A Guide to Italian Nouns with Irregular Singular and Plural

The irregular single and plural forms of some nouns are a component of Italian grammar that can be difficult for beginners. In this guide, we’ll look at these irregular and help you comprehend Italian nouns better.

❇️ What are irregular nouns?

In Italian, most nouns follow a typical pattern when it comes to forming the singular and plural.

For example, most masculine singular nouns end in -o, while most feminine singular nouns end in -a. To make the plural, just replace the -o or -a with -i or -e.

However, there are some nouns that don’t follow this pattern. They have their own unique rules for forming the singular and plural, which can be confusing for learners.

Look at these examples to see how some plural words are used.

Franco ha le dita lunghe, perfette per suonare il pianoforte.

Ho camminato molto e oggi ho un dolore alle ginocchia

Roma è circondata da mura antichissime.

Molte città italiane sono spesso affollate di turisti.

Try this exercise to test your grammar.

❇️ NOUNS WITH REGULAR PATTERNS IN THE PLURAL

Rules:

When Masculine singular nouns end in -o their plural form end in  -i

When Feminine singular nouns end in -a and their plurals end in -e

Here are some examples of Italian nouns with irregular singular and plural forms:

1. Il braccio (arm) – le braccia
2. L’uomo (man) – gli uomini
3. Il re (king) – i re
4. La città (city) – le città
5. L’uovo (egg) – le uova

Some have a completely different word for the plural (e.g. uomo – uomini), while others change their endings (e.g. braccio – braccia).

Let’s take a closer look at these irregular nouns:

❇️ IRREGULAR NOUNS

🔸 NOUNS WITH IRREGULAR PLURAL

Feminine nouns ending in – cia form their plural with – ce when a consonant comes before and in –cie when a vowel comes before.

Feminine nouns ending in – gia form their plural with – ge when a consonant comes before and in –gie when a vowel comes before.

ARTICLE	SINGULAR	ARTICLE	PLURAL
L’	Arancia	Le	Arance
La	Camicia	Le	Camicie
La	Spiaggia	Le	Spiagge
La	Ciliegia	Le	Ciliegie

🔸 Masculine and Feminine nouns ending in – ista

ARTICLE	SINGULAR	ARTICLE	MASCULINE PLURAL	ARTICLE	FEMININE PLURAL
Il	Farmacista	I	Farmacisti	Le	Farmaciste
Il	Dentista	I	Dentisti	Le	Dentiste
Il	Taxista	I	Taxisti	Le	Taxiste
L’	Artista	Gli	Artisti	Le	Artiste

Some masculine nouns ending in –co and –go change their ending in –chi and -ghi in the plural.

ARTICLE	SINGULAR	ARTICLE	PLURAL
IL	Parco	I	Parchi
IL	Tedesco	I	Tedeschi
L’	Albergo	GLI	Alberghi
IL	Lago	I	Laghi

“Amico” and “greco” are exceptions

ARTICLE	SINGULAR	ARTICLE	PLURAL
L’	Amico	GLI	Amici
IL	Greco	I	Greci

Some feminine nouns ending in –ca and –ga change their ending in –che and –ghe in the plural.

🔸 NOUNS WITH IRREGULAR GENDER

ARTICLE	SINGULAR	ARTICLE	PLURAL
L’	Amica	Le	Amiche
La	Psicologa	Le	Psicologhe

Some masculine singular nouns end in -a. Their plural always ends in -i

ARTICLE	SINGULAR -O	ARTICLE	PLURAL -O / -E
IL	Problema	I	Problemi
IL	Sistema	I	Sistemi
IL	Poeta	I	Poeti
IL	Programma	I	Programmi

🔸 NOUNS HAVING 2 PLURALS WITH DIFFERENT MEANINGS

ARTICLE	SINGULAR	1 PLURAL	2 PLURAL
IL	Braccio	le braccia	I bracci
IL	Ginocchio	Le ossa	Gli ossi
IL	Membro	Le membra	I membri

🔸 MASCULINE NOUNS IN THE SINGULAR, FEMININE IN THE PLURAL

Some nouns are masculine in the singular and feminine in the plural.

ARTICLE	SINGULAR	ARTICLE	PLURAL
IL	Dito	Le	Dita
IL	Ginocchio	Le	Ginocchia
IL	Labbro	Le	Labbra

Some feminine nouns end in -o; their plural form ends in -o or -i

ARTICLE	SINGULAR -O	ARTICLE	PLURAL -O / -I
La	Mano	Le	Mani
La	Radio	Le	Radio
La	Moto	Le	Moto

🔸 NOUNS HAVING ONLY PLURAL FORM

ARTICLE	SINGULAR
LE	Ferie
I	Viveri
LE	Nozze

🔸 NOUNS HAVING ONLY SINGULAR FORM

Foreign nouns are always only singular

	SINGULAR	ARTICLE	PLURAL
L’	Autobus	GLI	Autobus
IL	Taxi	I	Taxi
IL	Film	I	Film
Lo	Sport	GLI	Sport
IL	Bar	I	Bar

Nouns (uncountable) are always only singular

ARTICLE	SINGULAR
IL	latte
IL	pane
IL	riso
IL	sangue
IL	coraggio
LA	sete
LA	fame

Feminine nouns ending in –tà and –tù don’t change in the plural.

ARTICLE	SINGULAR	ARTICLE	PLURAL
La	Città	Le	Città
L’	Università	Le	Università
La	Virtù	Le	Virtù

🔸 Particular kinds of plural nouns

❇️ Tips for learning irregular nouns

Here are some tips to help you master Italian irregular nouns:

1. Memorize them: Unfortunately, there’s no easy way around this one. You’ll need to memorize the irregular nouns and their forms. Flashcards or other memory aids can be helpful.
2. Look for patterns: While each irregular noun is unique, there may be patterns that can help you remember them.
3. Practice, practice, practice: The more you use irregular nouns in context, the easier they’ll be to remember. Try writing sentences or paragraphs that use irregular nouns, or have conversations with native speakers.
4. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes: Everyone makes mistakes when learning a language. Don’t let fear hold you back from practising and improving your skills.

Irregular singular and plural nouns can be a challenge for Italian learners, but with some practice and memorization, they can be mastered. By understanding the rules and patterns behind these irregularities, you’ll be well on your way to becoming a confident and skilled Italian speaker.

❇️ Practice activities

The Italian language activities can help you improve your language skills, build confidence, and communicate more effectively in the Italian language.

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