A New Noun Ending: Singular "-e"
Many common Italian nouns end in -e. Unlike words ending in -o or -a, nouns ending in -e can be either masculine or feminine. The best way to learn their gender is to memorize them with their definite article (il or la).
Here is a masculine noun ending in -e:
| The restaurant is open today. | Il ristorante è aperto oggi. |
And here is a feminine one:
| This key is new. | Questa chiave è nuova. |
Making "-e" Nouns Plural
To make these nouns plural, change the final -e to -i. This applies to both masculine and feminine nouns.
| Gender | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | il ristorante | i ristoranti |
| Feminine | la chiave | le chiavi |
While the plural nouns both end in -i, their articles and adjectives must still match their true gender:
| These restaurants are very good. | Questi ristoranti sono molto buoni. |
| The keys are old and small. | Le chiavi sono vecchie e piccole. |
Spotting Gender in Context
Because the noun's ending doesn't give away its gender, look for clues in the surrounding words. Definite articles, demonstratives, and adjectives will always reveal if a noun is masculine or feminine.
Notice how il and rosso show that fiore (flower) is masculine:
| The flower is red and very beautiful. | Il fiore è rosso e molto bello. |
Meanwhile, la and rossa show that luce (light) is feminine:
| The light is red. | La luce è rossa. |
Here is another feminine noun in both its singular and plural forms:
| The station is big. | La stazione è grande. |
| The stations are closed today. | Le stazioni sono chiuse oggi. |