Chapter 3 – Genders of Noun

In the Italian language, it is essential for you to understand the gender of nouns. It is considered appropriate to use the correct gender, especially when you are pertaining or speaking to another person. The articles and adjectives that will define and describe the noun also changes depending on its gender.

All Italian nouns have a gender assigned to them: masculine or feminine. The gendered nouns also change when they are in their singular or plural form. Therefore, to correctly speak and write in Italian, you must learn how to determine the appropriate gender of nouns that you are going to use.

There is multitude of rules on the gender of Italian nouns that must be followed. You have to commit to memory the following principles in order to make the process of constructing sentences easier later on.

Singular Nouns

• Nouns that end in “-o”

Majority of the nouns that end with the letter “o” are considered as masculine. For example:

• “bagno” (bah -nyoh) – “bathroom”
• “nonno” (nohn -noh) – “grandfather”
• “telefono” (teh-leh -foh-noh) – “telephone”

Notable exceptions are the following feminine nouns:

• “auto” (ahw -toh) – “car”
• “foto” (foh -toh) – “photo”
• “mano” (mah -noh) – “hand”
• “radio” (rah -dyoh) – “radio”

• Nouns that end in “-a”

Feminine nouns typically end with the letter “a”:

• “casa” (kah -sah) – “house”
• “nonna” (nohn -nah) – “grandmother”
• “ragazza” (rah-gaht -tsah) – “girl”

• Nouns that end in “-e”

Nouns that have the letter “e” as their ending can either be masculine or feminine. Since there is no particular rule that differentiates these nouns in terms of structure, you would have to memorize the categories each of the nouns fall under:

• Masculine
  • “giornale” (johr-nah -leh) – “newspaper”
  • “mare” (mah -reh) – “sea”
  • “sapone” (sah-poh -neh) – “soap”
• Feminine
  • “chiave” (kyah -veh) – “key”
  • “nave” (nah -veh) – “ship”
  • “notte” (noht -teh) – “night”

• Nouns that end in “-amma” or “-ma”

All nouns that end in either “-amma” or “-ma” are classified as masculine. For example:

• “clima” (kleeh -mah) – “climate”
• “dramma" (drahm -mah) – “drama”
• “programma” (proh-grahm -mah) – “program”

• Nouns that end in “-zione” or “-sione”

The gender of all nouns that end in either “-zione” or “-sione” is feminine. For example:

• “illusione" (eehl-looh-syoh -neh) – “illusion”
• “pensione” (pehn-syoh -neh) – “pension”
• “stazione” (ehs-tah-tsyoh -neh) – “station”

• Nouns that end in “-ale”, “-ame”, “-ile”, “-one”, or “-ore”

Every Italian noun that ends in in “-ale”, “-ame”, “-ile”, “-one”, or “-ore” is masculine. For example:

• “animale” (ah-neeh -mah-leh) – “animal”
• “bastone” (bahs-toh -neh) – “cane”
• “dottore” (doht-toh -reh) – “doctor”

• Nouns that end in “-si”

Based on the Greek language, nouns that end with “si” are considered as feminine. For example:

• “analisi” (ah-nah -leeh-seeh) – “analysis”
• “crisi” (kreeh -seeh) – “crisis”
• “tesi” (teh -seeh) – “thesis”

In certain cases, the gender of a singular noun can be determined through patterns of categorization. This is most evident in botany, wherein types of trees are considered as masculine, while the fruit each respective tree bears is named using the feminine forms of those nouns.

To illustrate this pattern, here are some examples of trees and their fruit:

• apple
  • “melo” (meh -loh) – “apple tree”
  • “mela” (meh -lah) – “apple fruit”
• cherry
  • “ciliegio” (cheeh-lyeh -joh) – “cherry tree”
  • “ciliegia” (cheeh-lyeh -jah) – “cherry fruit”
• orange
  • “arancio” (ah-rahn -choh) – “orange tree”
  • “arancia” (ah-rahn -chah) – “orange fruit”
• peach
  • “pesco “(pehs -koh) – “peach tree”
  • “pesca” (pehs -kah) – “peach fruit”
• pear
  • “pero” (peh -roh) – “pear tree”
  • “pera" (peh -rah) – “pear fruit”

Some exceptions except for this rule, wherein the masculine form of the noun refers to both the tree and the fruit itself:

• “fico” (feeh -koh) – “fig tree” or “fig fruit”
• “limone” (leeh-moh -neh) – “lemon tree” or “lemon fruit”
• “mandarino” (mahn-dah -reeh-noh) – “tangerine tree” or “tangerine fruit”
• “mango” (mahng -goh) – “mango tree” or “mango fruit”

Professions can also take either a masculine or feminine form depending on how the word ends. Masculine form of a profession ends in “-ore” while professions that ends in “-essa” indicates that the profession has taken a feminine form.

