Grammar Basics
The building blocks of every Italian sentence
From words to sentences
Now that you know the sounds and some basic expressions, it is time for the grammatical foundation. You will meet these elements in EVERY Italian text.
Focus mainly on recognising patterns. You do not need to produce everything perfectly yet – understanding is more important right now so you can read your first story.
Chapter
4
Articles & Gender
The key to correct Italian sentence structure
In Italian every noun has a gender (masculine or feminine). The articles change with the gender and also affect adjectives that go with the noun.
Definite articles (the)
Use these when you talk about something specific:
💡 Tips
- Notice the difference between *il* and *lo*: use *lo* before words with s + consonant, z, ps, gn or x.
- With words beginning with a vowel, the consonant disappears: *l’amico, l’amica*.
- In the plural we have *il → i*, *lo/l’ → gli* and *la/l’ → le*.
il
(masculine singular)
→
il libro
= the book
Before a consonant
lo
(masculine singular)
→
lo studente
= the student
Before s + consonant, z, ps, gn or x
l'
(masculine singular)
→
l'amico
= the friend
Before a vowel
la
(feminine singular)
→
la casa
= the house
Before a consonant
l'
(feminine singular)
→
l'amica
= the (female) friend
Before a vowel
i
(masculine plural)
→
i libri
= the books
Plural of il
gli
(masculine plural)
→
gli studenti
= the students
Plural of lo or l'
le
(feminine plural)
→
le case
= the houses
All feminine plurals
Indefinite articles (a/an)
Use these when you talk about something in general or not yet specified:
💡 Tips
- Use “un” for most masculine words; “uno” only before s + consonant or z.
- For feminine words *una* becomes *un’* before a vowel: *un’amica*.
- There is no plural of indefinite articles – in the plural you usually use the noun without an article or with “dei/degli/delle” at later levels.
un
(masculine)
→
un ragazzo
= a boy
Before consonant and vowel
uno
(masculine)
→
uno zaino
= a backpack
Before s + consonant, z, ps, gn
una
(feminine)
→
una ragazza
= a girl
Before a consonant
un'
(feminine)
→
un'ora
= an hour
Before a vowel
Recognising gender – Useful patterns
💡 Tips
- Words ending in -o are usually masculine, in -a usually feminine – but there are exceptions.
- Words ending in -e can be masculine or feminine: the article shows the gender.
- Words ending in -zione and -tà are almost always feminine; -ista can be either.
-o
Usually masculine
Voorbeelden
libro, ragazzo, albero
Uitzonderingen / Tips
la mano (hand), la foto, la moto
-a
Usually feminine
Voorbeelden
casa, pizza, strada
Uitzonderingen / Tips
il problema, il sistema, il poeta
-e
Can be either
Voorbeelden
il mare (m), la chiave (f)
Uitzonderingen / Tips
You must learn these by heart.
-zione
Always feminine
Voorbeelden
stazione, informazione, lezione
Uitzonderingen / Tips
Like -tion in English (station, information).
-tà
Always feminine
Voorbeelden
città, libertà, università
Uitzonderingen / Tips
Often like English -ty (city, liberty).
-ista
Both possible
Voorbeelden
il/la turista, il/la dentista
Uitzonderingen / Tips
Article shows the gender
Practice sentences – Articles in context
💡 Tips
- Read the sentences aloud: the sound of *l’*, *lo*, *gli* helps you remember the rules.
- Notice how the article agrees with gender and number of the noun.
- Use these sentences as patterns to create your own short sentences with new words.
Il ragazzo mangia la pizza
→
The boy eats the pizza
La donna legge un libro
→
The woman reads a book
I bambini giocano nel parco
→
The children play in the park
Le ragazze studiano italiano
→
The girls study Italian
L'uomo ha un'idea
→
The man has an idea
Gli studenti sono in classe
→
The students are in the classroom
Uno studente è nuovo
→
One student is new
Una casa è grande
→
A house is big
Chapter
5
Avere (To Have) & Possession
The second most important verb
After essere, avere is the most common verb. It expresses possession, but also feelings and age.
The conjugation of avere
💡 Tips
- Notice the silent H in *ho, hai, ha, hanno* – you write it but do not pronounce it.
- *Avere* is irregular, but appears in almost every conversation: practise the sound of *hanno* and *hai* carefully.
- You also use *avere* as an auxiliary in compound tenses (like *ho parlato* = “I have spoken”).
io
ho
(I have)
Io ho un gatto
I have a cat
tu
hai
(you have)
Tu hai ragione
You are right
lui/lei
ha
(he/she has)
Lei ha fame
She is hungry
noi
abbiamo
(we have)
Noi abbiamo tempo
We have time
voi
avete
(you (pl) have)
Voi avete una casa
You have a house
loro
hanno
(they have)
Loro hanno due figli
They have two children
Important expressions with avere
In Italian you use avere where English uses “to be”:
💡 Tips
- In Italian you “have” hunger, thirst or sleep – you do not “are” them.
