1. © and ® 2011 Vista Higher Learning, Inc.1A.1-1 Punto di partenza A noun is a word that identifies a person, animal, place, thing, or idea. As in English, Italian nouns are singular or plural. All Italian nouns also have gender, even those that refer to objects; they are either masculine or feminine.

2. © and ® 2011 Vista Higher Learning, Inc.1A.1-2 Nouns that refer to males are usually masculine, and those that refer to females are usually feminine. One exception is persona (person), a feminine noun that can refer to a man or a woman. feminine amica (female) friend attrice actress studentessa (female) student masculine amico (male) friend attore actor studente (male) student

3. © and ® 2011 Vista Higher Learning, Inc.1A.1-3 Usually, nouns that end in -o are masculine, and nouns that end in -a are feminine. feminine casa house domanda question idea masculine libro book tvolo table ufficio office

4. © and ® 2011 Vista Higher Learning, Inc.1A.1-4 Nouns that end in -e may be either masculine or feminine. Memorize the gender of these nouns as you learn them. feminine autombile car notte night masculine esame exam ristorante restaurant

5. © and ® 2011 Vista Higher Learning, Inc.1A.1-5 Nouns ending in a consonant or -ore are masculine, and nouns ending in -ione are feminine. feminine lezione lesson stazione station televisione television masculine utobus bus computer dottore (male) doctor

6. © and ® 2011 Vista Higher Learning, Inc.1A.1-6 To form the plural of most Italian nouns, you need to change the final vowel. The masculine ending -o becomes -i, and the feminine ending -a becomes -e. Regardless of gender, singular nouns ending in -e change the vowel to -i to form the plural. singular masculine ragazzo boy ragazzi boys ristorante restaurant ristoranti restaurants feminine donna woman donne women notte night notti nights plural

7. © and ® 2011 Vista Higher Learning, Inc.1A.1-7 When referring to an all-male group or a mixed group of males and females, use the masculine plural form. gli amici the (male and female) friends gli studenti the (male and female) students

8. © and ® 2011 Vista Higher Learning, Inc.1A.1-8 To form the plural of most nouns ending in -co, -ca, -go, and -ga, add an h in order to maintain the hard c or g sound. One exception is amico, which becomes amici. plural alberghi hotels amiche friends singular albergo hotel amica friend

9. © and ® 2011 Vista Higher Learning, Inc.1A.1-9 Shortened nouns and nouns that end in a consonant or accented vowel do not change from the singular to the plural. plural due foto two photos due utobus two buses due caffè two coffees singular una foto a photo un utobus a bus un caffè coffee

10. © and ® 2011 Vista Higher Learning, Inc.1A.1-10 Articles The indefinite article refers to an unspecified person or thing and corresponds to the English a/an. before... masculine z or s + consonant uno studente a student a vowel or other consonants un uomo a man feminine a vowelunidea an idea a consonantuna città a city

11. © and ® 2011 Vista Higher Learning, Inc.1A.1-11 The definite article (the) indicates a specific person or thing. singular before... masculine a vowellautore the author gli autori the authors z or s + consonantlo sport the sport gli sport the sports other consonantsil libro the book i libri the books plural feminine a vowellamica the friend le amiche the friends a consonantla casa the house le case the houses

12. © and ® 2011 Vista Higher Learning, Inc.1A.1-12 Maschile (masculine) or femminile (feminine)? 1. ragazzo ______________ 2. ufficio ______________ 3. attrice ______________ 4. caffè __________ 5. dottore __________ 6. notte ______________ 7. computer ______________ 8. stazione ______________ 9. idea __________ 10. studente __________ maschile