Italian Grammar Rules: How to Form Singular and Plural in Italian

There’s a lot to know when it comes to learning Italian grammar rules. Below, Italian teacher Nadia B. shares some tips and tricks on forming singular and plural nouns…

To become proficient in the language, it’s essential to understand how to form singular and plural in Italian. After all, nouns are a cornerstone of the Italian language—or any language for that matter.

Luckily, this is easy to master as the process of singular to plural nouns follows a specific pattern. Once you learn recognizable patterns and rules, you’ll be on your way to understanding and speaking Italian fluently. Let’s get started!

Italian Grammar Rules for Singular and Plural Nouns

Understanding these basic grammar rules will help you form singular and plural nouns.

• Identifying the gender of a noun: If a noun is feminine, it generally ends in –a in the singular, and if it is masculine, it generally ends in –o in the singular. For example: la mela (feminine) and il ragazzo (masculine).
• Exception to the gender rule: Nouns that end in –e can be feminine or masculine. For example: il ristorante (masculine) and la notte (feminine)

Change the Ending to Pluralize the Noun

In English, we usually add -s to pluralize a noun. In Italian, the most basic way to pluralize singular nouns is by changing the ending from one vowel to another. 

If a noun ends in…

• -o, the ending changes to –i in the plural.
• -a, the ending changes to –e in the plural.
• -e, the ending changes to –i in the plural.
• -ca, the ending changes to –che in the plural. 
• -ga, the ending changes to -ghe in the plural.

singular	plural
il libro	i libri
la bambina	le bambine
o studente	gli studenti
l’amica	le amiche
riga	righe

Nouns That Don’t Change When Pluralized

Feminine nouns that end in –à don’t change. To pluralize these nouns, you use the plural word for the, adjectives in the plural, etc.

For example:

singular	plural
la città	le città
la loro università	le loro università

You also don’t change words that end in a consonant.

singular	plural
il film	i film
il computer	i computer
il DVD	i DVD

You may also be interested in: Tips on How to Learn Italian Fast and Effectively

Nouns with Irregular Plurals

There are several exceptions to the Italian grammar rules listed above. 

• Some common masculine nouns get the ending -a in the plural form.
• Some feminine nouns ending in -a that change to -i in the plural.
• There are certain masculine nouns ending in –a that change ending to –i in the plural, along with nouns ending in –o and –e, which can be masculine or feminine. 
• Another type of noun with a spelling change are those that end in –cia or –gia. If the –i in this ending is unstressed in the singular, it drops the –i in the plural. However, if the –i is stressed, it is retained in the plural.

singular	plural
un uovo	le uova
il lenzuolo	le lenzuola
l’ala	le ali
il problema	i problemi
la mano	le mani
la mancia	le mance
la farmacia	le farmacie

Abbreviated Nouns

In Italian grammar, other nouns are abbreviated, which are shortened to make them easier to write and say. La foto, for example, is short for la fotografia.

These nouns retain the same ending in the plural shortened forms (le foto). Similarly, nouns that end with an accented vowel or a consonant don’t change in the plural, either. See examples below:

singular	plural
il caffé	i caffé
il film	i film

 

Interested in a video to summarize what you’ve learned about singular and plural in Italian? Check this out:

Thank you to 99problemi for the use of this video!

Final Thoughts on Italian Grammar

An essential part of understanding Italian grammar and nouns is also understanding what articles accompany them, including definite and indefinite articles. You can read more about articles in this blog post.

While there are many exceptions to noun rules, the basics of forming singular and plural in Italian will take you quite far. As you work with your Italian tutor, you can learn the exceptions through practice, listening, and repetition. Before you know it, you will naturally form singular and plural nouns perfectly!