- After *avere bisogno di* always use *di* + noun or infinitive: *ho bisogno di dormire* = I need to sleep.
- Use *avere* for age: *ho 20 anni*, never *sono 20 anni*!
avere fame
→
to be hungry
Ho fame!
-
I’m hungry!
avere sete
→
to be thirsty
Hai sete?
-
Are you thirsty?
avere freddo
→
to be cold
Abbiamo freddo
-
We are cold
avere caldo
→
to be hot/warm
Ha molto caldo
-
He/She is very hot
avere sonno
→
to be sleepy
I bambini hanno sonno
-
The children are sleepy
avere paura
→
to be afraid
Ho paura del buio
-
I am afraid of the dark
avere ragione
→
to be right
Tu hai ragione
-
You are right
avere torto
→
to be wrong
Hanno torto
-
They are wrong
avere bisogno di
→
to need
Ho bisogno di aiuto
-
I need help
avere ... anni
→
to be ... years old
Ho venti anni
-
I am twenty years old
Possessive adjectives
Important: usually WITH an article, except for singular family members.
💡 Tips
- Possessive adjectives usually come with an article: *il mio libro*.
- With singular family members the article disappears: *mia madre*, *mio padre*.
- With plural family members you use the article: *i miei genitori*.
il mio/la mia
→
my
il mio libro
= my book
i miei/le mie
→
my (plural)
i miei amici
= my friends
il tuo/la tua
→
your
la tua casa
= your house
i tuoi/le tue
→
your (plural)
i tuoi libri
= your books
il suo/la sua
→
his/her
il suo cane
= his/her dog
i suoi/le sue
→
his/her (plural)
le sue chiavi
= her keys
il nostro/la nostra
→
our
la nostra famiglia
= our family
i nostri/le nostre
→
our (plural)
i nostri amici
= our friends
il vostro/la vostra
→
your (plural)
il vostro amico
= your friend
i vostri/le vostre
→
your (plural)
le vostre idee
= your ideas
il loro/la loro
→
their
la loro macchina
= their car
i loro/le loro
→
their (plural)
i loro figli
= their children
mio padre
→
my father
No article with family!
mia madre
→
my mother
No article with family!
i miei genitori
→
my parents
WITH article in the plural!
Possession with di (of)
💡 Tips
- Use *di* to show possession or origin: *il libro di Anna*, *un ragazzo di Roma*.
- *Di* changes to *del, della, dei, degli, delle* depending on the article that follows.
- Be careful: *da* means something different (from, at, by) – do not confuse it with *di*!
il libro di Marco
→
Marco’s book / the book of Marco
la casa di Anna
→
Anna’s house / the house of Anna
l'amico di mio fratello
→
my brother’s friend
la macchina del professore
→
the professor’s car
di + il = del
il cane della signora
→
the lady’s dog
di + la = della
i giocattoli dei bambini
→
the children’s toys
di + i = dei
il colore dello zaino
→
the colour of the backpack
di + lo = dello
gli amici degli studenti
→
the students’ friends
di + gli = degli
le case delle ragazze
→
the girls’ houses
di + le = delle
Common mistakes – Watch out!
Beginners often make the same mistakes with avere. These examples help you avoid them:
💡 Tips
- Remember: use *avere* for hunger, thirst, cold, heat, sleepiness, fear and age.
- Place adverbs like *molto* before the noun: *molta fame*, *molto caldo*.
- Always check the right preposition: *paura di*, not *paura da*.
❌ Sono 20 anni
→
✅ Ho 20 anni
In Italian you “have” years – you do not say “I am 20 years”.
❌ È fame
→
✅ Ha fame
Use avere with hunger/thirst: “He is hungry”, not “He is hunger”.
❌ Il mio madre
→
✅ Mia madre
With singular family, drop the article.
❌ Io ho fame molto
→
✅ Ho molta fame
In Italian *molto* comes before the noun: *molta fame*, *molto caldo*.
❌ Lei ha paura da ragni
→
✅ Lei ha paura di ragni
After paura you use the preposition di, not da.
Chapter
6
Numbers, Time and Days
Practical building blocks for every story
You will meet these words often. They help you understand when and how often something happens.
Numbers from 1 to 20
💡 Tips
- After 20 (venti) the form changes slightly: 21 = ventuno (without i), 28 = ventotto.
- “Uno” becomes “un” before a noun: un libro, una casa.
- Count out loud – Italians pronounce numbers clearly and rhythmically.
