Masculine and feminine in Italian
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The Italian language distinguishes two genders: masculine and feminine.
Be careful! Italian nouns always have a gender (even animals and things).
According to gender, we can identify four categories
masculine in -o
masculine in -e
feminine in -a
feminine in -e
Masculine | Italian | English |
---|---|---|
-o | albero | tree |
-e | fiore | flower |
Feminine | Italian | English |
---|---|---|
-a | bottiglia | bottle |
-e | stazione | station |
Here some tricks to recognize the gender of nouns ending in -e:
masculine: -ore, -ale, -ile
feminine: -ione, -udine, -ice
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The grammatical gender follows the natural one
The grammatical gender is just a language convention
masculine: tavolo, cappotto
table, coat
feminine: fiaba, maglia
fairy tale, shirt
Here some tricks to recognize the gender of inanimated beings
Masculine | Feminine | |
---|---|---|
Categories | trees chemical elements months, days of the week seas, mountains, lakes, rivers | fruits |
Endings | -o, -consonant (foreign origine) | -a, - i, -tà, -tù |
A lot of Italian nouns, in particular nouns of animated beings, can have both masculine and feminine forms.
In general, Italian nouns create the feminine form (or the masculine one) by editing their ending
Masculine | Feminine | Italian | English |
---|---|---|---|
-o | -a | nonno → nonna | grandfather → grandmother |
-e | -a | parrucchiere → parrucchiera | male hairdresser → female hairdresser |
A lot of nouns form their feminine form (or the masculine one) in an irregular way
Irregularities | Features | Italian | English |
---|---|---|---|
complete irregularity | two different words | fratello → sorella | brother → sister |
common gender | same form + different article | l(o)' artista →l(a)'artista | male artist → female artist |
promiscuous gender | same form + same article | (il) coniglio | rabbit |
suffix changing | same root + different suffix | studente → studentessa | male student → female student |
change of meaning | two different meanings | (il) caso → (la) casa | fate → house |
These nouns have two differents words for each gender
genero → nuora
son-in-law → daughter-in-law
dio → dea
god → goddess
These nouns (professions, jobs...) have the same form both for masculine and feminine. Just the article can distinguish the two genders.
(il) cantante → (la) cantante
male singer → female singer
(il) nipote → (la) nipote
nephew/grandson →niece/granddaughter
These nouns have just one form for both genders. Even the article is the same.
(la) vittima
victim
(il) medico
doctor
That works especially with nouns referring to animals. If you want to indicate the female animal, you have to specify it.
(il) leopardo → (il) leopardo femmina
male leopard → female leopard
(la) zebra→ (la) zebra maschio
female zebra → male zebra
The only exception are gatto→gatta (male cat → female cat) and cane → cagna (male dog → female dog)
These nouns keep their root but they change the suffix in the following way: -tore → -trice, -e → -essa, -a → -essa
attore → attrice
actor → actress
professore → professoressa
male teacher → female teacher
poeta → poetessa
poet → poetess
These nouns have a different meaning in masculine and feminine forms
(il) buco → (la) buca
hole → pit
(il) baleno → (la) balena
flash → whale
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Bonjour à tous!
My name is Daniel, and I have been an online and face-to-face French teacher for more than 5 years (I work at the Alliance Française of Burgos and I have been teaching private classes online and face-to-face for several years).
I have experience in teaching children, teenagers and adults, whether for professional or educational purposes or simply for the pleasure of learning a language as beautiful as French.
I also have experience in preparing official exams such as DELF (A1-B2) and DALF (C1/C2), and I have many exam samples at my disposal to help you achieve your goal!
À très bientôt!!!
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Daniel is a teacher with a lot of experience in teaching and plenty of materials. .I can totally recommend him
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Hi everyone!
My name is Daniela, I am Italian and I come from a small town in Sicily, Southern Italy. I am a qualified Italian language teacher and a CELI examiner! I work in two language schools teaching Italian and I also teach English at school.
I love foreign languages, translating, reading and listening to music. Are you ready to start your language learning path with me? We are going to learn many things and to talk a lot, if you allow me to! Don’t worry if you’ve never studied the language before: everyone can attend my classes – from beginner to advanced students. You just need passion for what you're going to do and... a good Internet connection. Materials are provided by me!
See you online!
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Daniela has tailored our lessons to exactly what I asked for (B1 exam preparations). She is very prepared for all of our lessons and provides extra study material for me to complete as homework. I would recommend her as a tutor.
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Dear student, my name is Domingo and I am an Italian teacher. 2 short words about me:
After classical studies, I graduated in Italian language and literature. Then I obtained the Cedils certificate as a teacher of Italian for foreigners.
What kind of teacher am I? How can I help you?
Well, I can help you who already know Italian, B1, B2, C1, C2, but you want to deepen the Italian culture, you love poetry, music or maybe you want to discover Italian cinema, or you simply want to improve your command in this tongue.
You who study in Italy, you have to deal with subjects such as history, literature, philosophy, sociology, and you want to deepen some words or concepts in Italian and you want coaching, a valid help.
To you professional, who know Italian but need cultural support to achieve your goals.
