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1.2 Grammatica
Nouns
NOMI
Italian
nouns
are
either
feminine
or
masculine.
Knowing
the
gender
of
a
noun
is
important
because
articles,
adjectives
and
sometimes
verbs
must
agree
with
the
gender
(feminine
or
masculine)
and
number
(singular
and
plural)
of
the
nouns.
Gender
1
UNIT
1.2
Grammatica
To form the plural of a noun change its ending as follows:
The
plural
of
feminine
nouns
ending
in
–ca
and
–ga
is
always
–che
and
–ghe
respectively.
Singular
Plural
paga
(paycheck,
salary)
paghe
banca
(bank)
banche
The
plural
of
masculine
nouns
ending
in
–co
and
–go
is
–ci
and
–gi,
or
–chi
and
–ghi.
If
–co
and
–go
are
preceded
by
a
vowel
the
plural
is
–ci
and
-‐gi.
If
–co
and
–go
are
preceded
by
a
consonant
the
plural
is
–chi
and
-‐ghi.
One
exception
to
this
rule
is
noted
below
with
an
asterisk
[*].
The
following
types
of
nouns
have
the
same
endings
in
the
singular
and
the
plural:
-‐
nouns
that
end
in
an
accented
vowel;
-‐
nouns
of
foreign
origin;
-‐
nouns
that
are
abbreviated.
Singular
Plural
università
(university)
università
caffè
(café, coffee)
caffè
bar
(bar)
bar
film
(movie)
film
moto
/
motocicletta
moto
/
motociclette
(motorcycle)
cinema
/
cinematografo)
cinema
/
cinematografi
(movie
theater)
2
UNIT
1.2
Grammatica
Notice
that
nouns
ending
in
–io
in
the
singular
double
the
“i”
only
when
the
tonic
accent
falls
on
the
“i”.
The tonic accent is the emphasis or prominence given to a
syllable in speaking. The tonic accent is never written.
Compare the following nouns where the tonic accent is bold and underlined:
Singular
Plural
negozio
(shop)
negozi
zio
(uncle)
zii
ufficio
(office)
uffici
Notice
that
nouns
ending
in
–cia
or
u gia
retain
the
“i”
in
the
plural
only
when
the
tonic
accent
falls
on
the
“i”
in
the
singular.
Compare
the
following:
Singular
Plural
farmacia
(pharmacy)
farmacie
faccia
(face)
facce
mancia
(tip)
mance
spiaggia
(beach)
spiagge
3