un
/un/
The English phrase 'a' is translated into Italian as un.
Which one should you use?
Unlike English, the form of 'a' in Italian must change to match the gender of the noun it precedes.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form un is used for masculine singular nouns starting with a vowel or a consonant (except for certain s+consonant, z or ps cases). The feminine singular form of 'a' is una. The form uno is used for masculine singular nouns starting with s + consonant, z, ps, gn or x.
How do you pronounce it?
/un/
Did you know?
- In Italian, the word un is considered an 'indefinite' article, but because it lacks a feminine form for vowels, the word un' with an apostrophe is used exclusively for feminine nouns starting with vowels.
- The English word 'unit' and 'universe' share the same Latin ancestor as the Italian un, as they both stem from the concept of 'one'.
- When used in a negative sentence, un often changes to the partitive alcun to emphasize 'not a single' or 'not any'.
Examples in context
- Lui è un DJ.He is a DJ.Tatoeba #1255427 by Guybrush88, translation #288669 by CK
- È in una band?Are you in a band?Tatoeba #1345036 by Guybrush88, translation #1345027 by CM
- Io ho un cane.I have a dog.Tatoeba #1831046 by Guybrush88, translation #378502 by CK
- Vado a Roma.I am going to Rome.
- Il treno parte a mezzanotte.The train leaves at midnight.
- Sono un giornalista.I am a journalist.
- È una persona gentile.She is a kind person.
- Ho regalato un libro a lei.I gave a book to her.
- Devi spiegare a lui la situazione.You need to explain the situation to him.
- Vado da Maria.I am going to Maria's place.
- Sono da Sara.I am at Sara's.
- 16624 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Alessandro and Sofia are at a cafe.
- AlessandroVuoi un cornetto?Do you want a croissant?
- SofiaSì, grazie Alessandro.Yes, thanks Alessandro.
- AlessandroPrendo un tè per me.I'll have a tea for myself.
- SofiaOttima idea!Great idea!
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry un, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
