Definite and indefinite articles are used before nouns in Italian. A definite article (compare, “the”) most often used to show that a noun is specific while an indefinite article (compare, “a(n)”) shows that it has not been previously mentioned or “specified.”
But there are differences in how these are used, between English and Italian! My students often ask me how they should use definite and indefinite articles, especially about why they are used with days of the week, with countries, and together with the possessives. They also notice that, in general, articles are used a lot more in Italian than in English.
In this post, we’ll review the forms of definite and indefinite articles, talk about the differences between Italian and English, and cover some of the uses of each type of article. To find out exactly when to use them, don’t panic and keep on reading!
What are the definite and indefinite articles in Italian?
The Italian definite articles are il, lo, l’, i, gli, la, and le (equivalent to English “the”), while the indefinite articles are un, uno, una, and un’ (equivalent to English “a(n)”). Here’s a brief summary:
Definite articles:
| Number/gender | Masculine | Feminine |
|---|---|---|
Singular | il, lo, l’ | la, l’ |
Plural | i, gli | le |
Indefinite articles:
| Number/gender | Masculine | Feminine |
|---|---|---|
Singular | un,uno | una,un' |
Plural | -- | -- |
Now let’s get on to the uses! In some cases, the use of definite and indefinite articles can be similar in Italian and English. Let’s begin with the similarities:
When to use definite articles in Italian?
Just like in English, definite articles are used when referring to specific people, animals, or things. In the example below, the town hall refers to a specific building because there’s only one in each town, so we need to use the definite article.
Another use is if the noun has been previously mentioned or is something that everyone in the conversation already knows about. For example:
When to use indefinite articles in Italian?
Use indefinite articles to talk about something or someone that we don’t know about, is not specific, or has not been mentioned before. In the following example I’m looking for any market in this area, not a specific one:
In the next example, the car has not been mentioned before in the conversation and it is not a specific one, so we use the indefinite article.
What are the differences between using articles in Italian vs. English?
The difference between using articles in Italian vs. English begins with the fact that Italian just uses articles (particularly definite articles) much more than English. Sentences in Italian rarely begin with a noun that has no article.
We’ll focus on the definite articles, since they are the most used in Italian.
When is a definite article needed in Italian but not in English?
Italian definite articles are used differently from in English in several circumstances including expressing possession, referring to body parts, clothing, and personal belongings, expressing generalizations, and discussing mass nouns, geographical entities, titles of people, school subjects, and the date. Take a look at the list of uses below:
Using definite articles with possessive adjectives and pronouns
Although it might sound redundant in English, in Italian it’s common to see definite articles in front of possessive adjectives and pronouns.
La mia borsa è marrone, la tua è blu.Translation: My bag is brown, yours is blue.Literally: The my bag is brown, the yours is blue.Using definite articles to discuss body parts, clothing, and personal belongings
Another important distinction is that English uses possessive adjectives or no article to refer to specific body parts, personal belongings, and clothing, while Italian uses definite articles instead:
Ho le mani sporche.Translation: My hands are dirty.Literally: I have the dirty hands.← body part
Ho i capelli neri.Translation: I have black hair.Literally: I have the black hair← body part
Laura indossa la giacca.Translation: Laura is wearing her jacketLiterally: Laura is wearing the jacket.← clothing
Ho perso il passaporto.Translation: I lost my passport.Literally: I lost the passport.← personal belongings
Ho dimenticato la borsa.Translation: I forgot my bag.Literally: I forgot the bag← personal belongings
Using definite articles to express generalizations
When making general statements in Italian, with plural nouns and abstract nouns including colors, use definite articles.
Plural noun:
Gli Italiani sono un popolo amichevole.Translation: Italians are friendly people.Abstract noun:
Lo studio è fondamentale per i giovani.Translation: Studying is essential for young people.Colors:
Il blu è il mio colore preferito.Translation: Blue is my favorite color.
Using definite articles with mass nouns
There are nouns that cannot be counted such as “water,” “flour,” “bread,” “milk,” and “coffee.” In English, we simply don’t use articles when talking about this type of noun, but in Italian we need to use the definite article.
L’acqua è molto importante.Translation: Water is very important.Geographical entities
We use definite articles with continents, countries, states, rivers, lakes, mountains, and a few cities, like Il Cairo meaning Cairo and La Spezia meaning La Specia. Check out this list with more examples of geographic entities with Italian articles!
Ho visitato la Francia.Translation: I visited France.Conosci il Lago di Garda?Translation: Do you know Lake Garda?The definite articles are NOT required when the prepositions in meaning in or di meaning of come before feminine singular geographical names:
Andrò in Francia presto.Translation: I am going to France soon.Io sono di Firenze.Translation: I’m from Florence.Using definite articles with titles for people
When talking about a person with a title such as il dottor meaning doctor, il signore meaning sir, etc., a definite article is used.
Il Professor Rossi lavora all’università.Translation: Professor Rossi works at the university.Using definite articles with school subjects and languages
Use articles when talking about subjects such as la matematica meaning math, la chimica meaning chemistry , and la storia meaning history; also with names of languages: lo spagnolo meaning Spanish, il francese meaning French, il tedesco meaning German.
Using definite articles in dates, times, or other expressions of time
With date, times, and expressions such as prossimo/che verrà meaning next or scorso meaning last we use articles:
Sono le 10.Translation: It’s 10 am.Il 28 giugno è il mio compleanno.Translation: June 28th is my birthday.La settimana prossima partirò per Londra.Translation: Next week I’ll go to London.L’anno che verrà traslocheremo.Translation: Next year we are going to move.Lo scorso mercoledì non ho lavoratoTranslation: Last Wednesday I didn’t workDays of the week
When we talk about days of the week to show habitual actions, such as “every Monday,” we use the singular definite article:
Il lunedì e il giovedì ho lezioni di piano.Translation: On Mondays and Thursdays I have piano lessons.But what about doing an activity only on some Mondays? In those cases, we use partitive articles. To learn more about how to use partitive articles in Italian, click the link!
Conclusion
Now you know that Italian uses articles in more contexts than in English. Although the similarities are easy to remember, start focusing on the differences between English and Italian and in no time, you will be a pro! Let’s recap these differences and keep our post handy when practicing!
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