In Italian, nouns can be masculine or feminine. Masculine nouns (sostantivo maschile) can be determined by ending or meaning.
1. Il sostantivo maschile: Masculine nouns by ending
1. Nouns ending in -o are almost all masculine.
- Il Marito (The husband).
- Il Terrazzo (The terrace).
- Il Tavolo (The table).
- Lo Spettacolo (The show).
2. Masculine nouns can end in -e.
- L’animale (The animal).
- Il sole (The sun).
- Il mare (The sea).
- L’amore (The love).
3. Some masculine nouns can end in (-a/ -ista/-ma).
- Il papa (The Dad).
- Il problema (The problem).
- L’autista (The driver)
- Il diploma (The diploma).
- Il profeta (The Prophet).
- Il telegramma (The telegram).
- Il drama (The drama).
- Il sistema (The system).
4. Masculine nouns can end in -i or -u.
- Il brindisi (The toast)
- Il tabù (The taboo)
5. Nouns ending in a consonant are generally masculine.
- Lo sport.
- Il bar.
- Il film
- Il tram.
2. Il sostantivo maschile: Masculine nouns by meaning
They are usually masculine the names of:
1. People or animals that refer to masculine.
- Uomo (man).
- Attore (actor).
- Ragazzo (boy).
- Gatto (cat).
- Leone (lion).
2. Trees.
- Il melo (The apple tree)
- Il pero (The pear tree)
- Il ciliegio (The cherry tree)
- L’ulivo (The olive tree)
Some are feminine like (la quercia, la vite, la palma, ecc.)
3. Rivers, Lakes, Seas and Mountains
- Il Cervino (The Matterhorn).
- Il Tevere (The Tiber).
- Il Po (The Po).
- Il Mediterraneo (The Mediterranean).
- L’Atlantico (The Atlantic)
Some are feminine like (le Alpi, La Senna, La Dora, Le Dolomiti).
4. Cardinal points.
- Il Nord (The North).
- L’ovest (The west).
- Il Sud (The south).
- L’est (The East).
5. Months and days of the week except (la domenica).
- Aprile (April).
- Maggio (May).
- Il lunedì (Monday).
- Il sabato (Saturday).
6. Metals and chemical elements.
- Il bronzo (The Bronze).
- L’oro (The Gold).
- L’argento (The Silver).
- L’ozono (The Ozone).
- Il carbonio (The Carbon).
7. The Fingers.
- Il police (The thumb).
- L’indice (The index).
- Il medio (The middle).
- L’anulare (The ring finger).
- Il mignolo (The pinky).
- L’alluce (The big toe).
8. Sports clubs except (la Roma).
- Il Torino (The Turin).
- Il Milan (The Milan).
- Il Genoa (The Genoa).
- Il Palermo (The Palermo).
9. Cities, regions, nations, continents, and islands.
| Italian regions | Nations | Foreign regions | Islands | Cities |
| Il Piemonte (The Piedmont) | Il Giappone (The Japan) | Il Brandeburgo (The Brandenburg) | Il Madagascar (The Madagascar) | Il Cairo ((The Cairo) |
| Il Lazio (The Lazio) | Il Belgio (The Belgium) | Il Baden-Wurttemberg (The Baden-Württemberg) | ||
| l’Abruzzo (The Abruzzo) | Il Venezuela (The Venezuela) | |||
| Il Molise (The Molise) | Il Camerun (The Cameroon) | |||
| Il Trentino-Alto Adige (The Trentino-Alto Adige) | Il Brasile (The Brazil) | |||
| Il Veneto (The Veneto) | Il Perù (The Peru) |
Exercises on the lesson here
Next lesson:
Il nome (femminile) / The noun (feminine)