Italian noun plurals exercises
A free A1 (beginner) Italian exercise on Il plurale dei sostantivi (plural of nouns): 60 fill in the blank questions in 4 sets, from core practice to a mixed review, each with the answer and a short explanation. Or take a random round of 10. No account needed.
The rule in brief
Italian nouns form the plural by changing their final vowel. Masculine nouns in -o change to -i (il libro, i libri). Feminine nouns in -a change to -e (la casa, le case). Nouns in -e, masculine or feminine, change to -i (il ristorante, i ristoranti; la chiave, le chiavi).
Nouns in -ca and -ga add an h to keep the hard sound: l’amica, le amiche; la collega, le colleghe. Most nouns in -co and -go do the same (il parco, i parchi; l’albergo, gli alberghi), but a few common ones soften to -ci: l’amico, gli amici.
Some nouns never change. Words that end in an accented vowel (la città, le città; il caffè, i caffè) and words borrowed from other languages that end in a consonant (il film, i film; il bar, i bar) keep the same form, so only the article shows the plural. A handful are irregular and must be learnt: l’uomo becomes gli uomini.
| Singular ending | Plural ending | Example |
|---|---|---|
| -o | -i | il libro → i libri |
| -a (feminine) | -e | la casa → le case |
| -e | -i | la chiave → le chiavi |
| -ca, -ga | -che, -ghe | l’amica → le amiche |
| accented vowel, consonant | no change | la città → le città |
Exercises · 60 questions in 4 sets
Write the plural of the noun in brackets.
Set 1 · Core practice
- 1
Sullo scaffale ci sono molti di cucina.(plural of: il libro)
There are lots of cookery books on the shelf.
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libri · Masculine nouns in -o change to -i in the plural: il libro, i libri.
- 2
Le di Roma sono sempre piene di gente.(plural of: la piazza)
The squares in Rome are always full of people.
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piazze · Feminine nouns in -a change to -e in the plural: la piazza, le piazze.
- 3
I di questa via chiudono a mezzanotte.(plural of: il ristorante)
The restaurants on this street close at midnight.
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ristoranti · Nouns in -e change to -i in the plural, whatever their gender: il ristorante, i ristoranti.
- 4
Non trovo più le della macchina.(plural of: la chiave)
I can’t find the car keys any more.
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chiavi · Chiave is feminine but ends in -e, so its plural ends in -i: le chiavi, not le chiave.
- 5
Sabato esco con le mie .(plural of: l’amica)
On Saturday I’m going out with my (female) friends.
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amiche · Nouns in -ca add an h in the plural to keep the hard k sound: l’amica, le amiche.
- 6
Le mie di lavoro sono molto simpatiche.(plural of: la collega)
My (female) colleagues are very nice.
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colleghe · Nouns in -ga add an h in the plural to keep the hard g sound: la collega, le colleghe.
- 7
Il sabato i bambini giocano nei della città.(plural of: il parco)
On Saturdays the children play in the city’s parks.
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parchi · Parco adds an h in the plural to keep the hard sound: i parchi, not i parci.
- 8
Firenze e Bologna sono due bellissime.(plural of: la città)
Florence and Bologna are two very beautiful cities.
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città · Nouns ending in an accented vowel do not change in the plural: la città, le città.
- 9
Due e un cornetto, per favore.(plural of: il caffè)
Two coffees and a croissant, please.
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caffè · Caffè ends in an accented vowel, so the plural is the same: un caffè, due caffè.
- 10
Stasera guardiamo due italiani.(plural of: il film)
Tonight we’re watching two Italian films.
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film · Film is a foreign word ending in a consonant, so it does not change: i film. The adjective italiani shows the plural.
- 11
Vicino all’università ci sono tanti economici.(plural of: il bar)
There are lots of cheap cafés near the university.
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bar · Bar ends in a consonant, so it stays the same in the plural: un bar, tanti bar.
- 12
Due aspettano davanti alla porta.(plural of: l’uomo)
Two men are waiting in front of the door.
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uomini · Uomo has an irregular plural: l’uomo, gli uomini.
- 13
Oggi ho quattro all’università.(plural of: la lezione)
Today I have four lessons at university.
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lezioni · Lezione is feminine but ends in -e, so its plural ends in -i: le lezioni.
- 14
La nostra casa ha tre da letto.(plural of: la camera)
Our house has three bedrooms.
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camere · Feminine nouns in -a change to -e in the plural: la camera, le camere.
- 15
I miei di Torino arrivano domani.(plural of: l’amico)
My friends from Turin arrive tomorrow.
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amici · Amico is one of the -co nouns whose plural softens to -ci: l’amico, gli amici (but il parco, i parchi).
15 questions.
