IL GENERE DEI SOSTANTIVI

(NOUNS GENDER)
Italian nouns can be feminine or masculine.
They always end with a vowel, exception made
for foreign words of common use (e.g. weekend,
bus etc.) The following rules apply to most
nouns, but there can be exception (e.g.
pallavolovolleyball is a feminine noun ending
in –o; diplomahigh school diploma is a
masculine noun ending in -a)
 MASCULINE NOUNS
Nouns ending with –O are masculine.
E.g.
Treno (train), lavoro (job), gelato (ice cream)
etc.

 FEMININE NOUNS
Nouns ending with –A are feminine.
E.g.
Macchina (car), casa (home), pizza (pizza)
 Nouns ending in -E can be both feminine or
masculine

 MASCULINE NOUNS ENDING IN –E

Nouns ending in -E are masculine when they:
-refer to male figures (e.g. padrefather)
- end with –ore (e.g. fioreflower)
- end in –one (e.g. palloneball)
- end in –ale (e.g. ospedale-hospital)
- end in –ile (e.g. cortilecourtyard)

 FEMININE NOUNS ENDING IN –E

Nouns ending in –E are feminine when they:
- refer to female figures (e.g. madremother)
- end with –ie (e.g. specie species)
- end with – sione (e.g. passionepassion)
- end with –zione (e.g. stazionestation)
- end with –gione (e.g. religionereligion)
- end with –udine (e.g. abitudinehabit)