I believe that teaching is an exchange, where the teacher is the first to learn. I believe that a language is best learned with emotional involvement, in a relaxed and friendly environment, to allow for greater assimilation into long-term memory. By the word emotional, I mean the pleasure of doing something, of getting involved and having fun. So my dear students, I hope to meet you soon to discover Italian together !!!
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Very good lessons, professional and interesting. Also, very tailored made approach to teaching. Highly recommended A+++++
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Hello, everybody ! My name is Elena. I’m a native Italian speaker, I’m 49 years old and live in Turin. I am a certified CEDILS teacher, I graduated in Foreign Languages and Literature in Milan and have been working as a teacher of Italian for more than 10 years. I speak English and German. I attended specialization courses for Italian L2 teachers and I am interviewer for C1 PLIDA exam.
Are you seeking a friendly and dynamic study environment ? I got what you need. I am looking forward to being in touch with new students and organize pleasant, interesting and fruitful courses.
Do you wish to learn or improve your Italian to speak with your parents or friends? Do you need Italian for work or study ? Do you simply love Italian language and culture ? Do you need to improve your writing skills ?
My classes are tailored on your needs and considering your level of knowledge, I create a proper course plan. Classes focus on language and on the possibility for you to improve your ability to speak and understand Italian in your daily life or in work.
I offer 1-to-1 or 2-to-1 tuition, general Italian courses (grammar, conversation, listening, reading and writing), preparation to Italian examinations (all levels, also Italian for residence permit) and Italian and culture courses.
Grammar, vocabulary exercises, reading articles and magazines and talking together are all tools to feel at ease with the Italian language and then be able to practice it.
I have worked with children, adolescents and adults for all levels of Italian, from beginner to advanced. I have experience in preparing students to international certification (CILS, PLIDA). I was an A2/B1 Telc examiner.
Learning Italian can be closely related to culture, literature, music, sport and any other interest of my students.
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Elena is a profesional teacher in every way. She’s tailored the lessons for my level and we are working towards an specific goal. I’m super happy with her methodology and I’m looking forward to the next lesson! 100% recommended.
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Hi everyone!
My name is Daniela, I am Italian and I come from a small town in Sicily, Southern Italy. I am a qualified Italian language teacher and a CELI examiner! I work in two language schools teaching Italian and I also teach English at school.
I love foreign languages, translating, reading and listening to music. Are you ready to start your language learning path with me? We are going to learn many things and to talk a lot, if you allow me to! Don’t worry if you’ve never studied the language before: everyone can attend my classes – from beginner to advanced students. You just need passion for what you're going to do and... a good Internet connection. Materials are provided by me!
See you online!
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Wonderful teacher, thanks to her methodology and her pedagogical skills I could to reach the required level of italian language even without living in Italy. Highly recommended!!
Daniela V.
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Thanks, Lana. Your Italian is growing more and more and I am sure that the next big goal will soon arrive! :-D
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I am a teacher of Italian to Speakers of Other Languages with many years of experience in teaching in public and private schools. I have taught Italian to speakers of other languages in schools, in migratory contexts and in vocational training at all levels (from pre A1 to C2 ). I have gained experience as a teacher with Arabic-speaking, Slavic-speaking, German-speaking, French-speaking, Spanish-speaking, Sinophone, Lusophone and Anglophone students, and have taught literacy courses for asylum seekers and refugees. I did a training internship as a lecturer in Italian at the Department of Romance at the University of Salzburg. I completed my training by teaching Italian to learners with special educational needs. Moreover, I am a CILS, CELI and PLIDA examiner for the speaking part. I also speak German, English and French and I successfully completed my Celta in October 2020.
My lessons focus mainly on two aspects: oral and written production and the study of grammar, with particular attention to phonetic and phonology. My lessons are aimed at satisfying the needs of the learner and are prepared according to the needs of each one.
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Monica is fantastic -- highly organized, knowledgeable and friendly. She is very easy to learn from. I feel like I am in very good hands. I highly recommend her especially if you need help preparing for a certification exam (CELI, CILS, etc.).
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Hello Everybody
My name is Luisa and I teach Italian for foreign students, English, French and German for Italian students
Since 1994, I have dedicated myself to translating and teaching thanks to my travels, abroad studies, foreign reading and writing. I provide fun and customized lessons based on the student's goals. I also triy to minimize English speaking during the lessons. I give homework exercises, and my lessons are intermixed with grammar, conversation, customs and traditions. My goal is to make certain that each student finds learning Italian exciting.
I am available for any explanations also via e mail
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Luisa is wonderful! She takes what my specific goals for learning Italian (how to communicate while traveling around Italy) into consideration and created an individualized lesson plan.
Luisa A.
Dear Shraddha thank you, thank you so much for your kind message. It was a real pleasure to meet you !!! See you on Friday ciao ciao
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Maria is a well-structured teacher that is fluent in both russian and spanish. I recommend her to anyone!
This review was written by a coLanguage team member during a manual screening of this teacher profile.