Set 2 · More practice
- 16
Il sabato i del centro sono pieni di gente.(plural of: il negozio)
On Saturdays the shops in the centre are full of people.
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negozi · Masculine nouns in -o change to -i in the plural: il negozio, i negozi.
- 17
Mia madre compra sempre le al mercato.(plural of: la mela)
My mother always buys the apples at the market.
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mele · Feminine nouns in -a change to -e in the plural: la mela, le mele.
- 18
Gli di questa scuola sono molto bravi.(plural of: lo studente)
The students at this school are very good.
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studenti · Nouns in -e change to -i in the plural: lo studente, gli studenti.
- 19
Abbiamo due e un gatto.(plural of: il cane)
We have two dogs and a cat.
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cani · Nouns in -e change to -i in the plural: il cane, i cani.
- 20
Nel mio palazzo ci sono otto .(plural of: l’appartamento)
There are eight flats in my building.
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appartamenti · Masculine nouns in -o change to -i in the plural: l’appartamento, gli appartamenti.
- 21
Le di Laura sono gemelle.(plural of: la sorella)
Laura’s sisters are twins.
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sorelle · Feminine nouns in -a change to -e in the plural: la sorella, le sorelle.
- 22
Le di questa pizzeria sono buonissime.(plural of: la pizza)
The pizzas at this pizzeria are delicious.
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pizze · Feminine nouns in -a change to -e in the plural: la pizza, le pizze.
- 23
I per Milano partono ogni ora.(plural of: il treno)
The trains to Milan leave every hour.
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treni · Masculine nouns in -o change to -i in the plural: il treno, i treni.
- 24
Quante parli?(plural of: la lingua)
How many languages do you speak?
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lingue · Feminine nouns in -a change to -e in the plural: la lingua, le lingue.
- 25
I miei abitano in campagna.(plural of: il nonno)
My grandparents live in the country.
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nonni · Masculine nouns in -o change to -i in the plural: il nonno, i nonni. The masculine plural also covers a mixed pair, grandfather and grandmother.
- 26
Le di questa casa sono molto luminose.(plural of: la stanza)
The rooms in this house are very bright.
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stanze · Feminine nouns in -a change to -e in the plural: la stanza, le stanze.
- 27
Per la festa compriamo dieci di vino.(plural of: la bottiglia)
We’re buying ten bottles of wine for the party.
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bottiglie · Feminine nouns in -a change to -e in the plural: la bottiglia, le bottiglie.
- 28
Ogni mattina mio nonno legge due .(plural of: il giornale)
Every morning my grandfather reads two newspapers.
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giornali · Nouns in -e change to -i in the plural: il giornale, i giornali.
- 29
In questa classe ci sono venti .(plural of: la sedia)
There are twenty chairs in this classroom.
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sedie · Feminine nouns in -a change to -e in the plural: la sedia, le sedie.
- 30
Le estive cominciano a giugno.(plural of: la vacanza)
The summer holidays start in June.
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vacanze · Feminine nouns in -a change to -e in the plural: la vacanza, le vacanze.
15 questions.
Set 3 · Trickier cases
- 31
In questo ospedale lavorano molti giovani.(plural of: il medico)
Lots of young doctors work in this hospital.
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medici · Medico is one of the -co nouns whose plural softens to -ci: il medico, i medici.
- 32
Nel nord Italia ci sono molti .(plural of: il lago)
There are lots of lakes in northern Italy.
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laghi · Lago adds an h in the plural to keep the hard g sound: i laghi, not i lagi.
- 33
Gli in centro sono molto cari.(plural of: l’albergo)
The hotels in the centre are very expensive.
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alberghi · Albergo adds an h in the plural to keep the hard g sound: gli alberghi.
- 34
Il sabato pomeriggio le sono chiuse.(plural of: la banca)
On Saturday afternoons the banks are closed.
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banche · Nouns in -ca add an h in the plural to keep the hard k sound: la banca, le banche.
- 35
Ho tanti con la macchina.(plural of: il problema)
I have lots of problems with the car.
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problemi · Problema ends in -a but is masculine, so its plural ends in -i: il problema, i problemi.
- 36
Il bambino batte le e ride.(plural of: la mano)
The little boy claps his hands and laughs.
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mani · Mano is a feminine noun in -o with an irregular plural: la mano, le mani.
- 37
Mi mandi le della festa?(plural of: la foto)
Will you send me the photos from the party?
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foto · Foto is a shortened word (from fotografia), and shortened words do not change in the plural: la foto, le foto.
- 38
In Italia ci sono molte antiche.(plural of: l’università)
There are many old universities in Italy.
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università · Nouns ending in an accented vowel do not change in the plural: l’università, le università.
- 39
Mio figlio fa due : nuoto e calcio.(plural of: lo sport)
My son does two sports: swimming and football.
