Singular to plural in Italian
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The Italian plural is formed by changing the final vowel of each word according to these general rules:
Singular | Plural | Italian | English |
---|---|---|---|
-a | -e (feminine); -i (masculine) | La mamma → Le mamme | Mother → Mothers Artist → Artists |
-e | -i | La lavatrice → Le lavatrici | Washing machine → Washing machines |
-i | -i | La crisi → Le crisi | Crise → Crises |
-o | -i | Il mondo → I mondi | World → Worlds |
-u | -u | Le gru → La gru | Crane → Cranes |
-io | -i; -ii | Il foglio → I fogli L'addio → Gli addii | Sheet → Sheets Farewell → Farewells |
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We can highlight the following main categories of words according to their final vowel:
Masculine nouns ending in -a will form their plural with -i, feminine nouns change their ending from -a to -e.
Italian | English | |
---|---|---|
Masculine | Il poeta → I poeti | The poet → The poets |
Feminine | La ragazza → Le ragazze | The girl → The girls |
In case -a is preceded by c or g, an h is added just before the new vowel -e.
Italian | English |
---|---|
La formica → Le formiche | The ant → The ants |
La riga → Le righe | The row → The rows |
La domenica → Le domeniche | The Sunday → The Sundays |
A noun ending in -e changes its vowel to -i, regardless of its gender.
Italian | English |
---|---|
Il fiore → I fiori | The flower → The flowers |
La parete → Le pareti | The wall → The walls |
Il colore → I colori | The colour → The colours |
This kind of nouns derives from foreign or ancient languages; the vowel ending remains unchanged when forming the plural.
Italian | English |
---|---|
La crisi → Le crisi | The crisis → The crises |
Lo gnu → Gli gnu | The gnu → The gnus |
La metropoli → Le metropoli | The metropolis → The metropolises |
These nouns are identical in their singular and plural forms, and, therefore, the article is the only thing that distinguishes them.
These nouns are almost always masculine, thus normally change to -i when forming the plural.
Italian | English |
---|---|
Il regalo → I regali | The present →The presents |
Lo stereotipo → Gli stereotipi | The stereotype → The stereotypes |
Il libro → I libri | The book → The books |
When -o is preceded by c or g and the stress falls on the next-to-last syllable, an h has to be added between the consonant and the new vowel.
Italian | English |
---|---|
Il sugo → I sughi | The sauce → The sauces |
Il cuoco → I cuochi | The cook → The cooks |
Il lago → I laghi | The lake → The lakes |
Note the following irregularities:
Italian | English |
---|---|
L'amico → Gli amici | The friend → The friends |
Il nemico → I nemici | The enemy → The enemies |
Il greco → I greci | The Greek → The Greeks |
Nouns ending in -io simply drop the -o when forming their plural.
Italian | English |
---|---|
Lo specchio → Gli specchi | The mirror → The mirrors |
L'operaio → Gli operai | The worker → The workers |
L'orologio → Gli orologi | The clock → The clocks |
If the i preceding -o is stressed, then it is necessary to add another i:
Italian | English |
---|---|
Lo zio → Gli zii | The uncle → The uncles |
L'addio → Gli addii | The farewell → The farewells |
Il pendìo → I pendii | The slope → The slopes |
All the nouns in the table switched their gender according to number: they are masculine when singular, but their plural forms are feminine.
Italian | English |
---|---|
Il braccio → Le braccia | The arm → The arms |
Il ciglio → Le ciglia | The eyelash → The eyelashes |
Il muro → Le mura | The wall (the city walls) → The walls |
Il dito → Le dita | The finger → The fingers |
Irregular plurals may also involve completely different endings from their original form, as shown in the following examples:
Italian | English |
---|---|
Il bue → I buoi | The ox → The oxen |
Il Dio → Gli Dèi | The God → The Gods |
L'uomo → Gli uomini | The man → The men |
L'ala → Le ali | The wing → The wings |
La serie → Le serie | The series → The series |
L'osso → Le ossa | The bone → The bones |
Invariable nouns keep the same form in both singular and plural.
