Italian indefinite articles (un, uno, una)
Exercises
Lesson Outline
HideItalian indefinite articles chart (a/an)
Italian indefinite articles (Gli articoli indeterminativi) are used to indicate:
- an element mentioned for the first time
- something mentioned as unit of a class or a group.
| Masculine | Feminine |
|---|---|
Uno psicologo (A psychologist) |
Una psicologa (A psychologist) |
| Un computer (A computer) | Un'emozione (An emotion) |
The plural form of indefinite articles doesn't exist: partitive articles are used instead.
Masculine indefinite articles (uno, un)
The article depends on the initial letter of the word it refers to:
| Article | Rule |
|---|---|
| Uno | + gn, sp, st, ps, pn, z, x, y, s + consonant |
| Un | + all other consonant and vowels |
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Uno studio | A study |
| Uno psicologo | A psychologist |
| Uno gnomo | A gnome |
| Un universo | A universe |
| Un gatto | A cat |
| Un uomo | A man |
Feminine indefinite articles (una, un')
The articles varies basing on the initial letter of the word it precedes:
| Article | Rule |
|---|---|
| Una | + any consonant |
| Un' | + any vowel |
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Una macchina | A car |
| Una zia | An aunt |
| Una porta | A door |
| Un'amica | A girl friend |
| Un'aquila | An eagle |
| Un'amante | A lover |
Difference between Italian indefinite articles Un and Un'
It's important to keep in mind the difference between un and un'.
| UN | masculine indefinite article - without apostrophe | + any vowel |
|---|---|---|
| UN' | feminine indefinite article - with apostrophe | + any vowel |
| Un (masculine) | Un' (feminine) |
|---|---|
| Un insegnante (a male teacher) | Un'insegnante (a female teacher) |
| Un artista (a male artist) | Un'artista (a female artist) |
The apostrophe never precedes masculine nouns.
Italian indefinite articles in time expressions (once, ago, ...)
Indefinite articles could also be used to form some useful time expressions.
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Un'ora fa | One hour ago |
| Un giorno | Some day |
| C'era una volta | Once upon a time |
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