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### The Definite Article "lo"

You already know that **il** is the standard definite article ("the") for masculine singular nouns. However, Italian uses a special article, **lo**, for masculine singular nouns that begin with certain sounds:

- **s** followed by another consonant (like **sp** or **st**)
- **z**
- a few rarer beginnings: **x**, **y**, **gn**, **ps**, **pn**
- a few rarer beginnings: **x**, **y**, **gn**, **ps**, **pn**

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The rarer beginnings follow the same sound logic: *lo xilofono* (the xylophone), *lo yogurt* (the yogurt), *lo gnocco* (the dumpling), *lo psicologo* (the psychologist), *lo pneumatico* (the tire). You will not meet these words often, but when you do, they take **lo**.

The rarer beginnings follow the same sound logic: *lo xilofono* (the xylophone), *lo yogurt* (the yogurt), *lo gnocco* (the dumpling), *lo psicologo* (the psychologist), *lo pneumatico* (the tire). You will not meet these words often, but when you do, they take **lo**.

### The Definite Article "l'"

When a masculine singular noun begins with a vowel (**a**, **e**, **i**, **o**, **u**), Italian uses **l'** (with an apostrophe). Think of this as the article **lo** dropping its **o** to blend smoothly into the next word. Notice how the article connects directly to the noun, without a space:

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Special singular articles (lo, l')

adjective

adjective/adverb

adverb

conjunction

determiner

interjection

noun

numeral

preposition

pronoun

proper noun

sentence

verb

Subject pronouns and the verb to be (io sono)

Singular definite articles (il, la)

Singular demonstratives (questo, questa)

Basic verbal negation (non)

Yes/No questions

Coordinating conjunctions (e, ma, o)

Regular plurals and definite articles (-i, -e, i, le)

Plural verb to be (noi siamo, voi siete)

Plural demonstratives (questi, queste)

Nouns ending in -e

The plural article (gli)

Special indefinite articles (uno, un')

Demonstrative adjectives (quello, quella)

Adjective endings (-o, -a, -i, -e)

Expressing quantity (molto, poco, tanto)

The verb to have (ho, hai, ha...)

There is / there are (c'è, ci sono)

The preposition of (di)

Singular possessives (il mio, la mia)

Numbers 1 to 10 (uno, due, tre...)

Numbers 11 to 20 (undici, dodici...)

Numbers 21 to 100 (trenta, quaranta...)

Idiomatic avere (avere fame, avere anni)

Plural possessive adjectives (i miei, le mie)

Possessives with family members (mio padre)

Formal address (dare del Lei)

Present tense of -are verbs (-o, -i, -a)

Question words (chi, cosa, dove)

Present tense of -ere verbs (-o, -i, -e)

Question words (quando, come, perché)

Question word agreement (quanto, quanta, quanti, quante)

Regular -ire verbs

Verbs with -isc- (capisco, capisci, capisce)

Pronouns after prepositions (me, te, lui)

The verb fare (faccio, fai, fa)

The verb andare (vado, vai, va)

The verb stare (sto, stai, sta)

The verb venire (vengo, vieni, viene)

The verb uscire (esco, esci, esce)

Location and destination (a, in)

Origin and movement (da)

Articulated prepositions with a (al, alla)

Articulated prepositions with in (nel, nella)

Articulated prepositions with di and da (del, dal)

Simple prepositions (con, per, su, tra)

Articulated prepositions with su (sul, sulla)

Months of the year

Telling time (sono le...)

Dates (il + number)

Ordinal numbers 1st to 10th (primo, secondo, terzo...)

The verb to want (volere)

The verb can (potere)

The verb must (dovere)

The verb to know (sapere)

Reflexive verbs (mi lavo, ti lavi)

Indirect object pronouns (gli, le, ci...)

Expressing preferences (mi piace)

Plural preferences (mi piacciono)

Comparatives (più... di, meno... di)

The passato prossimo with avere (ho parlato)

Irregular past participles (fatto, letto, preso)

The passato prossimo with essere (sono andato)

Reflexive verbs in the past (mi sono svegliato)

Time adverbs with the past tense (già, mai, ancora)

Third-person direct object pronouns (lo, la, li, le)

First and second-person direct object pronouns (mi, ti, ci, vi)

The four seasons

Prepositions of place (vicino a, davanti a)

Conversational words (beh, allora, davvero)

Indefinite adjectives for some (qualche, alcuni)

Indefinite adjectives for every and all (ogni, tutti)

Indefinite pronouns (qualcosa, qualcuno)

Noun suffixes (-ino, -one)

Adverbs of manner (-mente)

Comparisons of equality (così... come)

The relative superlative (il più)

The absolute superlative (-issimo)

Irregular comparatives (migliore, peggiore)

Present progressive (stare + -ando, -endo)

Imminent actions (stare per)

The locative pronoun (ci)

The partitive pronoun (ne)

Pronoun placement with modal verbs

Impersonal subjects (si)

Prepositions of time (da, per, tra, fra)

Past participle agreement with pronouns

Past tense of modal verbs

Question	Answer
the mirror	lo specchio
The mirror is big.	Lo specchio è grande.
These tables are small, but the mirror is big.	Questi tavoli sono piccoli, ma lo specchio è grande.
the backpack	lo zaino
Is the black backpack empty?	Lo zaino nero è vuoto?
The notebook and the pen are there, but the backpack is full.	Il quaderno e la penna sono lì, ma lo zaino è pieno.
the uncle	lo zio
The uncle is young and nice.	Lo zio è giovane e simpatico.
We are happy today. The uncle is also here.	Noi siamo felici oggi. Anche lo zio è qui.
the stadium	lo stadio
The new stadium is open today.	Lo stadio nuovo è aperto oggi.
The boys are happy, and the stadium is full!	I ragazzi sono felici e lo stadio è pieno!
the sport	lo sport
Is sport difficult or easy?	Lo sport è difficile o facile?
These books are difficult, but sport is easy.	Questi libri sono difficili, ma lo sport è facile.
the watch	l'orologio
The new watch is beautiful.	L'orologio nuovo è bello.
The old watch is black.	L'orologio vecchio è nero.
the office	l'ufficio
Is the office open or closed today?	L'ufficio è aperto o chiuso oggi?
We are busy, and the office is very full.	Noi siamo occupati e l'ufficio è molto pieno.
The intelligent student is here.	Lo studente intelligente è qui.
the year	l'anno
This month is difficult, but the year is beautiful.	Questo mese è difficile, ma l'anno è bello.
the hospital	l'ospedale
The hospital is very big and clean.	L'ospedale è molto grande e pulito.
The doctor is nice, and the hospital is new.	Il medico è simpatico e l'ospedale è nuovo.
the airport	l'aeroporto
The airport is empty today.	L'aeroporto è vuoto oggi.
The airport is not closed today.	L'aeroporto non è chiuso oggi.
This is the new year.	Questo è l'anno nuovo.