If the last letter is accented, singular and plural will be the same.
Italian | English |
---|---|
La verità → Le verità La tribù → Le tribù La città → Le città | The truth → The truths The tribe → The tribes The city → The cities |
Nouns with one sillabe don't change in their plural form.
Italian | English |
---|---|
Il re → I re Il tè → I tè | The king → The kings The tea → The teas |
If a noun is shortnened, the plural form is the same as the singular.
Italian | English |
---|---|
L'auto → Le auto | The car → The cars The motorbike → The motorbikes |
Words from other languages don't change in the plural.
Italian | English |
---|---|
Lo sport → Gli sport Il wurstel → I wurstel | The sport → The sports The sausage → The sausages |
Defective nouns don't have singular or plural.
They are mostly abstract nouns used only in singular, or nouns of collective elements only used in plural.
Italian | English |
---|---|
Il cemento | The cement |
Il coraggio | The courage |
La sete | The thirst |
Gli occhiali | The glasses |
I baffi | The moustache |
Le forbici | The scissors |
When an object consists of two pieces, it is common to refer to it as paio (a pair).
Most of the nouns in Italian are individual. This means they indicate only one element when grammatically singular.
Nevertheless, there are nouns that are collective: they indicate more than one element or a group when grammatically singular.
Italian | English |
---|---|
Il gregge → I greggi | The flock |
La folla → Le folle | The crowd |
Although they exist both in singular and plural, some nouns can be both collective or individual depending on the context.
The distinction between countable and uncountable nouns in Italian is the same as in English.
Since uncountables can't be counted, they don't have a plural, and to express the plural quantity we have to resort to other expressions:
Uncountable (1) | Uncountable (more than 1) |
---|---|
Dammi il burro. (Give me the butter.) | Dammi tre panetti di burro. (Give me three sticks of butter.) |
Voglio dell'acqua. (I want some water.) | Voglio due bicchieri/bottiglie d'acqua. (I want two glasses/bottles of water.) |
Overabundant nouns have more than one form for the plural and/or for the singular.
The meaning of the two terms is often related, but changes according to gender and number.
Let's see some examples
Singular Masculine | Singular Feminine | Plural Masculine | Plural Feminine |
---|---|---|---|
Il fronte (the front, the line) | La fronte (the forehead) | I fronti (the fronts, the lines) | Le fronti (the foreheads) |
Singular | Singular | Plural |
---|---|---|
Sorta (sort) | Sorte (fate) | Sorti (fates) |
Singular | Plural | Plural |
---|---|---|
Il braccio (the arm, the branch) | I bracci (branches) | Le braccia (the arms) |
Il ciglio (the edge, the eyelash) | I cigli (the edges) | Le ciglia (the eyelashes) |
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Hi everyone!
My name is Daniela, I am Italian and I come from a small town in Sicily, Southern Italy. I am a qualified Italian language teacher and a CELI examiner! I work in two language schools teaching Italian and I also teach English at school.
I love foreign languages, translating, reading and listening to music. Are you ready to start your language learning path with me? We are going to learn many things and to talk a lot, if you allow me to! Don’t worry if you’ve never studied the language before: everyone can attend my classes – from beginner to advanced students. You just need passion for what you're going to do and... a good Internet connection. Materials are provided by me!
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Taking lessons with Daniela was a pleasure. She was always well prepared, she gave all necessary information and materials I needed. The lessons were really good - I could practice grammar, speaking etc. Highly recommended :)
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Hi! My name is Tiphaine, I'm french, I'm 37 years old and I live in Seville.
I grew up in the outside of Paris, I travelled all over the world and I live in Spain for 10 years now.
I'm a musician, a dancer and I love to cook and hike.
I'm a french teacher, and it's my passion! I speak 3 languages, and thanks to my learning I was able to live amazing experiences in many countries.
That's why I became a teacher, to be able to share with you my love for french language and culture and to guide you in your progress.
For me, each language is a way of seeing and interpreting the world, as glasses of different colors.
Understanding the way a language works is understanding how its people see things; it's such a exciting process, I can't wait to share it with you!
