The word the in italiano

Please follow and share on:

Today’s lesson is about the definite articles in Italian. You’ll learn 7 different ways to say the English article “the” and when to use the right one. 

HOW DO YOU SAY “THE” IN ITALIAN?

Things can get a bit complicated if you want to say the article “the” in Italian.

Why?

Because there are 7 different ways to say the English word “the”. In fact, the article can vary depending on many things, like for example if the noun is masculine or feminine, singular or plural, if the word begins with a vowel or a consonant, etc.. 

Anyway, today I’m here to bring some clarity around the article “the” in Italian.

The easiest way to learn the Italian articles is splitting them by their gender.

So we’ll start with the ones we use in front of the masculine nouns that are more complex. After them, we’ll look at the feminine ones which are pretty straight forward.

By the way, if you don’t know yet what’s the word gender in Italian, I recommend you to check the following lesson first:

A SIMPLE GUIDE TO GUESS THE WORD GENDER IN ITALIAN

THE ITALIAN ARTICLES: MASCULINE 

As a general rule, when you find a masculine word you have two ways to say “the” on the singular form: IL or LO. 

But how do you know which one to choose? 

Just look at the first letter of that word and it will tell you the correct article to put in front of it.

Let’s look at this rule a bit more in detail.

SINGULAR MASCULINE ARTICLES (IN ITALIAN)

We’ve already seen that when a word is masculine, you need to use one of the masculine articles IL or LO. 

So which one should you pick?

The easiest way to know the right article is to look at the first letter. In other words, you need to see if that word starts with a vowel or a consonant.

If the noun starts with a vowel, it will always get the article LO, but it will lose the “O” to get an apostrophe in its place. So it becomes L’. 

In very simple terms, every time you see a masculine noun that begins with a vowel, its article is L’.

An example is the Italian word for the year, ANNO; since it’s masculine and begins with a vowel, its article is L’: L’ANNO. 

Okay that was easy; but what if the first letter is a consonant? 

A masculine noun starting with a consonant will generally get the article IL.

However there are some cases where it gets the article LO and it’s when the word begins with one of the following letters: 

• S + consonant 
• GN 
• Z 
• Y 
• PS 
• PN 

The good news is that there are not many Italian words starting with the letters GN, Z, Y, PS or PN. 

So basically you mainly need to focus on the first category; this includes the nouns beginning with an S followed by a consonant.

EXAMPLES: MASCULINE ARTICLES IN ITALIAN

Let’s see some examples of masculine words and their articles.

The below nouns will have the article IL because their first letter is a consonant:

• IL CANE (the dog)
• IL LETTO (the bed)
• IL LIBRO (the book)

These other words, instead, will get the article LO since they start with one of the following: S+consonant, GN, Z, Y, PS or PN.

• LO SPORT (the sport)
• LO GNOCCO (type of Italian pasta made with flours and potatoes)
• LO ZIO (the uncle)
• LO YOGURT (the yogurt)
• LO PSICOLOGO (the psychologist)
• LO PNEUMATICO (the tyre) 

Good job! You’ve learnt the Italian articles when a word is masculine on the singular form. 

But what happens on the plural? Keep reading to find it out!

PLURAL MASCULINE ARTICLES (IN ITALIAN) 

Now that you know the Italian articles on the singular form, let’s see what happens when you speak at the plural.

It’s very simple and there are no exceptions: on the plural form, IL becomes I and LO/L’ become GLI.

So let’s look at the previous examples and see how these words change on the plural.

• IL CANE >> I CANI
• IL LETTO >> I LETTI
• IL LIBRO >> I LIBRI
• L’ANNO >> GLI ANNI
• LO SPORT >> GLI SPORT
• LO GNOCCO >> GLI GNOCCHI
• LO ZIO >> GLI ZII
• LO YOGURT >> GLI YOGURT
• LO PSICOLOGO >> GLI PSICOLOGI
• LO PNEUMATICO >> GLI PNEUMATICI

Note that here we’re not looking at the plural form of the nouns, because we’ll cover them in a separate lesson.

So we’ve done the hard part! Now you’ll see that the feminine article are very simple. 

ITALIAN ARTICLES: FEMININE 

The Italian articles for feminine nouns are very straight forward. It’s very simple to remember which one to use.

Let’s start with the singular form and then we’ll look at the plural (which even easier!).

SINGULAR FORM OF THE FEMININE ARTICLES (IN ITALIAN)

To see what’s the correct article, we’ll use the same rule that we’ve seen before: look at the initial letter of the word.

So if the noun start with a consonant, you need to use the article LA.

