HOW TO SAY “THE” IN ITALIAN:
For English speakers, this might be a tough and a complicated lesson. The reason- There is only one “The” in English but in Italian, there are SEVEN!
Yes, you read that right! SEVEN!
The SEVEN types of “THE” are:
- il
- i
- la
- le
- l’
- lo
- gli
Rules for using “The”:
- “The” in Italian changes with what you’re talking about, whether it is a masculine or a feminine word.
- “The” changes with the number of things you’re talking of- singular or plural. For instance- cat, or cats.
- “The” is also determined by the subject beginning with certain letters.
Feminine nouns:
For feminine nouns, the following rules must be taken into account:
- la- used for all feminine singular nouns that begin with a consonant. For example- la casa
- l’- used for all singular feminine noun beginning with a vowel. For example- l’idea.
- le- used for feminine plural nouns, even if they begin with a vowel. For example – le case, le idee.
Masculine nouns:
For masculine nouns, the following rules must be taken into account:
- il- used for masculine singular nouns beginning with a consonant. for example- il cane.
- l’- used for masculine singular nouns beginning with a vowel. for example- l’angelo
- i- for masculine plural nouns beginning with a consonant. for example- i cavalli
- gli- for masculine plural nouns that begin with a vowel. for example- gli angeli.
The catch for Masculine Z and S words:
Here’s an interesting rule for masculine nouns beginning with Z and S consonants.
- lo- used with masculine singular nouns beginning with “St”, “Sc”, “Sp”, “Z” etc. for example– lo studente, lo zaino.
- gli– used for masculine plural nouns beginning with a Z or S+consonant (plus vowels). For example- gli zaini, gli studenti
While all these rules might seem handful, it is much easier once you learn the definite article for a particular word.
So when you learn cane=dog, learn il cane with it.