A1 · The articles
il, lo, la and their plurals
Three masculine forms, two feminine — and a rule you already obey.
Masculine: il before a consonant — il libro. lo before s plus a consonant and before z, ps, gn, y — lo studente, lo zio. l' before a vowel — l'amico. Feminine is simpler: la before a consonant, l' before a vowel — la casa, l'acqua.
The reason is worth having, because it turns seven arbitrary forms into one habit. An article exists to be said quickly, and Italian will not tolerate the mouthful of il studente. English does the same and never thinks about it: a book but an apple, a hotel but an hour. That is not a rule about meaning either — it is about what is comfortable to say, and it is decided entirely by the following sound.
In the plural: i for il, gli for lo and l', le for both feminines. So i libri, gli studenti, gli amici, le case.
The article stands in front of countries, languages, days of the week in the sense of every, and your own body: l'Italia, l'italiano, il lunedì, mi lavo le mani.
Die Form
| the book — the books | il libro — i libri |
| the student — the students | lo studente — gli studenti |
| the uncle — the uncles | lo zio — gli zii |
| the friend — the friends | l’amico — gli amici |
| the house — the houses | la casa — le case |
| the water — the waters | l’acqua — le acque |
Die Regeln im Einzelnen
lo stands before s plus a consonant and before z.
Lo studente aspetta lo zio.The student is waiting for his uncle.
Before a vowel it is l', in both genders.
L’albergo è vicino all’ospedale.The hotel is near the hospital.
The plural of lo and l' is gli, not i.
Gli amici arrivano gli stessi giorni.The friends arrive on the same days.
Countries and languages take the article.
L’Italia è bella e l’italiano è difficile.Italy is beautiful and Italian is difficult.
Woran man es erkennt
- il
- lo
- la
- i
- gli
- le
Beispielsätze
Gli studenti aspettano l’autobus.The students are waiting for the bus.
Il treno per lo Zoo parte alle nove.The train to the zoo leaves at nine.
Le chiavi sono sul tavolo.The keys are on the table.
Mi lavo le mani prima di mangiare.I wash my hands before eating.
Die typisch deutsche Falle
Aufgepasst
The plural of lo and l' is gli, not i. I studenti and i amici are the two commonest mistakes there are: the singular was learnt correctly and then the easiest article was reached for in the plural. The rule is the same one as in the singular — before s plus a consonant and before a vowel, i will not go, for the same reason a will not go before apple.
Where lo stands, the plural is gli.
Jetzt selbst
5 Aufgaben zu diesem Thema. Die Antworten werden im Browser geprüft; nichts davon verlässt Ihr Gerät.