On the contrary, if the first letter is a vowel, the article becomes L’. And that’s because it looses the A in front of a vowel.

So let’s see some examples. The following words will have the article LA because they all start with a consonant: 

• LA SEDIA (the chair)
• LA PENNA (the pen)
• LA MELA (the apple)

On the other hand, the below nouns will get the article L’ as they begin with a vowel:

• L’AQUILA (the eagle)
• L’INSALATA (the salad)
• L’ORA (the time)

PLURAL FORM OF THE FEMININE ARTICLES (IN ITALIAN)

As I’ve mentioned already, the plural form of the feminine articles is even easier! In fact, both LA and L’ on the plural become LE (also if the noun begins with a vowel).

Let’s see how the above words become on the plural:

• LA SEDIA >> LE SEDIE 
• LA PENNA >> LE PENNE
• LA MELA >> LE MELE
• L’AQUILA >> LE AQUILE
• L’INSALATA >> LE INSALATE
• L’ORA >> LE ORE

LET’S RECAP …

So what did you learn today?

Let’s summarize the key things that you should take away from this lesson.

First of all, the Italian articles are a bit more complex than the English ones. In fact, there are 7 different ways to say the English word “the” in Italian. 

I’ve listed them below along with when to use them. 

1. LO

It’s the masculine article on the singular form that you use when the word begins with one of the following letters:

• S + consonant
• GN
• Z
• Y
• PS
• PN

2. IL

This is the masculine article on the singular form that you use when a word starts with a consonant. 

3. GLI

It’s the plural for the masculine article LO/L’ (LO looses the “O” when it’s in front of a vowel). 

4. I

This is the plural form of the masculine article IL. 

5. L’

This article is always used when a word begins with a vowel regardless of its gender.

In theory, it’s not a different article: it’s simply LO or LA that have lost the O/A and got an apostrophe in its place. 

6. LA 

It’s the feminine article on the singular form for all nouns that start with a consonant.

7. LE

This is the plural of LA/L’ when a word is feminine.

And this is all! If you have any questions, go to the video and leave it there in the comment section!

To keep learning, check out also the indefinite articles: 

Please follow and share on:

Do you know how to say “the” in Italian?

It’s a simple question, with a complicated answer.

There are actually 7 different ways to say “the” in Italian! One of the reasons people find them so tricky is that they try to learn them all together, which isn’t usually a good idea as it could make your brain explode.

Today, let’s start by reviewing the basics: il, la, i and le. We’ll show you using examples of the food we ate in Milan recently when we met up with one of our favourite Italian teachers, Stefano. Find out more in episode 64 of 5 Minute Italian.

In our Facebook group, you’ll find the original conversation with Italian nibbles. You can watch the video here – click on join and we’ll let you in 🙂

To remember what you learnt in today’s lesson, below you’ll find bonus materials including word lists, quizzes and flashcards. But first…

Become a 5-minute Italian member (it’s free!)

Learn to speak and understand Italian faster by joining the 5 minute Italian club! When you sign up, you’ll get:

• Mini Italian lessons + bonus materials delivered to your inbox.
• Access to the private Facebook group where you can practice chatting in Italian.
• Invites to free speaking workshops.

If you’d like to join us, click here to become a member of 5 Minute Italian.

Today’s Italian Vocabulary

il formaggio = (the) cheese

Mi piace il formaggio = I like (the) cheese

il prosciutto crudo = (the) Parma ham (a cured meat)

prosciutto = ham

crudo = raw

i pomodorini = (the) cherry tomatoes

il pomodorino = the cherry tomato

il grissino = the breadstick

i grissini = (the) breadsticks

La pancetta = (the) bacon

La mortadella = a type of Italian cold cut from Bologna.

La carota = (the) carrot.

Le carote = (the) carrots.

La mela = (the) apple.

Le mele = (the) apples.

Take the quiz

How much did you learn? Find out in the 5-minute Italian quiz!

Click here to take the quiz for this episode: How to say “the” in Italian: il, i, la, le

Flashcards

Remember the vocabulary from your 5 Minute Italian lessons by downloading the digital flashcard pack.

• Download the flashcards: How to say the in Italian: il, i, la, le
• Not sure how it works? Click here to watch the tutorial

Transcript

Please note, this is not a word for word transcript.

Katie: Ciao a tutti e benvenuti a 5 Minute Italian, I’m Katie.

M: And I’m Matteo. Ciao! 

K: And today, we’re going to talk about something that feels like it should be simple, but it’s actually not… all of the different ways to say “the” in Italian. But don’t worry, we’re going to break it down over the next few episodes so by the end it will be much clearer.

