Skip to content

Chapter 3 of 6

Numbers and Articles

Italian numbers follow a regular pattern that makes counting straightforward once you learn the first twenty. From one to twenty, the numbers are: uno, due, tre, quattro, cinque, sei, sette, otto, nove, dieci, undici, dodici, tredici, quattordici, quindici, sedici, diciassette, diciotto, diciannove, and venti. The tens build predictably with similar endings: trenta (30), quaranta (40), cinquanta (50), and so on up to cento (100) and mille (1000). Note that Italian uses a period where English uses a comma for decimals and vice versa.

Italian nouns require definite articles that agree with both gender and the starting sound of the word. For masculine singular nouns, "il" is used before most consonants, "lo" before nouns starting with s+consonant, z, gn, or ps, and "l'" before vowels; the corresponding plurals are "i" and "gli." For feminine nouns, "la" is the standard form, "l'" is used before vowels, and "le" is the plural. Indefinite articles follow similar logic: "un" is the masculine singular, "uno" replaces it before s+consonant or z, "una" is feminine, and "un'" is used before feminine nouns starting with vowels.

All chapters
  1. 1Greetings and Courtesies
  2. 2Introducing Yourself
  3. 3Numbers and Articles
  4. 4Mastering Italian Verbs
  5. 5Everyday Vocabulary: Food, Family, and Time
  6. 6Practical Phrases and Cultural Insights

Drill it

Reading is not remembering. These come from the Italian Basics deck:

Q

How do you say "Hello" in Italian?

Ciao (informal) / Salve (neutral)

Q

How do you say "Good morning" in Italian?

Buongiorno (literally "good day")

Q

How do you say "Good evening" in Italian?

Buonasera

Q

How do you say "Good night" in Italian?

Buonanotte (used when going to sleep)