I have more than 8 years experience, in schools, companies and universities.
I work with people from all ages, beginners to advanced. I know most of french manuals.
I can prepare you to DELF and DALF exams. I also have a specialization in french for specific goals and french business.
I can offer you thematic courses, to improve your pronunciation, increase your vocabulary, prepare you for traveling or for a new job.
All my classes are in french, I adapt my vocabulary and speech speed according to your level.
I also adapt my method to your needs, personality, to take the best advantage of my classes and your french learning.
I use diversified ressources, from quizz to podcasts, videos, songs and games.
Whatever are your motivations, if you want to learn french in a pleasurable and rewarding way, book a class with me!
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Tiphaine is a very competent and experienced French teacher. She prepares the lessons very carefully and focuses on all relevant aspects such as conversation, grammar and vocabulary. Above all, she has a very friendly personality that makes you feel at ease immediately. I can highly recommend her as a French teacher.
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Hi everyone!
My name is Daniela, I am Italian and I come from a small town in Sicily, Southern Italy. I am a qualified Italian language teacher and a CELI examiner! I work in two language schools teaching Italian and I also teach English at school.
I love foreign languages, translating, reading and listening to music. Are you ready to start your language learning path with me? We are going to learn many things and to talk a lot, if you allow me to! Don’t worry if you’ve never studied the language before: everyone can attend my classes – from beginner to advanced students. You just need passion for what you're going to do and... a good Internet connection. Materials are provided by me!
See you online!
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Daniela is a wonderful teacher and a pleasure to talk to. Any student would be lucky to have her as a teacher. Thank you Daniela for your help with my Italian!!!
Daniela V.Ciao Robbie, thanks a lot for your feedback. I'm very happy you like the classes together and I'll do my best to keep them as fun and interesting as possible :-)
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Hello everyone! I have been teaching Italian to foreigners in Bologna for 10 years, collaborating with local associations. I graduated in History, but later I specialized in teaching Italian by obtaining the Ditals, and in 2019 a master's degree at the Ca 'Foscari University of Venice in "Advanced planning of teaching Italian language and culture to foreigners". I love my job very much and I do it with dedication and passion. I have experience with students of all levels of Italian, from beginners to advanced, and in preparing for language tests. I adapt my teaching methods to the characteristics and training needs of my students, so as to favor a more effective, engaging and motivating learning. The materials I use are authentic, original texts and videos adapted for educational purposes. I love to use computer technologies for the preparation of interactive exercises, especially for the exercise of grammar. If you want to learn Italian in an engaging and motivating way, contact me! I'm waiting for you for a trial lesson!
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Cristiana is a delightful person and a very effective teacher. As a beginner, my almost nonexistent Italian skills and understanding requires a patient teacher who is willing to take the time to ensure I understand concepts, usage etc. before moving on. I highly recommend her as a tutor.
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Hello, everybody ! My name is Elena. I’m a native Italian speaker, I’m 49 years old and live in Turin. I am a certified CEDILS teacher, I graduated in Foreign Languages and Literature in Milan and have been working as a teacher of Italian for more than 10 years. I speak English and German. I attended specialization courses for Italian L2 teachers and I am interviewer for C1 PLIDA exam.
Are you seeking a friendly and dynamic study environment ? I got what you need. I am looking forward to being in touch with new students and organize pleasant, interesting and fruitful courses.
Do you wish to learn or improve your Italian to speak with your parents or friends? Do you need Italian for work or study ? Do you simply love Italian language and culture ? Do you need to improve your writing skills ?
My classes are tailored on your needs and considering your level of knowledge, I create a proper course plan. Classes focus on language and on the possibility for you to improve your ability to speak and understand Italian in your daily life or in work.
I offer 1-to-1 or 2-to-1 tuition, general Italian courses (grammar, conversation, listening, reading and writing), preparation to Italian examinations (all levels, also Italian for residence permit) and Italian and culture courses.
Grammar, vocabulary exercises, reading articles and magazines and talking together are all tools to feel at ease with the Italian language and then be able to practice it.
