Nouns are words used to name or identify a person, animal, place, thing, or idea. Examples include: girl, hat, coat, weather, picture, coffee, hotel.
Nouns are one of the most basic parts of speech They can occur as the main word in the subject of a clause, the object of a verb, or the object of a preposition. Italian nouns are divided in common, nomi comuni, and proper, nomi propri.
So this free lesson is all about naming things. By the time you're done you'll know all about common and proper nouns, as well as how to identify masculine and feminine versions. You'll also discover the mysterious third category of nouns.
Resources for further reading:
Here are some of the most basic Italian nouns to get you started. Further on in this lesson we will look at the pronunciation of these and more Italian nouns.
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nomi comuni
common noun
nomi propri
proper noun
Nomi comuni indicate persons, animals, places, things like ragazzo - kid, dottore - doctor, cane - dog, fiume - river, or abstract ideas like bellezza - beauty, speranza - hope, giustizia - justice, etc.
ragazzo
kid
dottore
doctor
cane
dog
fiume
river
bellezza
beauty
speranza
hope
giustizia
justice
The nomi propri indicate specific beings or things, which are characterized by a proper name: Italia, Roma, Paolo, Marco, etc.
Nouns can be divided also for genre, masculine and feminine, and number, singular and plural.
Italia
Italy
Roma
Rome
Paolo
Paolo
Marco
Marco
Most of the nouns agree with the following rules:
Masculine nouns ending with –o (singular)
tavolo
table
museo
museum
libro
book
coro
chorus
corpo
body
cielo
sky
appartamento
apartment
suono
sound
Masculine nouns ending with –i (plural)
tavoli
tables
musei
museums
libri
books
cori
choruses
corpi
bodies
cieli
skies
appartamenti
apartments
suoni
sounds
Feminine nouns ending with –a (singular)
casa
house
finestra
window
sedia
chair
strada
street
maglietta
t-shirt
testa
head
fotografia
photo
penna
pen
Feminine nouns ending with –e (plural)
case
houses
finestre
windows
sedie
chairs
strade
streets
magliette
t-shirts
teste
heads
fotografie
photos
penne
pens
Third Case nouns ending with –e (singular).
These can be masculine or feminine, according to the vocabulary.
bicchiere (M)
glass
studente (M)
student
ristorante (M)
restaurant
fiume (M)
river
luce (F)
light
nube (F)
cloud
mese (M)
month
ape (F)
bee
Third Case nouns ending with –i (plural).
These can be masculine or feminine, according to the vocabulary.
bicchieri (M)
glasses
studenti (M)
students
ristoranti (M)
restaurants
fiumi (M)
rivers
luci (F)
lights
nubi (F)
clouds
mesi (M)
months
api (F)
bees
Many Italians nouns are irregular. Here are some examples.
1. The following nouns have the same form at singular as well as at plural:
re
king
università
university
film
film
gol
goal
analisi
Analysis
auto
Car
euro
euro
specie
species
2. Masculine nouns with –ma at the singular end with –mi at the plural.
Singular | Plural |
problema | problemi |
problem | problems |
tema | temi |
thema | themas |
3. Feminine nouns ending with –ca and –ga at singular end with –che and –ghe at plural
Singular | Plural |
domenica | domeniche |
Sunday | Sundays |
collega | colleghe |
colleague | colleagues (F) |
4. Masculine nouns ending with –co and –go:
Some words, like amico - pl. amici, or dialogo - pl. dialoghi are exceptions.
Singular | Plural |
tedesco | tedeschi |
German | Germans |
albergo | alberghi |
hotel | hotels |
medico | medici |
doctor | doctors |
psicologo | psicologi |
psychologist | psychologists |
Some nouns, which have the same stem and end with –o or –a, seem to indicate the masculine or feminine version of the same word. That’s not always true; the meaning can be completely different.
Some examples:
Noun with –o ending | Noun with –a ending |
corso | corsa |
avenue | running |
collo | colla |
neck | glue |
pianto | pianta |
tears | plant |
torto | torta |
fault | cake |
For more on Italian grammar check out these lessons!
A presto!
Maria Di Lorenzi: Rocket Italian
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