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One of the common challenges when learning Italian is figuring out how to form plurals, especially for nouns and adjectives that end in -e. Unlike nouns that end in -o (masculine) or -a (feminine), which change to -i and -e respectively, nouns and adjectives ending in -e follow a simpler rule: they all change to -i in the plural, regardless of gender.

In this article, we’ll explain this rule in a straightforward way, with plenty of examples and activities to help reinforce your understanding.

FOCUS: Masculine and Feminine in Italian - Nouns Ending in -o, -a, and -e

In Italian, nouns and adjectives follow specific patterns depending on their gender and number. Understanding these patterns is key to mastering Italian grammar.

Nouns Ending in -o and -a

• Masculine nouns typically end in -o in the singular and change to -i in the plural.
  • Example: Il libro (the book) → I libri (the books)
• Feminine nouns typically end in -a in the singular and change to -e in the plural.
  • Example: La casa (the house) → Le case (the houses)

Nouns Ending in -e

Nouns ending in -e can be either masculine or feminine, but they all follow the same pluralization rule:

• Whether masculine or feminine, -e changes to -i in the plural.
  • Examples:
    • Masculine: Il ristorante (the restaurant) → I ristoranti (the restaurants)
    • Feminine: La lezione (the lesson) → Le lezioni (the lessons)

Unlike nouns ending in -o or -a, you can’t tell the gender of a noun ending in -e just by looking at it—you’ll need to learn each noun’s gender individually. This makes -e nouns more flexible but requires more memorization compared to -o and -a nouns.

General Rule for Nouns Ending in -e

• Singular Nouns Ending in -e (both masculine and feminine) change to -i in the plural.

Masculine Nouns Ending in -e

In Italian, masculine nouns that end in -e in the singular form will always change to -i in the plural.

Examples:

• Il ristorante → I ristoranti
  (The restaurant → The restaurants)
• L’amore → Gli amori
  (The love → The loves)
• Il dente → I denti
  (The tooth → The teeth)

Feminine Nouns Ending in -e

Similarly, feminine nouns ending in -e also follow this rule, changing -e to -i in the plural.

Examples:

• La stagione→ Le stagioni
  (The season → The seasons)
• L’impostazione → Le impostazioni
  (The setting → The settings)
• La luce → Le luci
  (The light → The lights)
• La piramide → Le piramidi
  (The pyramid → The pyramids)

Special Case: Feminine Nouns Starting with a Vowel

Some feminine nouns start with a vowel, but the same plural rule applies. They still change from -e to -i in the plural form.

Examples:

• L’onda → Le onde (The wave→ The waves)
• L’arte → Le arti
  (The art → The arts)

Adjectives Ending in -e

Adjectives ending in -e are neutral in gender. This means that they can describe both masculine and feminine nouns without changing in the singular. However, like the nouns, these adjectives change from -e to -i in the plural form.

Example with a Masculine Noun:

• Il libro è grande.
  (The book is big.)
• I libri sono grandi.
  (The books are big.)

Example with a Feminine Noun:

• La casa è grande.
  (The house is big.)
• Le case sono grandi.
  (The houses are big.)

Additional Adjectives That Follow This Rule:

• Triste → Tristi
  (Sad → Sad (pl.))
• Felice → Felici
  (Happy → Happy (pl.))
• Importante → Importanti
  (Important → Important (pl.))
• Intelligente → Intelligenti
  (Intelligent → Intelligent (pl.))

Extended Vocabulary List

Here’s a list of common nouns and adjectives that follow this -e to -i rule:

Nouns

Singular (S)

Plural (P)

Translation

Il fiore (S)

I fiori (P)

The flower → The flowers

La nave (S)

Le navi (P)

The ship → The ships

L’ospite (S)

Gli ospiti (P)

The guest → The guests

Il cliente (S)

I clienti (P)

The client → The clients

La stazione (S)

Le stazioni (P)

The station → The stations

La lezione (S)

Le lezioni (P)

The lesson → The lessons

Adjectives

Singular (S)

Plural (P)

Translation

Grande (S)

Grandi (P)

Big → Big (pl.)

Gentile (S)

Gentili (P)

Kind → Kind (pl.)

Cortese (S)

Cortesi (P)

Polite → Polite (pl.)

Interessante (S)

Interessanti (P)

Interesting → Interesting (pl.)

Facile (S)

Facili (P)

Easy → Easy (pl.)

Practice Activities

Activity 1: Complete the Plurals

Convert the singular nouns and adjectives into their correct plural form.

1. Il fiore è bello.
   → I ______ sono ______.
   (The flowers are beautiful.)
2. L’impostazione è importante.
   → Le ______ sono ______.
   (The settings are important.)
3. La lezione è facile.
   → Le ______ sono ______.
   (The lessons are easy.)
4. Il cliente è gentile.
   → I ______ sono ______.
   (The clients are kind.)

Activity 2: Translate the Sentences

Translate the following sentences into Italian, remembering to apply the -e to -i rule.

1. The guests are happy.
   → __________________________________________________
2. The ships are large.
   → __________________________________________________
3. The flowers are beautiful.
   → __________________________________________________
4. The lessons are very interesting.
   → __________________________________________________

Activity 3: Choose the Correct Form

Choose the correct plural form for each noun and adjective.

1. I ______ (luce / luci) sono accese.
   (The lights are on.)
2. Le ______ (case / casei) sono grandi.
   (The houses are big.)
3. Gli ______ (ospiti / ospite) sono arrivati tardi.
   (The guests arrived late.)
4. Le ______ (nave / navi) sono in porto.
   (The ships are in the port.)

Final Tips for Remembering This Rule

1. -e to -i: When you see a noun or adjective ending in -e, remember that it changes to -i in the plural, regardless of gender.
2. Adjectives Stay Neutral: Adjectives ending in -e don’t change based on whether they describe a masculine or feminine noun. Just switch to -i in the plural.
3. Context Matters: Always pay attention to the context. Words like grande or intelligente can describe both masculine and feminine nouns, so you need to use the right article (il, la, i, le) to clarify whether the noun is masculine or feminine.

By practicing these rules and examples, you’ll become comfortable recognizing and forming plurals of nouns and adjectives ending in -e. Keep applying the -e to -i rule, and you’ll be speaking and writing Italian with more confidence in no time!