M: And we’re going to give you the examples by talking about some Italian food we ate recently when we met our friend Stefano.

K: Yes, I hope you’re not hungry! If you like, you can watch a video of the Italian conversation we had, with transcripts in our Facebook group, you’ll find the link in the show notes.

M:  In the video, I’m explaining all the Italian food that we have on the table in front of us.

K: Sì. What was on the table? Let’s listen in Italian first.

M:

• il formaggio
• il prosciutto crudo
• i pomodorini
• i grissini
• la pancetta
• la mortadella

K: Alright, so we started with:

M: il formaggio

K: The cheese. One of the first things to notice here, is that Italians use the word “the” much more often than we would in English. In the video, Matteo sometimes omits “il” and “la”, because it’s a list, but generally, Italian words are sociable, they don’t like to hang around alone, so you almost never say a word like “formaggio” on its own. It’s usually “il formaggio”.

M: Per esempio: Mi piace il formaggio.

K: For example, I like cheese. In Italian, we say “il formaggio”. I like the cheese. And we see our first “the”, which is “il”. We use “il” to say “the” for masculine words. We know that Italian assigns gender to words – a word can either be masculine or feminine. And for this, I would say, don’t worry too much about logic – why a word is masculine or feminine – just remember that Italian has two groups of words. With the masculine group of words, you should use “il”. What else did we have on the table?

M: il prosciutto crudo.

K: Parma ham. Which is cured ham, that’s not cooked. In fact, prosciutto means ham, and crudo means raw, so Italians literally say “ham raw”. And it’s buonissimo.

M: Sì.

K: Poi, what else?

M: We also had “i pomodorini”

K: i pomodorini. Pomodorini literally means “little tomatoes”. We’d call them “cherry tomatoes” in the UK. And here, we have our first plural. The singular “il pomodorino” is masculine. And as a plural it becomes “i”. i pomodorini. You may also notice that the “o” at the end of the word becomes i: pomodorini.

M: We had another word like this on the table too.

K: Yes, I’ll tell you the singular word and we’ll see if you can guess the plural. So the word was breadsticks. For one breadstick, we say “il grissino”. So how would you turn this into a plural?

M: “i grissini”

K: Perfect. What else did we eat?

M: La pancetta.

K: Bacon. La pancetta. And here, we have our first example of a feminine word, which takes the word “la”. La pancetta.

K: This means that when you learn a new word, you should always learn its word for “the” too, so you know whether to say “il” or “la”. What else is on the table?

M: La mortadella

K: Another feminine word, la mortadella. What’s mortadella, Matteo?

M: It’s another type of Italian cold cut from Bologna. It’s cooked, made from pork, and sometimes comes with bits of pistacchios in it, which is my favourite.

K: Finally, what about feminine plurals? Well, we didn’t have any on the table, unfortunately, but we can give you a few examples: How about “la carota” (the carrot) which is feminine. What’s the plural?

M: Le carote.

K: With feminine plurals, we use “le”: Le carote. And the “a” at the end of the word becomes “e”. So carota becomes “carote”. Let’s try with “la mela” (the apple). How would you make it plural?

M: Le mele.

K: Perfetto. So that was a nice review of the basics, next week, we’ll explain a couple more ways. You can watch the video from today’s lesson and practise chatting in Italian with us in our 5 Minute Italian facebook group, follow the link in the show notes and we’ll let you in as soon as we see your request. We’d love to see you in there. You can also get bonus materials, like a quiz, flashcards, and see all the phrases for today’s lesson written down by going to  joyoflanguages.com/italianpodcast and scrolling down to episode 64, or by following the link in the show notes.

Ciao for now, see you next time or as we say in Italian,

M: Alla prossima!

Get more 5-minute Italian

To get more 5 minute Italian, including lessons delivered to your inbox, access to the private Facebook group and invites to speaking workshops, click here to become a 5 Minute Italian member.

Related episodes

#27: Basta così? How to order food at the deli counter

Naples born and bred Matteo is on a mission to share the Italian language and culture with people from all over the world. He loves languages, video games and searching for the perfect pizza.

What are definite articles in Italian?

Definite articles (articoli determinativi) refer to or introduce a particular, specific noun or a known concept (something that was previously mentioned).

Italian definite articles have different forms according to the following things:

• The gender of the noun (masculine or feminine)
• The number of the noun (singular or plural)
• The first letters of the noun or adjective that it precedes

How to say “the” in Italian?

