Laltro

L'altro is an Italian term meaning the other or another, used as a determiner or pronoun to indicate something or someone distinct from the speaker or from a referenced pair. In everyday language it appears in phrases such as l'altro libro (the other book) or l'altro ieri (the day before yesterday). The expression l'altro ieri is a common, fixed use that does not follow the generic sense of “the other” in all contexts.

Grammatically,-altro functions as an adjective and as a pronoun. Before vowels, the definite article elides to l', producing forms like l'altro (masculine singular) and l'altra (feminine singular). The plural forms with the definite article are gli altri (masculine) and le altre (feminine). When used without a definite article, altro appears as un altro (another) or altri (others) in plural. The word contrasts with un altro, which signals a non-specific “another” rather than a specific, known “other.”

In philosophy, the concept of l'Altro (often capitalized in scholarly writing) denotes alterity or the Other—the agent who is not the self and who challenges self-identity and ethical relation. Italian discussions of l'Altro engage with ideas of recognition, dependence, and responsibility, drawing on broader European philosophical traditions. Beyond philosophy, l'altro also appears in literature and social discourse to discuss difference, otherness, and relationality.

Overall, l'altro is a versatile term in Italian that spans practical grammar and rich philosophical meaning, serving as a small linguistic tool with broad cultural and theoretical resonance.