Elision

Level 1

Elision (elisione) makes Italian sound smoother by removing the final vowel of one word when the next word starts with a vowel. It is always shown with an apostrophe (’). For example, 'la amica' becomes 'l’amica'.

How It Works

In Italian, elision occurs when a word ends in an unstressed vowel and the following word begins with a vowel or a silent 'h'.

1. Mandatory Elision:

Singular definite articles lo and la (e.g., l’albero, l’erba). Note: Elision is forbidden before semivowels (the letter 'i' followed by another vowel), such as in lo iato or la iena.
The feminine indefinite article una (e.g., un’idea).
Articulated prepositions containing 'lo' or 'la' (e.g., dell’amico, sull’isola).
The adjectives bello and quello in the singular (e.g., un bell’uomo, quell’auto).
Fixed expressions like d’accordo (agreed), mezz’ora (half hour), and senz’altro (certainly).

2. Optional Elision:

The preposition di (e.g., d’oro).
Personal pronouns like mi, ti, si, vi (e.g., m’ama); lo and la are normally elided too (e.g., l’ho visto). Note: Modern Italian often prefers the full form for pronouns in writing.
The demonstrative questo/a (e.g., quest’anno).

3. The Adverb 'ci':
Elision of ci occurs before words starting with e or i to maintain the 'soft' sound of the 'c'. This is most common with the verb essere (e.g., c’è, c’erano) but also happens with other verbs (e.g., c’entra).

Examples (5)

L’amico di Marco vive a Roma.
Marco's friend lives in Rome.
Word by Word: The friend of Marco lives in Rome.
The masculine article 'lo' becomes 'l’' before the vowel in 'amico'.
Ho aspettato per mezz’ora.
I waited for half an hour.
Word by Word: I have waited for half hour.
'Mezz’ora' is a fixed expression where elision is mandatory.
C’è un’altra possibilità.
There is another possibility.
Word by Word: There is another possibility.
This shows two elisions: 'ci' before 'è' and 'una' before 'altra'.
Quell’uomo è molto gentile.
That man is very kind.
Word by Word: That man is very kind.
The demonstrative 'quello' elides to 'quell’' before a vowel.
L’ho visto ieri al cinema.
I saw him yesterday at the cinema.
Word by Word: Him I have seen yesterday at the cinema.
The pronoun 'lo' elides before the auxiliary verb 'ho'.

Common Mistakes

Using an apostrophe with the masculine indefinite article 'un'.
un’amico
un amico
'Un' is not an elision of 'uno'; it is a truncation (troncamento). Truncated masculine forms never take an apostrophe. Only the feminine 'una' uses an apostrophe (un’amica).
Writing 'qual è' with an apostrophe.
qual’è
qual è
'Qual' is a truncated form that exists independently of the following vowel (e.g., 'qual buon vento'). Therefore, it does not take an apostrophe.
Eliding plural articles.
l’amici
gli amici
In modern Italian, plural articles (gli, le) are almost never elided. 'Gli' is only elided if the next word starts with 'i' (gl’italiani), but even this is considered archaic.

How It Connects

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ElisionLevel 1

Learn This First

To understand elision, you must first be familiar with the definite and indefinite articles and the gender of the nouns they modify, as elision is a phonetic adjustment made to these specific word classes.

Indefinite Articles
The feminine indefinite article 'una' undergoes elision ('un'') before words starting with a vowel, making it essential to know the base forms first.
Level 1

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Patterns that build on this one.

Sources

Practice Elision in Bubblegum

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