Italian definite articles generally correspond to the English article “the”, but while in English, “the” has only one form, in Italian, there is a total of 7 different definite articles: LO, IL, LA, L’, GLI, I, LE.

Yes, they all mean “the” in Italian!

This makes learning definite articles a bit more complicated, but once you know the structure, it’s relatively simple to get used to.

Tip: definite articles are great clues to understanding the noun’s grammatical gender!

Learn more about nouns’ gender in Italian by reading here.

Definite Articles: Conjugation

Singular, masculine:

• LO: it is used for all singular masculine nouns beginning with z, gn, or s+consonant
• IL: it is used for all singular masculine nouns beginning with a consonant, except the nouns for which LO is used instead.
• L’: it is used for all singular masculine nouns beginning with a vowel

Singular, feminine:

• LA: it is used for all singular feminine nouns starting with a consonant.
• L’: it is used for all singular feminine nouns beginning with a vowel

Plural, masculine:

• GLI: it is used for all plural masculine nouns starting with vowels, z, gn, or s+consonant
• I: it is used for all other plural masculine nouns

Plural, feminine:

• LE: it is used for all plural feminine nouns.

You can follow this table for the conjugation of singular and feminine nouns, according to the word’s number (singular and plural) and beginning.

	Masculine	Feminine
Singular	LO	studente (=student) specchio (=mirror) zero (=zero) zaino (=backpack) gnomo (=gnome)	LA	borsa (=bag) casa (=house) studentessa (=female student)
IL	cameriere (=waiter) sole (=sun) libro (=book)
L’	amore (=love) insegnante (=teacher) uomo (=man)	L’	attrice (=actress) elettricità (=electricity)
Plural	I	camerieri (=waiters) libri (=books)	LE	borse (=bags) case (=houses) studentesse (=female students)
GLI	insegnanti (=teachers) Free Guide How to Learn Languages Fast FREE DOWNLOAD uomini (=men) studenti (=students) studenti (=students) zaini (=backpacks)

When to use definite Articles

Let’s look at when to use definite articles and some example sentences.

• To indicate a particular/specific thing, person, or object:

• To indicate something that was mentioned previously:

• To talk about parts of the body:

• To indicate a category or a species in a generic sense:

• Before the name of a language, except when the verbs parlare (to speak) or studiare (to study).

In those cases, it’s up to you whether you want to use it or not.

• To refer to geographical locations, such as:

1. Continents: l’America, l’Europa
2. Countries: l’Italia, la Spagna
3. Regions: la Toscana
4. Islands: la Silicia, il Madagascar
5. Rivers: il Tevere
6. Mountains: il Monte Bianco

Definite articles: what do you need to remember

Still translating in your head? Wanna speak Italian for real? Check out Stefano’s courses to think directly in Italian and become fluent fast!

Principal Translations/Traduzioni principali Inglese Italiano the def art (before a noun) (singolare) il, lo, la art    (plurale) i, gli, le art   The boy went for a walk.   The cats were all meowing loudly.   Il ragazzo è andato a fare una passeggiata. the def art (before a proper noun) (singolare) il, lo, la art    (plurale) i, gli, le art   I am part of the Catholic Church.   Io faccio parte della Chiesa Cattolica. the def art (for [sth] unique) (singolare) il, lo, la art    (plurale) i, gli, le art   The moon is shining brightly tonight.   Stasera la luna splende luminosa. the def art (with a title) (singolare) il, lo, la art    (plurale) i, gli, le art   The reporter asked the President a question.   Il giornalista ha fatto una domanda al Presidente. the def art (with superlative) (singolare) il, lo, la art    (plurale) i, gli, le art   That was the easiest test.   Questo è stato il test più facile. the def art (with singular, used collectively) il, lo, la art   Does the newspaper have a future place in society?   La stampa quotidiana ha un futuro nella società? the def art (for one of many) (singolare) il, lo, la art    (plurale) i, gli, le art   The wild blueberry capital of the US is Maine.   La capitale statunitense dei mirtilli è il Maine. the def art (turns adj into plural noun) (singolare) il, lo, la art    (plurale) i, gli, le art   I am interested in the poor.   Mi interessano i poveri.

Traduzioni aggiuntive Inglese Italiano the def art (for part of the body) (singolare) il, lo, la art    (plurale) i, gli, le art   This hat is best worn over the brow.   Questo cappello sta meglio se indossato sulla fronte. the def art (sufficient) (singolare) il, lo, la art    (plurale) i, gli, le art   When I have the money, I’ll buy you a diamond.   Quando avrò il denaro, ti comprerò un diamante. the def art plural (before family name) (davanti a nome di famiglia) i art   The Simpsons are a famous fictional family.   I Simpson sono una nota famiglia della TV. the def art usually stressed (best, only) il migliore, il miglior, la migliore, la miglior agg    (enfatico: il migliore) il, lo la art    (enfatico: i migliori) i, gli, le art   Angelina is the place to go for hot chocolate in Paris.   Angelina è il posto migliore dove andare per una cioccolata calda a Parigi.

