The article is a variable part of speech, which accompanies the noun, always preceding it and indicating its gender and number.
The article is never used separately from the noun (it never has an independent function).
Each part of speech can be ‘nominalized’ by preceding it with the article which means that the article can be used with any word not just with nouns.
- Il sì e il no (The yes and the no).
- Il perché di questa scelta (The reason for this choice).
- Tra il dire e il fare (Between saying and doing).
There are two types of articles in the Italian language: the definite articles and the indefinite articles.
First is the definite articles:
- Masculine singular: (il,lo,l’).
- Masculine plural: (gli, i).
- Feminine singular: (la, l’).
- Feminine plural: (le).
Second is the indefinite articles:
- Masculine singular: (un, uno).
- Feminine singular: (un’, una).
The indefinite article has no plural. The plural can be formed with the partitive article dei, degli, delle, with the indefinite adjectives qualche, alcuni, alcune, or by using the noun in the plural without articles or adjectives:
- Singular: un libro.
- Plural: dei libri, alcuni libri, qualche libro, libri.