Articoli

Articoli is the plural of articolo in Italian and can refer to several related concepts depending on the context: linguistic elements that accompany nouns, written pieces in journalism, and provisions in legal texts.

In grammar, an article is a determiner that marks definiteness, gender, and number. Italian has definite articles il, lo, l', la and their plural forms i, gli, le. The choice depends on the noun’s gender and its initial sound: il libro, lo zaino, l’amico, la casa; i libri, gli zaini, gli amici, le case. Indefinite articles express non-definiteness: un, uno (masculine); una, un’ (feminine before a vowel). Examples: un libro, uno studente, un uomo, una casa, un’amica.

Partitive or quantitative articles also exist to indicate part of a whole or an unspecified quantity: del, dello, della, dei, degli, delle. Examples: del pane, dello zucchero, della zuppa, dei ragazzi, degli studenti, delle olive.

In law and governance, articolo refers to a specific provision within a statute, constitution, or contract. These are usually numbered, as in Articolo 1, Articolo 2, and may be subdivided or referenced by lettere and comma. In journalism and publishing, l’articolo denotes a written piece, such as a news article or feature, and articoli is used for multiple items.

Etymology traces the term to Latin articulus, meaning a small part or joint, reflecting the idea of a small part of speech connected to a noun.