1
=
uno
2
=
due
3
=
tre
4
=
quattro
5
=
cinque
(CHIN-kwe)
6
=
sei
7
=
sette
8
=
otto
9
=
nove
10
=
dieci
(DYEH-chee)
11
=
undici
12
=
dodici
13
=
tredici
14
=
quattordici
15
=
quindici
(KWIN-dee-chee)
16
=
sedici
17
=
diciassette
18
=
diciotto
19
=
diciannove
20
=
venti
Tens and larger numbers
💡 Tips
- In compound numbers, vowels often drop: venti + uno → ventuno.
- “Cento” does not change in the plural: *duecento*, *trecento*.
- Thousands: *mille* (singular) → *mila* (plural): *duemila, tremila*.
30
=
trenta
(bv. trentuno = 31)
40
=
quaranta
(bv. quarantadue = 42)
50
=
cinquanta
(bv. cinquantatré = 53)
60
=
sessanta
(bv. sessantotto = 68)
70
=
settanta
(bv. settantasette = 77)
80
=
ottanta
(bv. ottantuno = 81)
90
=
novanta
(bv. novantanove = 99)
100
=
cento
(bv. centodieci = 110)
1000
=
mille
(bv. duemila = 2000)
first
=
primo
(bv. prima volta = the first time)
Days of the week
Note: in Italian you do not use capital letters for days of the week.
💡 Tips
- Use *il* for repeated actions: *il lunedì = every Monday*.
- All days are masculine except *domenica* (feminine).
- Days ending in -dì always have an accent on the last syllable.
lunedì
→
Monday
(Mind the accent!)
martedì
→
Tuesday
(Mind the accent!)
mercoledì
→
Wednesday
(Mind the accent!)
giovedì
→
Thursday
(Mind the accent!)
venerdì
→
Friday
(Mind the accent!)
sabato
→
Saturday
(No accent)
domenica
→
Sunday
(Feminine!)
il lunedì
→
on Mondays
(With article = every week)
lunedì
→
Monday
(Without article = this/next Monday)
Months and seasons
💡 Tips
- Months and seasons do not take capital letters in Italian.
- Use *a* for months: *a maggio, a agosto*.
- For seasons you can also say *d’inverno, d’estate* (in winter / in summer).
gennaio
Nederlands
January
Seizoen
inverno
febbraio
Nederlands
February
Seizoen
inverno
marzo
Nederlands
March
Seizoen
primavera
aprile
Nederlands
April
Seizoen
primavera
maggio
Nederlands
May
Seizoen
primavera
giugno
Nederlands
June
Seizoen
estate
luglio
Nederlands
July
Seizoen
estate
agosto
Nederlands
August
Seizoen
estate
settembre
Nederlands
September
Seizoen
autunno
ottobre
Nederlands
October
Seizoen
autunno
novembre
Nederlands
November
Seizoen
autunno
dicembre
Nederlands
December
Seizoen
inverno
Telling the time
💡 Tips
- All hours except one are plural: *le due, le tre, le quattro*.
- Use *È l’una* only for one o’clock (singular).
- Use *e mezza* for “half past” and *meno un quarto* for “quarter to” – literally “minus a quarter”.
Che ora è?
→
What time is it?
Sono le due
=
It is two o’clock
È l'una
→
It is one o’clock
(Singular for one o’clock!)
Sono le tre
→
It is three o’clock
(Plural for the others)
e mezza
→
half past
le due e mezza
=
half past two (2:30)
e un quarto
→
quarter past
le tre e un quarto
=
quarter past three (3:15)
meno un quarto
→
quarter to
le quattro meno un quarto
=
quarter to four (3:45)
di mattina
→
in the morning
le otto di mattina
=
eight in the morning (08:00)
di pomeriggio
→
in the afternoon
le due di pomeriggio
=
two in the afternoon (14:00)
di sera
→
in the evening
le otto di sera
=
eight in the evening (20:00)
Time adverbs
💡 Tips
- Use *non ... mai* for “never” and *non ... ancora* for “not yet”.
- Time adverbs often stand at the beginning: *Oggi vado al lavoro*, *Domani parto*.
- *Già* and *ancora* are often opposites: *già = already*, *ancora = still / not yet*.
oggi
→
today
Oggi fa bel tempo
-
Today the weather is nice
ieri
→
yesterday
Ieri sono andato al cinema
-
Yesterday I went to the cinema
domani
→
tomorrow
Domani è domenica
-
Tomorrow is Sunday
ora/adesso
→
now
Ora mangiamo
-
We are eating now
dopo
→
later / after
Ci vediamo dopo
-
See you later
prima
→
before / first
Prima di mangiare
-
Before eating
sempre
→
always
È sempre tardi
-
He is always late
mai
→
never
Non bevo mai caffè
-
I never drink coffee
spesso
→
often
Vado spesso al mare
-
I often go to the seaside
qualche volta
→
sometimes
Qualche volta piove
-
Sometimes it rains
già
→
already
Ho già mangiato
-
I have already eaten
ancora
→
still / yet
Non ancora
-
Not yet / not yet done