Articles

articolo: The article is a small word that always comes before the noun. It tells us whether we are talking about something specific and already known, or about something generic. In Italian the article changes with gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural), and its form also depends on the first sound of the word that follows.

articolo determinativo: The definite article (il, lo, l', la, i, gli, le) points to a specific person, animal or thing that both the speaker and the listener already know. It matches the English «the».

articolo indeterminativo: The indefinite article (un, uno, una, un') points to a generic person, animal or thing, mentioned for the first time or not yet known. It matches the English «a / an» and exists only in the singular.