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My name is Mara, I took a Master's in Foreign Languages and Translation (English and German) and then I started working as a Teacher to kids and adults. Since my students are aged between 1 and 69 years old, I developed 3 different methods:
1. Fluency - for intermediate/upper intermediate students, mainly based on listening and speaking; specific topics.
2. TPR - total physical response, all levels, mainly based on activities, role plays and board games.
3. Traditional - all levels, grammar, listening, speaking and writing/reading with a traditional approach
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Mara is an experienced teach who is passionate about teaching English to people of all ages. I recommend her to anyone
This review was written by a coLanguage team member during a manual screening of this teacher profile.
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Hello, everybody ! My name is Elena. I’m a native Italian speaker, I’m 49 years old and live in Turin. I am a certified CEDILS teacher, I graduated in Foreign Languages and Literature in Milan and have been working as a teacher of Italian for more than 10 years. I speak English and German. I attended specialization courses for Italian L2 teachers and I am interviewer for C1 PLIDA exam.
Are you seeking a friendly and dynamic study environment ? I got what you need. I am looking forward to being in touch with new students and organize pleasant, interesting and fruitful courses.
Do you wish to learn or improve your Italian to speak with your parents or friends? Do you need Italian for work or study ? Do you simply love Italian language and culture ? Do you need to improve your writing skills ?
My classes are tailored on your needs and considering your level of knowledge, I create a proper course plan. Classes focus on language and on the possibility for you to improve your ability to speak and understand Italian in your daily life or in work.
I offer 1-to-1 or 2-to-1 tuition, general Italian courses (grammar, conversation, listening, reading and writing), preparation to Italian examinations (all levels, also Italian for residence permit) and Italian and culture courses.
Grammar, vocabulary exercises, reading articles and magazines and talking together are all tools to feel at ease with the Italian language and then be able to practice it.
I have worked with children, adolescents and adults for all levels of Italian, from beginner to advanced. I have experience in preparing students to international certification (CILS, PLIDA). I was an A2/B1 Telc examiner.
Learning Italian can be closely related to culture, literature, music, sport and any other interest of my students.
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Elena is absolutely fantastic and extremely helpful in preparing me at short notice for a PLIDA B2 exam. Great teacher, lovely person and I'd highly reccommend her to anyone in need of suport in learning italian.
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Hi everyone!
My name is Daniela, I am Italian and I come from a small town in Sicily, Southern Italy. I am a qualified Italian language teacher and a CELI examiner! I work in two language schools teaching Italian and I also teach English at school.
I love foreign languages, translating, reading and listening to music. Are you ready to start your language learning path with me? We are going to learn many things and to talk a lot, if you allow me to! Don’t worry if you’ve never studied the language before: everyone can attend my classes – from beginner to advanced students. You just need passion for what you're going to do and... a good Internet connection. Materials are provided by me!
See you online!
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Daniela is a wonderful teacher, flexible and adaptable, and able to provide encouragement when it is needed (often in my case). I absolutely picked the right teacher when I signed up, and would happily recommend her to anybody as a teacher.
Daniela V.
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Dear Michael, your words fill me with joy! I'll keep on doing my best to encourage you and help you study the language :-)
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Hello my name is Lucia and I am a native Italian speaker.
I have a degree as an interpreter for English and French so I know how hard it may be to learn a foreign language. I work as a free-lance interpreter and private English and French teacher. I have a strong passion for languages which I have been studying for many years. I am studying Spanish now and always trying to improve my English and French knowledge. I am a friendly person and my lessons mainly focus on conversation. As a teacher I am very patient and I always propose tailor-made lessons with respect to your needs. I am really enthusiastic about being a teacher because this activity allows you to share your culture and habits with foreign people. Learning a language is also learning a new culture.
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Lucia is wonderful! I have no experience with Italian and it has thus far been a lovely fun process. She is easy to schedule with. Sends documents with notes/teaching points from each of our lessons immediately and tailors lesson to exactly my level/experience. Would highly recommend!
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I am a qualified teacher with a Bachelor's Degree in Education and a TESOL certificate. I will make you fall in love with English or Afrikaans. My goal is to make learning as fun and exiting as possible by using these methods in class: singing, dancing, games, role play and using fun colorful resources. I can help you with anything from pronunciation, grammer, reading and writing, phonics and building your vocabulary.
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Magda has a lot of experience and is well-structured. She offers a lot of materials. I would totally recommend her.
This review was written by a coLanguage team member during a manual screening of this teacher profile.
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Hi everyone!
My name is Daniela, I am Italian and I come from a small town in Sicily, Southern Italy. I am a qualified Italian language teacher and a CELI examiner! I work in two language schools teaching Italian and I also teach English at school.
I love foreign languages, translating, reading and listening to music. Are you ready to start your language learning path with me? We are going to learn many things and to talk a lot, if you allow me to! Don’t worry if you’ve never studied the language before: everyone can attend my classes – from beginner to advanced students. You just need passion for what you're going to do and... a good Internet connection. Materials are provided by me!
See you online!
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Daniela is an extraordinary teacher and has helped me become very confident in speaking Italian and I really like every lesson, thanks Daniela.
Daniela V.
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Dear Pip, thank you for your positive feedback and thank you for your trust !. You're doing an exceptional job, keep it up :-)
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