Compound Forms/Forme composte
the Inglese Italiano the 24-hour clock,
the twenty-four-hour clock n (time format: 00-23 hours) il sistema orario a 24 ore nm the 411 n US, informal (information) 411, il 411 nm A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. expr (Don’t risk what you have.) (idiomatico) meglio un uovo oggi che una gallina domani   I’m told I can do better if I keep looking for opportunities, but I’ll stay at this job for now; after all, a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.   Mi hanno detto che farei meglio a cercare nuove opportunità, ma per ora mi tengo questo lavoro: meglio un uovo oggi che una gallina domani. a chip off the old block n informal, figurative (person: like parent) tale e quale al padre agg     tale padre tale figlio   He’ll be a womanizer just like his father; he’s a chip off the old block. a drop in the bucket n US, informal, figurative (amount: trivial) (figurato) una goccia nel mare nf   The U.S. needs to redevelop passenger rail; Amtrak funding is just a drop in the bucket.   Gli Stati Uniti devono sviluppare di nuovo le ferrovie per il trasporto passeggeri; i fondi per l’Amtrak sono una goccia nel mare. a drop in the bucket n US, informal, figurative ([sth]: inconsequential) una cosa trascurabile nf a drop in the ocean (UK),
a drop in the bucket (US) n UK, figurative, informal (amount: trivial) (figurato) una goccia nel mare nf   The money I give to charity is a drop in the ocean compared to some people.   I soldi che do in beneficenza io sono una goccia nel mare rispetto ad altre persone. a drop in the ocean n UK, figurative, informal ([sth]: inconsequential) (figurato) una goccia nel mare nf a night out on the town n (evening at bar, party) (notte di festa) notte brava nf   After I got my promotion, my friends and I went for a night out on the town to celebrate.   Dopo essere stato promosso sono andato coi miei amici a fare una notte brava per festeggiare. a piece of the action n informal (involvement, participation) essere della partita vi   If I’m to help you, I want a piece of the action. a roll in the hay n figurative, informal (sexual intercourse) (colloquiale: rapporto sessuale) botta, bottarella nf    (colloquiale: rapporto sessuale) cavalcata, sgroppata nf a thing of the past n informal ([sth] obsolete) una cosa del passato, una cosa che appartiene al passato nf a thing of the past n informal ([sth] no longer a problem) (figurato: non più un problema) un lontano ricordo nm a word to the wise n colloquial (giving warning, advice) (idiomatico) a buon intenditor poche parole     un buon consiglio, un saggio consiglio nm   A word to the wise: do not visit this neighborhood alone after dark.   Non venite in questo quartiere da soli la sera. A buon intenditor poche parole! the AA n US, initialism (Alcoholics Anonymous) alcolisti anonimi nmpl   If you think you have a problem with alcohol, you should join the AA.   Se pensi di avere un problema con l’alcol dovresti entrare negli alcolisti anonimi. AA,
the AA n UK, initialism (Automobile Association) associazione automobilistica nf     automobile club nm   If your car breaks down and you’re a member of the AA, phone them and they’ll come and rescue you.   Se la tua auto ha un guasto e sei un membro dell’associazione automobilistica, telefonagli e verranno a soccorrerti. the AAA n UK, initialism (Amateur Athletic Association) associazione atletica amatoriale nf the AAA n AU, initialism (Australian Automobile Association) società di soccorso stradale nf Nota: Roadside assistance company   My car died; do you have the number for the AAA?   Mi è morta la macchina. Hai il numero della società di soccorso stradale? the able-bodied npl (not physically disabled) persone prive di handicap nfpl     non disabili nmpl   People with disabilities enjoy sports as much as the able-bodied do.   I disabili praticano gli sport tanto quanto le persone prive di handicap the above n (preceding text) (riferimenti nel testo) ciò pron     quanto sopra, cui sopra pron   Heavy snowfall overnight has left the road impassable. In light of the above, we have decided to close the office.   La strada è impraticabile a causa della pesante nevicata della notte scorsa. Alla luce di ciò, abbiamo deciso di tenere chiuso l’ufficio. above and beyond the call of duty,
