Ways to say it
| Italian | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| il | /il/ | masculine |
| lo | /lo/ | masculine |
| la | /la/ | feminine |
| l' | /l/ | before vowel |
| i | masculine, plural | |
| gli | /ʎi/ /ʎ/ |
masculine, plural |
| le | /le/ | feminine, plural |
Unlike English, you must choose the correct form based on the gender (masculine or feminine) and the number (singular or plural) of the noun, as well as the first letter of that noun.
Which one should you use?
The forms differ based on gender, number and the starting letter of the following word. Masculine singular options are il and lo, while the feminine singular is la or l'. Masculine plural forms are i and gli, and the feminine plural is le.
How does it change in a sentence?
The masculine singular form lo is used instead of il before masculine nouns starting with s + consonant, z, ps, gn or x. For masculine plural nouns, gli is used instead of i when the noun starts with a vowel or certain special consonants like s + consonant or z. The form l' is used for singular nouns starting with a vowel. The feminine plural form is le.
How do you pronounce it?
/il/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Remember that the choice of article is not fixed. It depends on the gender and number of the noun and the first letter of the following word.
Did you know?
- Italian often uses a definite article when referring to family members, but omitting it can signal a closer, more intimate relationship with a relative.
- The article lo is a descendant of the Latin word illum, which is also the origin of the English word 'illumination'.
- Unlike English, Italian uses the definite article to refer to general concepts, such as saying la vita for 'life' in general.
Examples in context
- Il re è nudo!The king is naked!This sentence uses il to refer to the king.Tatoeba #2687012 by Guybrush88, translation #2627012 by AlanF_US
- Il cane è mio.The dog is mine.This sentence uses il to refer to the dog.Tatoeba #521108 by Pharamp, translation #493294 by CM
- Il nero è mio.The black one is mine.This sentence uses il to refer to the black one.Tatoeba #1005077 by Guybrush88, translation #823527 by sacredceltic
- Il libroThe book
- Il ragazzoThe boy
- La casaThe house
- La donnaThe woman
- L'uomoThe man
- L'aulaThe classroom
- I ragazziThe boys
- I libriThe books
- Le ragazzeThe girls
- Le caseThe houses
- 16704 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Alessandro and Sofia are talking about a book on the table.
- AlessandroHai letto il libro?Did you read the book?
- SofiaNo, non l'ho ancora aperto.No, I haven't opened it yet.
- AlessandroIl libro è molto interessante.The book is very interesting.
- SofiaAllora lo leggerò stasera.Then I will read it tonight.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “the” translations and entries il, lo, la, l', gli, le, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries il, la, lo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