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sport · Sport is a foreign word ending in a consonant, so it does not change: lo sport, gli sport.
- 40
Per la torta servono tre .(plural of: l’uovo)
You need three eggs for the cake.
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uova · Uovo has an irregular plural ending in -a, which is feminine: l’uovo, le uova.
- 41
In questa via ci sono due aperte anche la domenica.(plural of: la farmacia)
On this street there are two chemists that are open on Sundays too.
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farmacie · When the i of -cia is stressed (far-ma-CI-a), it stays in the plural: la farmacia, le farmacie.
- 42
Al mercato compro un chilo di .(plural of: l’arancia)
At the market I buy a kilo of oranges.
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arance · When -cia follows a consonant and the i is not stressed, the i drops in the plural: l’arancia, le arance.
- 43
Le nostre sono già in macchina.(plural of: la valigia)
Our suitcases are already in the car.
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valigie · Valigia keeps the i in the plural because -gia follows a vowel: la valigia, le valigie. Valige is also accepted, but valigie is the more common spelling.
- 44
In ufficio abbiamo cinque nuovi.(plural of: il computer)
We have five new computers in the office.
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computer · Computer is a foreign word ending in a consonant, so it does not change: il computer, i computer. Nuovi shows the plural.
- 45
Venerdì ceno con i di mio marito.(plural of: il collega)
On Friday I’m having dinner with my husband’s colleagues.
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colleghi · Collega is masculine here, so its plural ends in -i, and it adds an h to keep the hard g sound: il collega, i colleghi (but le colleghe).
15 questions.
Set 4 · Mixed review
- 46
Sul pullman ci sono quaranta giapponesi.(plural of: il turista)
There are forty Japanese tourists on the coach.
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turisti · Masculine nouns in -a change to -i in the plural: il turista, i turisti.
- 47
In questa via ci sono due e un teatro.(plural of: il cinema)
On this street there are two cinemas and a theatre.
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cinema · Cinema is short for cinematografo, and shortened words do not change in the plural: il cinema, i cinema.
- 48
Gli di questa città sono moderni.(plural of: l’ospedale)
The hospitals in this city are modern.
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ospedali · Nouns in -e change to -i in the plural: l’ospedale, gli ospedali.
- 49
I di questo ristorante sono bravissimi.(plural of: il cuoco)
The cooks at this restaurant are excellent.
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cuochi · Cuoco adds an h in the plural to keep the hard k sound: i cuochi, not i cuoci.
- 50
Davanti alla stazione ci sono tante .(plural of: la bicicletta)
There are lots of bicycles in front of the station.
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biciclette · Feminine nouns in -a change to -e in the plural: la bicicletta, le biciclette.
- 51
I miei vivono in Australia da vent’anni.(plural of: lo zio)
My uncles have lived in Australia for twenty years.
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zii · In zio the i is stressed (ZI-o), so it stays and the plural has two i’s: lo zio, gli zii.
- 52
Quanti hai?(plural of: il figlio)
How many children do you have?
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figli · In figlio the i is not stressed, so the plural has only one i: il figlio, i figli.
- 53
Metto le sul tavolo per la colazione.(plural of: la tazza)
I put the cups on the table for breakfast.
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tazze · Feminine nouns in -a change to -e in the plural: la tazza, le tazze.
- 54
Il barista prepara quattro per noi.(plural of: il cappuccino)
The barista is making four cappuccinos for us.
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cappuccini · Masculine nouns in -o change to -i in the plural: il cappuccino, i cappuccini.
- 55
Il viaggio in treno dura tre .(plural of: l’ora)
The train journey takes three hours.
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ore · Feminine nouns in -a change to -e in the plural: l’ora, le ore.
- 56
Mio padre colleziona antichi.(plural of: l’orologio)
My father collects antique clocks.
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orologi · In orologio the i is not stressed, so the plural has only one i: l’orologio, gli orologi.
- 57
Le della mia classe sono spagnole.(plural of: la studentessa)
The (female) students in my class are Spanish.
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studentesse · Feminine nouns in -a change to -e in the plural: la studentessa, le studentesse.
- 58
Restiamo a Roma cinque .(plural of: il giorno)
We’re staying in Rome for five days.
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giorni · Masculine nouns in -o change to -i in the plural: il giorno, i giorni.
- 59
Gli per l’aeroporto partono da questa piazza.(plural of: l’autobus)
The buses to the airport leave from this square.
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autobus · Autobus ends in a consonant, so it does not change in the plural: l’autobus, gli autobus.
- 60
A Roma ci sono moltissime .(plural of: la chiesa)
There are a great many churches in Rome.
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chiese · Feminine nouns in -a change to -e in the plural: la chiesa, le chiese.
15 questions.
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