For example:

• doctor
  • “dottore” (doht-toh -reh) – “male doctor”
  • “dottoressa” (doht-toh -rehs-sah) – “female doctor”
• professor
  • “professore” (proh-fehs -soh-reh) – “male professor”
  • “professoressa” (proh-fehs -soh-rehs-sah) – “female professor”

An exception to this rule are the professions that end in “-ista”. They are considered as gender neutral, unless an article precedes the name of the profession. In such cases, the article determines the gender of the person who is practicing the profession. For example:

• dentist
  • “il dentista" (eel dehn-teehs -tah) – “male dentist”
  • “la dentista" (lah dehn-teehs -tah) – “female dentist”
• pharmacist
  • “il farmacista” (eel fahr-mah-chees -tah) – “male pharmacist”
  • “la farmacista” (lah fahr-mah-chees -tah) – “female pharmacist”

Plural Nouns

Transforming a singular noun into its plural form requires the last vowel to be changed accordingly. Here are the rules that you must follow in order to so.

• Nouns that end in “-i”

Singular, masculine nouns that end in “-o” changes their endings to “-i" when they turn into their respective plural forms. For example:

• cat/cats
  • “gatto” (gaht -toh) – “cat”
  • “gatti” (gaht -teeh) – “cats”
• boy/boys
  • “ragazzo” (rah-gaht -tsoh) – “boy”
  • “ragazzi” (rah-gaht -tseeh) – “boys”
• tree/trees
  • “albero” (ahl -beh-roh) – “tree”
  • “alberi” (ahl -beh-reeh) – “trees”

• Nouns that end in “-ci” or “-gi”

Certain singulars, masculine nouns that end in “-co” or “-go” can be transformed into their plural forms when the endings of those words are changed into “-ci” or “-gi”. For example:

• friend/friends
  • “amico” (ah-meeh -koh) – “friend”
  • “amici “(ah-meeh -cheeh) – “friends”
• surgeon/surgeons
  • “chirurgo” (keeh-ruhr -goh) – “surgeon”
  • “chirurgi” (keeh-ruhr -jeeh) – “surgeons”

• Nouns that end in “-chi” or “-ghi”

To preserve the hard “c” or hard “g” sound of some singular nouns that end in “-co” or “-go” in their plural forms, the endings are changed into either “-chi” or “-ghi”.

• hip/hips
  • “fianco” (feeh-anh -koh) – “hip”
  • “fianchi” (feeh-anh -keeh) – “hips”
• mud
  • “fango” (fahn -goh) – “mud”
  • “fanghi" (fahn -geeh) – “mud [plural]”

• Nouns that end in “-e”

Singular, feminine nouns that end in “-a” change their endings to “-e” when transformed into their plural forms. For instance:

• house/houses
  • “casa” (kah -sah) – “house”
  • “case “(kah -seh) – “houses”
• sister/sisters
  • “sorella” (soh-rehl -lah) – “sister”
  • “sorelle” (soh-rehl -leh) – “sisters”

• Nouns that end in “-che” or “-ghe”

The plural forms of feminine nouns that end in “-ca” or “-ga” can be achieved by changing the endings of those nouns into “-che” or “ghe” respectively. For example:

• girlfriend/girlfriends
  • “amica” (ah-meeh -kah) – “girlfriend”
  • “amiche” (ah-meeh -keh) – “girlfriends”
• stick/sticks
  • “stanga” (ehs-tahn -gah) – “stick”
  • “stanghe” (ehs-tahn -geh) – “sticks”

• Nouns that end in “-ee”

All singular nouns that end in “-ea” are converted into their plural forms by having their endings changed into “-ee”. For instance:

• idea/ideas
  • “idea” (ee-deh -yah) – “idea”
  • “idee” (ee-dee -yeh) – “ideas”

• Nouns that end in “-i"

Plural forms of nouns that end in “-i" can be rooted in either of the following cases:

• The singular form of the noun already ends in “-i" does not change when the speaker is pertaining to its plural form. For example:
  • “analisi” (ah-nah -lee-see) – “analysis” or “analyses”
  • “crisi” (kree -see) – “crisis” or “crises”
  • “tesi” (teh -see) – “thesis” or “theses”
• The singular form of the noun ends in “-e”. To change those nouns into their plural form, the ending must be changed into “-i" instead, regardless of whether the singular form is considered as masculine or feminine. If the gender must be determined, it shall be defined using the article that precedes the noun.

To illustrate this principle, here are some examples of masculine and feminine nouns in their singular and plural forms:

• mother/mothers

❖         “madre” (mah -dreh) – “mother”

❖         “madri” (mah -dreeh) – “mothers”

• father/fathers

❖         “padre” (pah -dreh) – “father”

❖         “padre” (pah -dreeh) – “fathers”

Exercise A

Identify the gender of the following of nouns. Write “M” if the noun is masculine, or “F” if the noun is feminine.

1. giornale
2. radio
3. stazione
4. sapone
5. auto
6. pesco
7. clima
8. tesi
9. chiave
10. programma

Exercise B

Fill out the blanks with either the singular or plural form of the given nouns.

1. amico - ____________
2. ___________ - fanghi
3. sorella - ____________
4. crisi - _____________
5. ____________ - chirurgi

Answer Key

Exercise A

1. M
2. F
3. F
4. M
5. F
6. M
7. M
8. F
9. F
10. M

Exercise B

1. amici
2. fango
3. sorelle
4. crisi
5. chirurgo