Nouns ending in -ista (-ista, -isti, -iste)

In Italian, many words for professions, hobbies, or roles end in -ista. This is a special class of nouns because the masculine and feminine forms share the exact same ending in the singular.

The Invariable Singular: -ista

To know if a singular -ista noun is masculine or feminine, you simply look at the article (like il or la). The noun itself does not change.

• Masculine singular: il turista (the male tourist)
• Feminine singular: la turista (the female tourist)

The Plural: -isti and -iste

In the plural, however, the endings split to show gender:

• Masculine plural: the -a changes to -i (i turisti)
• Feminine plural: the -a changes to -e (le turiste)

Remember to match your plural articles (i, gli for masculine; le for feminine) and your adjectives to the new plural endings.

Professions and Specialists

You will see this -ista pattern constantly when talking about artists, specialized jobs, and medical professionals. Notice how the articles and adjectives always match the gender of the person, whether singular or plural.