Singolare

Singolare is a grammatical category that marks number for a single referent. It is used by nouns, adjectives, determiners, and pronouns, and often governs verb agreement in some languages. The opposite category is plurale, which marks more than one referent. The term derives from Latin singularis, meaning “one, solitary.”

In many languages, the singular form is the default, and plural is created by explicit morphological changes such as suffixes or internal vowel changes. For example, in Italian, the singular forms include libro (book) and casa (house), while the plurale forms are libri and case. In English, singular is typically indicated by the absence of an -s ending, as in book, with plural as books.

Linguistic systems vary in complexity. Some languages distinguish singular, dual (two), and plural, while others use additional numbers such as paucal (a few). In languages with rich noun morphology, agreement between a noun and its modifiers (adjectives, determiners) is common in the singular. In languages with mass nouns, singular agreement can also be used with substances viewed as a single amount, though plural forms may occur in other contexts.

Usage notes include the treatment of collective nouns, which can take singular or plural agreement depending on whether the group is regarded as a single unit or as individuals (for example, The team is winning vs The team are wearing new jerseys in different dialects).

Overall, singolare is a foundational concept in grammar, guiding how speakers refer to a single entity and how related words align in number.