Masculine and Feminine in Italian - Italian Grammar

Key Concepts

• Italian nouns are divided into two genders: masculine and feminine.
• There are three noun classes: O, A, and E nouns.

Noun Classes in Italian

O and A Nouns

• O nouns are masculine.
  • Examples:
    • il libro (book)
    • il gatto (cat)
• A nouns are feminine.
  • Examples:
    • la scuola (school)
    • la casa (house)

Exceptions

• Some A nouns are masculine:
  • il problema (problem)
  • il turista (tourist)
  • il papà (dad)
  • il papa (pope)
• Some O nouns are feminine:
  • la mano (hand)
  • la foto (photo)
  • la moto (motorcycle)
  • These are often abbreviations:
    • la fotografia (photography)
    • la motocicletta (motorcycle)

E Nouns

• Nouns ending with E do not have a consistent gender; they must be learned individually.

Examples of E Nouns

• Masculine:
  • il padre (father)
  • il fiore (flower)
• Feminine:
  • la madre (mother)
  • la notte (night)

Nouns Ending with a Consonant

• Usually masculine, often borrowed from other languages:
  • il bar
  • il film

Additional Resources

• Learn more about the definite article in Italian here.
• Vocabulary related to Essere and Avere here.
• Practice reading with Italian stories here.

For more detailed exploration and exercises, refer to the full course materials and additional reading suggestions on the official Italiano Bello website.