Indefinite Articles

Level 1

Masculine: un (most words), uno (special sounds like z, s+consonant).
Feminine: una (consonants), un' (vowels).

How It Works

Indefinite articles (articoli indeterminativi) are used for singular nouns that are not yet identified or are one of many. In Italian, they must match the gender of the noun, but their specific form is determined by the phonetic sound of the word that immediately follows them (whether it is the noun itself or an adjective).

1. Masculine Forms:

un: Used before vowels and most consonants. For example, un amico (a friend) or un grande zaino (a big backpack). This is a truncation, meaning it never takes an apostrophe.
uno: Used before 'complex' sounds: z, s + consonant, gn, ps/pn, x/y, and i + vowel. For example, uno zaino or uno straordinario amico (an extraordinary friend).

2. Feminine Forms:

una: Used before all consonants (una casa).
un': Used before vowels (un'amica). This is an elision, where the 'a' is dropped and replaced by an apostrophe.

3. Plural Forms:
While indefinite articles are singular, Italian uses partitive articles (dei, degli, delle) to express the plural ('some').

Usage Note: Unlike English, Italian often omits the article when stating a profession (e.g., Sono medico), unless the profession is modified by an adjective (e.g., Sono un bravo medico).

Examples (6)

Ho comprato un libro.
I bought a book.
Word by Word: I have bought a book.
'Libro' is masculine and starts with a standard consonant, so we use 'un'.
C'è uno zaino blu.
There is a blue backpack.
Word by Word: There is a backpack blue.
'Zaino' is masculine and starts with 'z', which requires the form 'uno'.
Vorrei una pizza margherita.
I would like a margherita pizza.
Word by Word: I would like a pizza margherita.
'Pizza' is feminine and starts with a consonant, so we use 'una'.
Ho un'idea fantastica!
I have a fantastic idea!
Word by Word: I have a idea fantastic!
'Idea' is feminine and starts with a vowel, so 'una' becomes 'un''.
Cerco un amico italiano.
I am looking for an Italian friend.
Word by Word: I search a friend Italian.
'Amico' is masculine and starts with a vowel. Masculine 'un' never uses an apostrophe.
Ho comprato dei libri.
I bought some books.
Word by Word: I have bought of-the books.
To express the plural of an indefinite article ('some'), Italian uses the partitive article.

Common Mistakes

Using an apostrophe with masculine nouns starting with a vowel.
un'amico
un amico
The masculine 'un' is a truncation, not an elision. It never takes an apostrophe, even before a vowel. Only feminine 'un'' takes an apostrophe.
Using 'un' instead of 'uno' before 's + consonant'.
un studente
uno studente
Words starting with 's' followed by another consonant (like st, sp, sc) require the masculine form 'uno' for easier pronunciation.
Not eliding 'una' before a vowel.
una arancia
un'arancia
Italian usually elides 'una' before a vowel: 'un'arancia', 'un'amica'. Writing 'una arancia' is not a serious error, but the elided form is the normal one.

How It Connects

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Indefinite ArticlesLevel 1

Learn This First

To learn indefinite articles, you need to understand noun gender and the specific phonetic environments (like s+consonant or z) that require special article forms.

lo / gliSpecial Definite Article 'Lo/gli'
The use of the masculine indefinite article 'uno' follows the exact same phonetic rules as the definite article 'lo'.
Level 1

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Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

uno

Sources

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