In Italian every noun is assigned a gender – either masculine or feminine.
An example, to say child, you have two options depending on the gender:
• Il bambino – masculine
• La bambina – feminine
As you can see, the gender of the noun changes depending on whether you are referring to a male or female child. And this is just one of many examples where gender affects the meaning of the word in Italian!
But here is the twist: sometimes changing the gender of a noun can completely change its meaning. That means, even if two words look or sound similar, their meanings can be gendercompletely different just by switching from masculine to feminine—or vice versa.
Let’s see a few examples:
1) Il pasto means the meal, while la pasta refers to pasta—a classic Italian dish
2) Il mostro is the monster, but la mostra is an exhibition.
A single letter can make a big difference.
Here are some more pairs to show how these shifts in gender affect meaning. I will explain each one and give you example sentences to help you use them confidently:
3) Il fine (the purpose) vs. La fine (the end)
a. Example: Qual è il fine del tuo progetto? (What’s the purpose of your project?)
b. Example: La fine del film era davvero emozionante. (The end of the movie was truly emotional.)
4) Il porto (the port) vs. La porta (the door)
c. Example: Il porto di Genova è molto trafficato. (The port of Genoa is very busy.)
d. Example: Chiudi la porta, per favore. (Close the door, please.)
5) Il foglio (the sheet of paper) vs. La foglia (the leaf)
e. Example: Mi serve un foglio per scrivere. (I need a sheet of paper to write.)
f. Example: La foglia è caduta dall’albero. (The leaf fell from the tree.)
Are you curious to see more examples?
Let’s dive in together!
6) Il palo (the pole, or the post) vs. La pala (the shovel)
a. Example:
Il calcio è stato fermato dal palo. (The soccer ball was stopped by the pole); Il palo della luce è molto alto. (The lamp post is very tall.)
b. Example: Ho usato la pala per spalare la neve. (I used the shovel to clear the snow.)
7) Il busto (the bust) vs. La busta (the envelope)
a. Example: Il busto di marmo è esposto in museo. (The marble bust is on display in the museum.)
b. Example: Ho messo il biglietto nella busta. (I put the card in the envelope.)
8) Il caso (the case) vs. La casa (the house)
a. Example: Questo è un caso molto interessante. (This is a very interesting case.)
b. Example: La mia casa è in una zona tranquilla. (My house is in a quiet area.)
9) Il punto (the point or the dot) vs. La punta (the tip)
a. Example:
Questo è il punto più alto della città. (This is the highest point in the city.);
Il documento termina con un punto (The document ends witha dot.)
b. Example: La punta della matita si è rotta. (The tip of the pencil broke.)
10) Il velo (the veil) vs. La vela (the sail)
a. Example: La sposa indossava un velo lungo. (The bride was wearing a long veil.)
b. Example: La vela si gonfiò con il vento. (The sail inflated with the wind.)
11) Il colpo (the blow or the shot) vs. La colpa (the fault)
a. Example:
Ho sentito un colpo alla finestra. (I heard a blow at the window.); Il calciatore ha dato un colpo potente al pallone (The football player took a powerful shot at the ball.)
b. Example: Non è colpa mia! (It’s not my fault!)
12) Il soffitto (the ceiling) vs. La soffitta (the attic)
a. Example: Il soffitto della stanza è molto alto. (The ceiling in the room is very high.)
b. Example: Ho trovato vecchie foto nella soffitta. (I found old photos in the attic.)
13) Il suolo (the ground) vs. La suola (the sole)
a. Example: Il suolo è umido dopo la pioggia. (The ground is damp after the rain.)
b. Example: La suola delle scarpe è sporca. (The sole of the shoes is dirty.)
14) Il fronte (the front) vs. La fronte (the forehead)
a. Example: Il fronte del palazzo è decorato con colonne. (The front of the building is decorated with columns.)
b. Example: Hai la fronte calda, forse hai la febbre. (Your forehead feels warm; maybe you have a fever.)
15) Il banco (the desk) vs. La banca (the bank)
a. Example: Il banco di scuola è molto grande. (The school desk is very big.)
b. Example: Sono andato in banca per prelevare dei soldi. (I went to the bank to withdraw money.)
And now it’s your turn!
Do you know any other words in Italian that change their meaning depengind on their gender?
Drop them in the comment section below!
That is all for today.
This is all I wanted to tell you about how gender in Italian can completely change the meaning of words.
I hope this article was helpful for you to clarify some of your doubts and questions about the topic.
Of course, if you have any questions, please let me know in the comment section down below!
Thank you for reading this article!
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Ciao!
Germana
