Learn Italian: Gli insetti sono strani e pericolosi. - The insects are strange and dangerous.

In Italian, masculine plural nouns usually take the article i (like i gatti). But if the noun starts with a vowel, like insetti, we use gli instead to make it flow better. You will also use gli for masculine plural words starting with "z" or an "s" followed by a consonant.

How do you pronounce the word gli?

It is a tricky sound for English speakers because the "g" is completely silent! It sounds very close to the "lli" sound in the English word "million" or "brilliant", pressed flat against the roof of your mouth.

Wait, doesn't sono mean "I am"?

Yes, but it also means "they are"! The verb essere (to be) is irregular, and sono does double duty for "I" (io sono) and "they" (loro sono). Here, since we are talking about "the insects" (they), it translates to "are".

Why do strani and pericolosi both end in the letter "i"?

Adjectives in Italian always change their endings to match the noun they describe. Because insetti is a masculine plural noun, the adjectives describing it must also become masculine plural. Their singular forms are strano (strange) and pericoloso (dangerous), and their endings change to -i to match.