or 'g' sound.

• lago → laghi

  lake → lakes

• I funghi sono deliziosi.

  The mushrooms are delicious.

• If the stress is on the third-to-last syllable, the plural usually ends in -ci or -gi, creating a soft 'ch' or 'j' sound.

• medico → medici

  doctor → doctors

• Gli psicologi ascoltano.

  The psychologists listen.

Nouns in -cia and -gia

• If a vowel comes before -cia/-gia, the plural keeps the 'i': -cie/-gie.

• camicia → camicie

  shirt → shirts

• Le valigie sono pesanti.

  The suitcases are heavy.

• If a consonant comes before -cia/-gia, the 'i' is dropped: -ce/-ge.

• spiaggia → spiagge

  beach → beaches

• Le arance sono dolci.

  The oranges are sweet.

05

Invariant Nouns

Some nouns have the same form in both the singular and the plural. The number is indicated by the article (il/la vs. i/le).

• Nouns ending in a consonant (often foreign words):

• il film → i film

  the film → the films

• lo sport → gli sport

  the sport → the sports

• Nouns ending in a stressed vowel:

• la città → le città

  the city → the cities

• il caffè → i caffè

  the coffee → the coffees

• Abbreviated nouns:

• la foto (fotografia) → le foto

  the photo → the photos

• la moto (motocicletta) → le moto

  the motorbike → the motorbikes

06

Irregular and Gender-Changing Plurals

A small group of common nouns have highly irregular plurals.

• uomo → uomini

  man → men

• dio → dei

  god → gods

Additionally, some masculine nouns, often referring to body parts, become feminine in the plural.

• -o (masc. sing.) → -a (fem. plural)

• il braccio → le braccia

  the arm → the arms

• l'uovo → le uova

  the egg → the eggs

• il dito → le dita

  the finger → the fingers

Some of these nouns have a second, regular masculine plural with a different, more figurative meaning.

• i bracci della croce

  the arms of the cross

• le braccia di una persona

  the arms of a person