beyond the call of duty expr (more than required) ben oltre quanto richiesto, ben più di quanto richiesto, molto più di quanto richiesto   He was honored for performing above and beyond the call of duty. above the law adj (not legally accountable) al di sopra della legge loc agg     intoccabile agg   Many politicians think that they are above the law, and should not be punished for any wrongdoing.   Molti politici credono di essere al di sopra della legge e di non dover essere puniti per nessun illecito. above-the-line adj figurative (of current expenses) della spesa corrente loc agg above-the-line adj figurative (advertising: in mass media) (pubblicità) above the line, sulla linea loc agg above the line expr figurative (of current expenses) dalla spesa corrente, nella spesa corrente loc avv above the line expr figurative (advertising: in mass media) (pubblicità) above the line, sulla linea loc avv (the) Abrahamic religions npl (Judaism, Christianity, Islam) (le) religioni abramitiche nfpl Absence makes the heart grow fonder expr (miss [sb] more) (idiomatico) la lontananza rafforza l’amore absorb the shock v expr (soften a physical impact) assorbire l’urto, attutire l’urto vtr   Egg boxes absorb the shock of shipping so the eggs don’t crack. The pile of pillows would absorb the shock from the fall.   I contenitori delle uova assorbono gli urti durante il trasporto in modo che le uova non si rompano. La pila di cuscini avrebbe attutito l’impatto della caduta. absorb the shock v expr figurative (take in bad news) riprendersi dallo shock v rif   The telephone fell from her hand as she tried to absorb the shock of her father’s death. I gave him a moment to absorb the shock from the bad news.   Gli ho lasciato un momento per riprendersi dallo shock della brutta notizia. absorb the shock v expr figurative (lessen a financial burden) assorbire il colpo, assorbire lo shock vtr   My pension fund took a beating in the stock market crash, but at least I had bank certificates to absorb the shock.   Il mio fondo pensione è precipitato nel crollo della borsa, ma almeno avevo dei certificati bancari per assorbire il colpo. the absurd n literary (existentialist theme) (letterario) assurdo nm   The absurd became popular in literature in the early 20th century.   L’assurdo divenne popolare in letteratura all’inizio del ventesimo secolo. the academy n US (community of scholars) l’accademia nf accede to the throne v expr formal (become king, queen) salire al trono vi accept the responsibility v expr (be willing to take on duties) accettare la responsabilità vtr     accettare l’incarico vtr   She accepted the responsibility of planning the office Christmas party.   Ha accettato l’incarico di organizzare la festa di Natale dell’ufficio. accessory before the fact n (law: assist before crime) complice nm Nota: Il sostantivo è sia maschile che femminile. according to the agreement expr (by the terms of the agreement) ai sensi dell’accordo   According to the agreement, the buyer will purchase all the product that the seller can produce. according to the contract expr (by the terms of the contract) come da contratto   According to the contract you may take three days of bereavement leave for your uncle’s funeral, but only one for your nephew’s. according to the letter expr (according to law) alla lettera, secondo la lettera, secondo la legge   These laws are no longer obeyed according to the letter.   Queste leggi non sono più seguite alla lettera. according to the letter expr (word for word) testualmente, parola per parola   Calvin interprets the biblical text according to the letter.   Calvino interpreta il testo biblico parola per parola. according to the rules expr (by the rules) secondo le regole, in base alle regole     secondo il regolamento, in base al regolamento   According to the rules, he had to be taken off the field. according to the wishes of [sb],
according to [sb]‘s wishes expr (what [sb] wants) (dopo la morte) secondo le volontà di [qlcn] loc avv   According to her wishes, Margaret was buried next to her husband. the accused,
plural: the accused n (law: defendant) imputato nm     convenuto nm   The prosecutor asked: «What is your relationship with the accused?»   Il procuratore chiese: «Che tipo di rapporto ha con l’imputato?» ace in the hole n figurative, slang (asset, trump) (figurato) asso nella manica nm   Gloria’s ace in the hole is her fantastic singing voice.   L’asso nella manica di Gloria è la sua voce canora fantastica. ace in the hole n figurative, slang (hidden advantage) (figurato) asso nella manica nm   The manager decided it was time to reveal his ace in the hole, and brought on striker Wayne Rooney. acknowledgment of the signature,
