Forming Regular Plurals in Italian: Nouns That Change Ending, Not Add -s
Learn how Italian nouns mark plurals by changing their final vowel, and practise with common everyday nouns.
By TheaFirst conversations · Yapr Learn
Italian does not form plurals by adding -s or -es like English. Instead, most regular nouns change their final vowel: -o becomes -i, and -a becomes -e. A smaller group of nouns ending in -e changes to -i. This lesson shows you how to turn one book into two books, one house into several houses, and one key into many keys, using the actual Italian pattern.
By the end, you can…
- change a singular Italian noun ending in -o into its plural form ending in -i.
- change a singular Italian noun ending in -a into its plural form ending in -e.
- recognise and form plurals of common nouns ending in -e by changing the ending to -i.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
il libro
the book
eel LEE-broh
Singular masculine noun ending in -o; the article il marks singular masculine.
i libri
the books
ee LEE-bree
Plural of il libro; the article changes to i and the noun ending changes to -i.
la casa
the house
lah KAH-zah
Singular feminine noun ending in -a; the article la marks singular feminine.
le case
the houses
leh KAH-zeh
Plural of la casa; the article changes to le and the noun ending changes to -e.
la chiave
the key
lah KYAH-veh
Singular noun ending in -e; its plural is le chiavi, not le chiave.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
For most masculine nouns ending in -o, replace -o with -i: libro becomes libri, tavolo becomes tavoli, amico becomes amici. For most feminine nouns ending in -a, replace -a with -e: casa becomes case, penna becomes penne, amica becomes amiche. Nouns ending in -e, whether masculine or feminine, usually take -i: chiave becomes chiavi, ristorante becomes ristoranti, studente becomes studenti. Notice that the plural ending does not depend on gender alone; it depends on the singular ending. Some nouns ending in -a are masculine and take -i in the plural, such as problema becoming problemi and tema becoming temi.
When to use it
Use the plural form whenever you talk about more than one item: due libri (two books), tre case (three houses), molte chiavi (many keys). The article must agree in number and gender: il libro becomes i libri, la casa becomes le case, la chiave becomes le chiavi. If you are unsure of a noun's plural, check a dictionary, because a few common nouns are irregular, such as uomo becoming uomini and uovo becoming uova.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
Quanti libri hai?
How many books do you have?KWAHN-tee LEE-bree eyeHo tre libri e due quaderni.
I have three books and two notebooks.oh treh LEE-bree eh DOO-eh kwah-DEHR-neeE quante case ci sono qui?
And how many houses are there here?eh KWAHN-teh KAH-zeh chee SOH-noh kweeCi sono molte case, ma poche chiavi.
There are many houses, but few keys.chee SOH-noh MOHL-teh KAH-zeh mah POH-keh KYAH-veeA little context goes a long way
In standard Italian, plural endings are pronounced clearly, and the article must match. In some regional varieties of northern Italy, speakers may weaken final vowels, so libri can sound like libri with a very light final -i; learners should still write and pronounce the full ending.
One thing to watch for
Adding -s to an Italian noun, as in libris or casas.
Try this instead: Italian does not add -s for regular plurals. Change the final vowel instead: libro becomes libri, casa becomes case. The plural of la chiave is le chiavi.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1What is the plural of il tavolo?
Show a sample answer
i tavoli
Tavolo ends in -o, so the plural ending is -i, and the article becomes i.
2What is the plural of la penna?
Show a sample answer
le penne
Penna ends in -a, so the plural ending is -e, and the article becomes le. The form is regular and does not add -s.
3What is the plural of lo studente?
Show a sample answer
gli studenti
Studente ends in -e, so the plural ending is -i. The article lo becomes gli in the plural. The noun itself follows the regular -e to -i pattern.
To make most Italian nouns plural, change the final vowel: -o to -i, -a to -e, and -e to -i. Make the article agree, and never add -s.
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