Gli

Gli is the masculine plural definite article in standard Italian, used before masculine plural nouns. It corresponds to the English “the” and is employed before nouns that begin with certain phonetic starts: before vowels, and before syllables beginning with s+consonant, z, ps, gn, or x. The alternative masculine plural article i is used before most other consonant-initial nouns, as in i ragazzi or i libri.

Etymology and history: Italian definite articles developed from Latin demonstratives and numerals. Gli in particular traces back to an old form Illi/illi, which over centuries merged with surrounding phonetic changes to become a general masculine plural article in front of the specified initial sounds. The other forms il, lo, and l’ cover the singular.

Usage notes: In everyday writing and speech, gli appears widely with masculine plural nouns, including words beginning with vowels (“gli amici”) and the common clusters noted above (“gli studenti,” “gli zii,” “gli gnocchi”). When combined with prepositions, gli forms contracted compounds such as agli (a + gli), dagl’ or dagli (da + gli), negli (in + gli), and sugli (su + gli).

Pronoun function: Besides its article role, gli also occurs as a third-person indirect-object pronoun meaning “to him” or “to them” in clitic placement (for example, gli ha dato qualcosa). This use is distinct from the article function but shares the same form.

Related forms: The feminine plural definite article is le, used before feminine plural nouns (le ragazze). The Italic system of articles reflects a complex evolution from Latin demonstratives and phonetic assimilation, resulting in the current il/i/lo/l’ forms and their specialized plurals.