Italian Nouns: Gender and Number

Masc. or fem.:

Nouns that refer to a female person

• Femm.

• Masculin

• Neutre

• Féminin

The two genders of Italian nouns

• Maschile & femminile

• Masculine & feminine

• Male & female

• Neutral & plural

Masc. or fem.:

Nouns that refer to a male person

• Fem.

• Neut.

• Masc.

• Plural.

Maschile o femminile?

Amico

• maschile

• femminile

• neutro

• plurale

From singular to plural, shortened nouns (Es. Foto from fotografia)

• Foto > Foto

• Foto > Fotos

• Foto > Fotografia

• Foto > Fotas

To form the plural, singular nouns ending in -a

• -a > -e

• -a > -i

• -a > -o

• -a > -ae

Number and gender of nouns ending in -ione

• Sing. Masc.

• Pl. Femm.

• Sing. Femm.

• Pl. Masc.

From singular to plural, nouns that end in a consonant (Es. computer)

• DO NOT CHANGE

• Add 's' to the end

• Change 'er' to 'ers'

• Add 'es' to the end

Number and gender of nouns ending in -ema

• Sing. Masc.

• Pl. Fem.

• Sing. Fem.

• Pl. Masc.

Nouns that end in -a

• Are always femm. sing.

• Are always neuter plural.

• Are always masculine plural.

• Can be either masculine or feminine.