-ca / -ga → -che / -ghe
Plural of Feminine Nouns in -ca/-ga
Singular: -ca / -ga → Plural: -che / -ghe
How It Works
This is a fundamental rule of Italian spelling and pronunciation. When a feminine noun ends in -ca or -ga, the plural ending is -e.
Without an h, the pronunciation would change completely:
- Amica (singular) = [a-mee-ka]
- Amice (incorrect plural) = [a-mee-che]
- Amiche (correct plural) = [a-mee-ke]
The h acts as a 'shield' that prevents the c or g from softening. This rule applies to all feminine nouns and adjectives ending in these clusters, regardless of where the word's stress falls.
Common Patterns:
- -ca becomes -che (e.g., banca → banche)
- -ga becomes -ghe (e.g., riga → righe)
Examples (4)
- Le mie amiche sono molto simpatiche.
My (female) friends are very nice.
Word by Word: The my friends are very nice.
Both 'amiche' (friends) and 'simpatiche' (nice) follow this rule to keep the hard 'c' sound.
- Ci sono tre banche in questa strada.
There are three banks on this street.
Word by Word: There are three banks in this street.
The singular 'banca' becomes 'banche' in the plural.
- Ho comprato due maglie a righe.
I bought two striped shirts.
Word by Word: I have bought two shirts at lines.
The singular 'riga' (line/stripe) becomes 'righe' to maintain the hard 'g' sound.
- Le targhe delle auto sono sporche.
The license plates of the cars are dirty.
Word by Word: The plates of the cars are dirty.
'Targa' (plate) becomes 'targhe' and the adjective 'sporca' (dirty) becomes 'sporche'.
Common Mistakes
Omitting the 'h' in writing.
Le mie amice.Le mie amiche.Without the 'h', the word 'amice' would be pronounced with a 'ch' sound, which is incorrect in Italian.
Confusing the plural ending for masculine nouns in -ca.
I due colleghe.I due colleghi.While masculine nouns like 'collega' also add an 'h', their plural ending is '-i', not '-e'.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To understand how feminine nouns ending in -ca and -ga form their plural, you first need to be familiar with standard feminine noun endings and the general rule for forming feminine plurals in Italian.
Related Patterns
- -co / -go → -chi / -ghiPlural of Nouns in -co/-go
This is the masculine equivalent, which also uses an 'h' but ends in '-i' (e.g., 'cuoco' → 'cuochi').
Level 2 - -cia / -giaPlural of Nouns in -cia/-gia
Learners often confuse these; unlike -ca/-ga, nouns in -cia/-gia do not use an 'h' and follow different spelling rules.
Level 2 - Adjective Agreement
Feminine adjectives ending in -ca/-ga (like 'stanca' or 'larga') follow this exact same pluralization rule.
Level 1
Practice -ca / -ga → -che / -ghe in Bubblegum
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