also UK: acknowledgement of the signature n (law: understand and agree) (in presenza di pubblico ufficiale) autentica di firma, autenticazione della sottoscrizione nf the acquitted n (person pronounced not guilty) prosciolto, assolto nm   The acquitted left the courtroom. the Acropolis n (citadel in Athens) acropoli nf across the board adv (globally, universally) universalmente, globalmente avv across the world adv (all over the Earth) in tutto il mondo   It sure would be nice if peace broke out across the world for a change.   Sarebbe davvero bello se una buona volta ci fosse la pace in tutto il mondo. across-the-board adj (global, universal) generalizzato, indiscriminato agg     a tutto campo     indiscriminato agg   Across-the-board tax increases hurt the poor far more than the rich.   L’aumento della tassazione indiscriminata colpisce i poveri molto più dei ricchi. act in the interests of [sb/sth] vtr (act to protect or help) agire nell’interesse di vi   An attorney will always act in the best interests of her client. Acts of the Apostles npl (Bible: New Testament book) Atti degli Apostoli nmpl   For the second reading, the Lector read from the Acts of the Apostles. add fuel to the fire v expr figurative (exacerbate the issue) gettare benzina sul fuoco   Shouting at angry pupils is only likely to add fuel to the fire.   Gridare agli alunni arrabbiati non fa che gettare ulteriore benzina sul fuoco. the Adjutant General n US (US army title) l’Aiutante Generale nm admission to the Bar n (law: pass Bar exam) ammissione all’albo nf Nota: Avviene come conseguenza del buon esito dell’esame di stato. the Adriatic n (region) (zona adriatica) Adriatico nm the Adriatic n (ocean) (mare) Adriatico nm the Adriatic Sea n (body of water east of Italy) il mare Adriatico nm the advent of [sth] n (arrival) avvento, arrivo nm     venuta nf   The advent of spring always gets me excited about gardening.   L’arrivo della primavera mi fa venire sempre molta voglia di giardinaggio. the Aegean,
the Aegean Islands n (Greek, Turkish islands) isole dell’Egeo nfpl the Aegean Sea n (part of Mediterranean Sea) Mar Egeo nm the Aeneid n (epic poem) (poema epico di Virgilio) Eneide nm affair of the heart n (love affair, romantic involvement) affare di cuore   Romance novels describe affairs of the heart. afraid of the dark adj (scared of darkness) aver paura del buio vtr   She kept a nightlight on because she was afraid of the dark.   Teneva un’abat-jour accesa perché aveva paura del buio. after the fact expr (afterwards) dopo avv     successivamente avv   He had no knowledge of the robbery until after the fact. after the fact expr (added after concluded) in un secondo tempo, successivamente avv   Conditions added to a contract after the fact are invalid unless both parties agree to them.   Le clausole aggiunte in un secondo tempo sono nulle a meno che entrambe le parti non le abbiano concordate. against the clock adv (under pressure of time) contro il tempo   It’s seems as though I am always working against the clock! These deadlines are ridiculous. against the flow adv (opposite the current) (corsi d’acqua) controcorrente avv     controflusso avv    (circolazione stradale) contromano avv   She set her kayak against the flow and began to paddle upstream.   Ha girato il kayak contro il flusso dell’acqua e ha iniziato a vogare controcorrente. against the flow adv (against general movement) controflusso avv   As the crowd of lemmings moved toward the cliff, a single animal went against the flow, heading back to the tundra.   Mentre la massa di lemming si dirigeva verso il dirupo, un solo animale si è mosso controflusso tornando verso la tundra. against the flow adv figurative (contrary to conventional opinion) in controtendenza avv     controcorrente avv   All my friends are going to college next year, but I’m going against the flow and attending a technical school.   L’anno prossimo miei amici vanno al college, ma io vado in controtendenza e mi iscriverò a una scuola professionale. against the law adj (illegal) contrario alla legge   Smoking marijuana is against the law. against the law adv (illegally) illegalmente avv   He was driving against the law as he had just guzzled down seven pints of beer. the aged npl (elderly people) anziani nmpl   She hates being referred to as ‘one of the aged’.   Detesta essere definita come «una anziana». the agentive n (grammar: agentive case) (grammatica) agentivo agg    (grammatica) d’agente loc agg the agentive case n (grammar: case indicating agent) (grammatica) il caso agentivo nm ahead of its time,
ahead of the times adj (advanced) in anticipo sui tempi     anticipare⇒, anticipare i tempi vtr     proiettato verso il futuro, rivolto al futuro agg   The company prides itself on bringing products to market that are ahead of their time.   L’azienda si vanta di portare sul mercato prodotti che anticipano i tempi.   L’azienda si vanta di portare sul mercato prodotti proiettati verso il futuro. ahead of its time,
