Italian grammar
Articles are generally not allowed in front of first names, but Italian definite articles are sometimes used in front of first names and surnames.
Articles with first names
In Northern Italy and Tuscany, it’s common in spoken language only to use a definite article before feminine first names.
| Mattia sta dormendo. | Mattia is sleeping. |
| Hai visto Alice di recente? | Have you seen Alice recently? |
This is not found in the written language and in polite situations. Other examples:
| Ho visto la Chiara di recente. | I saw Chiara recently. |
| Hai chiamato la Simona? | Did you call Simona? |
| Sono andato dalla Michela a portarle un regalo. | I went to Michela’s to bring her a gift. |
Articles with surnames
Articles are generally not used in front of singular surnames that describe men.
However, an article is often used in front of singular surnames that describe women. This is not a mandatory rule: you can do without the article.
| La Perotti lavora al supermercato. | Perotti works at the supermarket. |
| Mozart è stato un grande compositore. | Mozart was a great composer. |
| Meloni si trova a Bruxelles ora. | Meloni is in Brussels now. |
| La Lorenzini ha preso 4 nella verifica di matematica. | Lorenzini got an F on the math test. |
| La Rowling ha scritto i romanzi di Harry Potter. | Rowling wrote the Harry Potter novels. |
Articles with family names
Family names are always preceded by one of the masculine plural definite articles.
| I Simpson vivono a Springfield. | The Simpsons live in Springfield. |
| Il cane dei Rossetti ha morso un passante. | The Rossettis’ dog bit a passerby. |
More free Italian resources
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