I have worked with children, adolescents and adults for all levels of Italian, from beginner to advanced. I have experience in preparing students to international certification (CILS, PLIDA). I was an A2/B1 Telc examiner.
Learning Italian can be closely related to culture, literature, music, sport and any other interest of my students.
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Elena is a great teacher! Kind, nice, very well prepared, in short, if you want to learn Italian she is your teacher. Elena is a great teacher! Kind, cheerful, well prepared, in short, if you would like to learn Italian she is your teacher. Elena is a brilliant teacher! Amable, sympathetic, preparada, en definitively, you are thinking en aprender italiano ella es tu profesora.
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I am a teacher of Italian to Speakers of Other Languages with many years of experience in teaching in public and private schools. I have taught Italian to speakers of other languages in schools, in migratory contexts and in vocational training at all levels (from pre A1 to C2 ). I have gained experience as a teacher with Arabic-speaking, Slavic-speaking, German-speaking, French-speaking, Spanish-speaking, Sinophone, Lusophone and Anglophone students, and have taught literacy courses for asylum seekers and refugees. I did a training internship as a lecturer in Italian at the Department of Romance at the University of Salzburg. I completed my training by teaching Italian to learners with special educational needs. Moreover, I am a CILS, CELI and PLIDA examiner for the speaking part. I also speak German, English and French and I successfully completed my Celta in October 2020.
My lessons focus mainly on two aspects: oral and written production and the study of grammar, with particular attention to phonetic and phonology. My lessons are aimed at satisfying the needs of the learner and are prepared according to the needs of each one.
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Monica is fantastic -- highly organized, knowledgeable and friendly. She is very easy to learn from. I feel like I am in very good hands. I highly recommend her especially if you need help preparing for a certification exam (CELI, CILS, etc.).
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Hi everyone!
My name is Daniela, I am Italian and I come from a small town in Sicily, Southern Italy. I am a qualified Italian language teacher and a CELI examiner! I work in two language schools teaching Italian and I also teach English at school.
I love foreign languages, translating, reading and listening to music. Are you ready to start your language learning path with me? We are going to learn many things and to talk a lot, if you allow me to! Don’t worry if you’ve never studied the language before: everyone can attend my classes – from beginner to advanced students. You just need passion for what you're going to do and... a good Internet connection. Materials are provided by me!
See you online!
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I asked Daniela to help me with pronunciation. She pays careful attention, and corrects my pronunciation as needed.
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Maria has experience in teaching spanish lessons and is very well structured. I really recommend her to everybody.
This review was written by a coLanguage team member during a manual screening of this teacher profile.
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I am an Italian native speaker with a Master's degree in Languages for International Relations. I have experience in tutoring students from all ages.
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MariaRosa has been very patient, pleasant and encouraging. She is very conscientious and prepares well. She has developed a learning plan based on my requests. I enjoy the lessons and find them very useful
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Hello Everybody
My name is Luisa and I teach Italian for foreign students, English, French and German for Italian students
Since 1994, I have dedicated myself to translating and teaching thanks to my travels, abroad studies, foreign reading and writing. I provide fun and customized lessons based on the student's goals. I also triy to minimize English speaking during the lessons. I give homework exercises, and my lessons are intermixed with grammar, conversation, customs and traditions. My goal is to make certain that each student finds learning Italian exciting.
I am available for any explanations also via e mail
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Luisa is wonderful! She takes what my specific goals for learning Italian (how to communicate while traveling around Italy) into consideration and created an individualized lesson plan.
Luisa A.Dear Shraddha thank you, thank you so much for your kind message. It was a real pleasure to meet you !!! See you on Friday ciao ciao
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Hi everyone!
My name is Daniela, I am Italian and I come from a small town in Sicily, Southern Italy. I am a qualified Italian language teacher and a CELI examiner! I work in two language schools teaching Italian and I also teach English at school.
I love foreign languages, translating, reading and listening to music. Are you ready to start your language learning path with me? We are going to learn many things and to talk a lot, if you allow me to! Don’t worry if you’ve never studied the language before: everyone can attend my classes – from beginner to advanced students. You just need passion for what you're going to do and... a good Internet connection. Materials are provided by me!
