When forming the plural of Italian nouns, the vowel endings change to indicate a change in number. For regular masculine nouns that end in -o, the ending changes to -i in the plural.
The table below includes a few nouns to start with:
PLURAL FORMS OF ITALIAN MASCULINE NOUNS ENDING IN -O | ||
SINGULAR | PLURAL | ENGLISH |
fratello | fratelli | brothers |
libro | libri | books |
nonno | nonni | grandfather |
ragazzo | ragazzi | boys |
vino | vini | wine |
Regular feminine nouns that end in -a take on -e endings in the plural.
PLURAL FORMS OF ITALIAN FEMININE NOUNS ENDING IN -A | ||
SINGULAR | PLURAL | ENGLISH |
casa | case | houses |
penna | penne | pens |
pizza | pizze | pizzas |
ragazza | ragazze | girls |
sorella | sorelle | sisters |
When forming the plural of nouns ending in a consonant, such as words of foreign origin, only the article changes: il film/i film. la photo/le photo. Here are some exceptions to the rule for forming feminine plurals:
- Feminine-noun ending -ea changes to -ee in the plural. For example: dea/dee (goddess/goddesses).
- Feminine-noun ending -ca changes to -che in the plural. For example: amica/amiche (friend/friends). Remember that -che is pronounced as "keh" in Italian.
Finally, be aware that some nouns end in -e. The plural forms of these nouns will end in -i (regardless of whether these nouns are masculine or feminine).
PLURAL FORMS OF ITALIAN NOUNS ENDING IN -E | ||
SINGULAR | PLURAL | ENGLISH |
bicchiere | bicchieri | (wine) glass |
chiave | chiavi | keys |
fiume | fiumi | rivers |
frase | frasi | phrases |
padre | padri | fathers |