ahead of the times adj (enlightened) all’avanguardia loc agg     visionario agg    (latino) ante litteram     precursore nm   This diary reveals that some men in the past were ahead of the times with regard to women’s rights.   Questo diario rivela che in passato alcuni uomini erano all’avanguardia per quanto riguarda i diritti delle donne. ahead of the curve expr figurative (more advanced than others) all’avanguardia loc agg     un passo avanti agli altri ahead of the game expr informal, figurative (at an advantage) giocare d’anticipo vtr     in anticipo sui tempi loc agg     in vantaggio loc agg   Bruce was ahead of the game because he repaired the roof before the rains came.   Bruce ha giocato d’anticipo perché ha riparato il tetto prima che arrivassero le piogge. ahead of the game expr informal, figurative (beating competitors) giocare d’anticipo vtr     in anticipo sui tempi loc agg     in vantaggio loc agg Air Force,
the Air Force n US (USAF: United States Air Force) (US) Air Force nf     aeronautica militare americana nf   Dan is a pilot in the Air Force.   Dan è un pilota dell’Air Force. Air Force,
the Air Force n UK (RAF: Royal Air Force) Royal Air Force, aeronautica militare britannica nf   Ian joined the Air Force as soon as he was old enough.   Ian si arruolò nell’aeronautica militare britannica appena ebbe i requisiti di età. the Airborne n US (US military group) divisione aerotrasportata nf   Brian intends to be a career officer in the Airborne.   Brian vuole fare l’ufficiale di carriera nella divisione aerotrasportata. Alexander the Great,
Alexander n (king of Macedonia 336–323) Alessandro nm the Algonquian npl (native American peoples) gli algonchini nmpl all over the map expr figurative, informal (changeable) confuso agg     sparso qua e là loc agg     sottosopra avv     a soqquadro loc avv   After her father died, her emotions were all over the map.   Dopo la morte di suo padre le sue emozioni erano sottosopra. all over the map expr informal (in many places) dappertutto, ovunque avv     da tutte le parti loc avv   When he looked up the nearest ATM, they came up all over the map.   Quando ha cercato il bancomat più vicino, ne sono spuntati dappertutto. all over the place expr informal (in many places) dappertutto, ovunque avv     da tutte le parti, in ogni dove loc avv   There is dust all over the place; I really need to clean house!   C’è polvere dappertutto, devo proprio pulire la casa! all over the place expr figurative, informal (not focused) confuso agg     sparso qua e là loc agg   I have been very distracted lately; my thoughts are all over the place.   Ultimamente sono stata molto distratta, i miei pensieri sono confusi. all over the world expr (in many countries) in tutto il mondo loc avv     a livello mondiale loc avv   Santa Claus is known all over the world.   Babbo Natale è conosciuto in tutto il mondo. all over the world adv figurative (everywhere) da tutte le parti   Luke had searched all over the world, but there was no sign of Naomi.   Luke aveva cercato da tutte le parti, ma non c’era traccia di Naomi. All the best,
expr written (closing: letter or email) (chiusura di lettera) Cordiali saluti, Cordialmente Nota: Followed by the writer’s name or signature, usually on a separate line.   The letter ended, «Please let me know if I can be of any further help. All the best, Simon.»   La lettera si chiudeva con «Mi faccia sapere se necessita di ulteriore assistenza da parte mia. Cordiali saluti, Simon». all the best n (good wishes) il meglio nm   I wish you all the best in your new career.   Ti auguro il meglio per la tua carriera. all the better expr (enhances [sth]) (costrutto a inizio frase) per fare [qlcs] meglio   «Big eyes? All the better to see you with, my dear!» said the wolf to Little Red Riding Hood. all the comforts of home npl (amenities, facilities) tutte le comodità di casa propria nfpl     tutti i comfort nmpl     ogni comfort nm   The hotel room has all the comforts of home. all the days of your life expr (for rest of your life) per tutta la vita loc avv all the more expr (before adjective or adverb: even more) ancor più, ancora di più loc avv     tanto più che cong   I’m happy that my sister is getting married, and I’m all the more excited because I’m going to be a bridesmaid.   Sono felice che mia sorella si sposi e lo sono ancora di più perché farò la damigella d’onore. all the more expr (even more) ancora di più, ancor più loc avv     ulteriormente avv   Crying in front of her embarrassed him, but it made her love him all the more.   Piangere di fronte a lei lo mise in imbarazzo, ma la cosa la fece innamorare ancora di più. all the more so expr (even more so) tanto più, a maggior ragione loc avv   You need a strong pair of boots if you go hiking, all the more so now that it’s winter.   Hai bisogno di un bel paio di scarponi se vai a fare escursionismo, tanto più adesso che è inverno.