To make oral expression more fluent and harmonious, the final vowel of the word drops if followed by a word that begins with a vowel or with h.
The dropping of this vowel (word ending) is indicated by the apostrophe or in other words Elision.
The apostrophe is marked with the following words:
A). The articles la/lo and the articulated prepositions allo, alla, della, dello, etc.
- L’aula.
- L’orologio.
- Sull’albero
- All’amico
- All’interno.
B). The indefinite article Uno.
- Un’amica
- Un’anima
- Un’opera
C) The preposition di
- D’oro.
- D’argento.
- D’inverno.
- D’estate.
D). The preposition di, only in expressions such as:
- D’ora in poi.
- D’altra parte.
E) Ci/ Ne (before i – o and e).
- C’è.
- C’insegna.
- Non ce n’è nessuno.
F) With (questo, quello, tutto, buono, bello, santo).
- Quest’anno.
- Quell’albergo.
- Tutt’altro.
- Buon’anima.
- Bell’uomo.
- Sant’Antonio.
G). The apostrophe is marked only in imperatives:
- Dai (da’).
- Dici (Di’).
- Fai (fa’).
- Stai (Sta’).
- Vai (va’).
H) With the word (poco).
- Sono un po’ stanco, vado a riposare.