Masculine or feminine: -o, -a, -e

The main rule: -o and -a

Look at the last letter. Nouns ending in -o are usually masculine, and nouns ending in -a are usually feminine. This one rule covers most of the nouns you’ll meet at the start.

It works for things and people alike: libro (book), treno (train) and ragazzo (boy) are masculine; pizza, finestra (window) and ragazza (girl) are feminine.

Nouns in -e: learn them one by one

Nouns ending in -e can be either gender, and the ending gives you no clue: pane (bread) is masculine, chiave (key) is feminine. Apart from a few longer endings you’ll meet next, there’s no shortcut, so learn each one together with its gender.

With people, meaning decides: padre (father) is masculine and madre (mother) is feminine. And a feminine -e noun keeps its -e: it’s madre, never madra.

Save every -e noun with (m) or (f) next to it. Once you’ve learned the articles, save it as il pane or la chiave instead.

Endings that decide for you

Some longer endings are very reliable, even though the last letter is -e or an accent. Nouns in -ione are feminine: stazione, lezione (lesson), televisione. One rare exception is camione (truck), which is masculine. Nouns in -tà are feminine too: città, università, età (age).

Nouns in -ore are masculine: fiore (flower), colore (colour), signore (gentleman). So when a noun ends in -e, check whether it’s really -ione or -ore before you file it under “learn by heart”.

A few rebels to learn by heart

A handful of everyday nouns break the -o/-a rule. Mano (hand) ends in -o but is feminine. Foto and radio are feminine too: foto is short for fotografia, and a short form keeps the gender of the full word.

Going the other way, problema (problem), programma (programme) and cinema are masculine, even though they end in -a. Cinema is short for cinematografo.

Nouns with an accent or a consonant at the end need learning too. Caffè and tè (tea) are masculine, and words borrowed from other languages, like bar, sport and film, are usually masculine.

Keep a short rebels list: mano, foto, radio (f); problema, programma, cinema, caffè (m). It covers most of the surprises you’ll meet at A1.

People: one word for him, one for her

For people, gender follows the person, and most words come in pairs. The main pattern is easy: -o for a man becomes -a for a woman. Amico → amica, ragazzo → ragazza, zio → zia, nonno → nonna.

Many words in -e also switch to -a: cameriere → cameriera (waiter, waitress), signore → signora, infermiere → infermiera (nurse). A few add -essa instead: studente → studentessa, professore → professoressa, dottore → dottoressa.

Some pairs are simply different words: padre / madre, fratello / sorella, marito / moglie (husband, wife), uomo / donna (man, woman). And a few words, like cantante (singer) and turista, stay the same for both; only the little words around them change.

Not sure whether it’s -a or -essa? Go with -a. The -essa words are a short list: studentessa, professoressa, dottoressa.

Putting it together

When you meet a new noun, run through these questions in order and stop at the first yes. Most of the time you’ll have the answer within two or three questions.

When the answer is “learn it”, do just that: say the word with its gender a few times, or write it down with (m) or (f). That small habit pays off in every lesson that follows.

Common mistakes

• madramadreNot every feminine noun ends in -a: madre keeps its -e.
• mano (m)mano (f)Mano is a famous rebel: it ends in -o but it’s feminine.
• problema (f)problema (m)Problema, programma and cinema end in -a but are masculine.
• stazione (m)stazione (f)Look past the -e: nouns in -ione are feminine.
• studentastudentessaStudente is one of the few words that add -essa for a woman.
• camerieressacamerieraCameriere just switches to -a; only a few words take -essa.
• fratellasorellaBrother and sister are two different words: fratello, sorella.

Gender at a glance

Look at the ending first. When it’s -e, learn the gender with the word.

Common exceptions: mano, foto and radio are feminine; cinema, problema and caffè are masculine.

Some women’s words are different words: padre → madre, fratello → sorella, marito → moglie.