See you online!
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Daniela is an excellent teacher. He has a lot of patience and knowledge. . She is always very attentive to correct your mistakes, so that in each class you improve your speaking and your confidence to express yourself better outside the classroom. 100% the best
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Hi everyone!
My name is Daniela, I am Italian and I come from a small town in Sicily, Southern Italy. I am a qualified Italian language teacher and a CELI examiner! I work in two language schools teaching Italian and I also teach English at school.
I love foreign languages, translating, reading and listening to music. Are you ready to start your language learning path with me? We are going to learn many things and to talk a lot, if you allow me to! Don’t worry if you’ve never studied the language before: everyone can attend my classes – from beginner to advanced students. You just need passion for what you're going to do and... a good Internet connection. Materials are provided by me!
See you online!
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Thank you for putting up with all my mistakes today! We had plenty of conversation practice although the listening we did was quite tough but very useful .
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Hello, everybody ! My name is Elena. I’m a native Italian speaker, I’m 49 years old and live in Turin. I am a certified CEDILS teacher, I graduated in Foreign Languages and Literature in Milan and have been working as a teacher of Italian for more than 10 years. I speak English and German. I attended specialization courses for Italian L2 teachers and I am interviewer for C1 PLIDA exam.
Are you seeking a friendly and dynamic study environment ? I got what you need. I am looking forward to being in touch with new students and organize pleasant, interesting and fruitful courses.
Do you wish to learn or improve your Italian to speak with your parents or friends? Do you need Italian for work or study ? Do you simply love Italian language and culture ? Do you need to improve your writing skills ?
My classes are tailored on your needs and considering your level of knowledge, I create a proper course plan. Classes focus on language and on the possibility for you to improve your ability to speak and understand Italian in your daily life or in work.
I offer 1-to-1 or 2-to-1 tuition, general Italian courses (grammar, conversation, listening, reading and writing), preparation to Italian examinations (all levels, also Italian for residence permit) and Italian and culture courses.
Grammar, vocabulary exercises, reading articles and magazines and talking together are all tools to feel at ease with the Italian language and then be able to practice it.
I have worked with children, adolescents and adults for all levels of Italian, from beginner to advanced. I have experience in preparing students to international certification (CILS, PLIDA). I was an A2/B1 Telc examiner.
Learning Italian can be closely related to culture, literature, music, sport and any other interest of my students.
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Elena is an incredible teacher. She has great methodology and knowledge to assist the student in his needs. She helps you to see your potential and gives feedback helping you to improve your knowledge of the language. Thanks Elena for you support in this process.
Elena F.Thanks so much ! It is a pleasure to work with you, you are a very good and very very nice student.
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I am Chiara an I am a native italian teacher. I hold a degree in linguistic and teaching italian as a second language.
I also hold CEDILS certificate in teaching italian as a foreign language.
I worked in an australian college for a year and I also have been working for three years in a language school in the centre of Florence with people from all the countries around the world.: Brazil, Cina, England, France, United States and many more.
I love writing, travelling and sport.
When we will learn italian together we will start from your level and your goals.
We will do grammar lessons, conversation lessons, everything you need to reach your goal and we will do all of this having fun.
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Above all, Chiara is very resourceful. She can talk to you on any subject, that is, if you are interested in speaking Italian. She is patient, assists you with every little step. I could not expect anything better!
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Hi everyone!
My name is Daniela, I am Italian and I come from a small town in Sicily, Southern Italy. I am a qualified Italian language teacher and a CELI examiner! I work in two language schools teaching Italian and I also teach English at school.
I love foreign languages, translating, reading and listening to music. Are you ready to start your language learning path with me? We are going to learn many things and to talk a lot, if you allow me to! Don’t worry if you’ve never studied the language before: everyone can attend my classes – from beginner to advanced students. You just need passion for what you're going to do and... a good Internet connection. Materials are provided by me!
See you online!
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Daniela is a fantastic teacher: competent and kind and attentive to the needs of the student. You learn a lot due to the lesson and the abundant learning material. Moreover you learn and have fun at the same time.
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