altri

Altri is the masculine plural form of the Italian adjective and pronoun altro. It functions as an attributive adjective when it precedes a noun (altri libri, altri giorni) and as a pronoun when it stands in for a previously mentioned noun (gli altri, the others). The feminine forms are altra (singular) and altre (plural), while the singular masculine form is altro.

As an adjective, altri agrees with the noun in gender and number. It can indicate addition, distinction, or variety, as in “altri giorni” (other days) or “altri esempi” (other examples). It can also convey the sense of something in addition or more beyond what has been stated, e.g., “ci servono altri due giorni” (we need two more days).

As a pronoun, gli altri means “the others” and can function as the subject or the object of a sentence. For example: “Qualcuno è venuto; gli altri no” (Someone came; the others did not). The determiner and pronoun use often share a close relationship, with the noun omitted when the pronoun is used.

In addition, altrui is a related form used as a possessive or genitive adjective meaning “of others” or “other people’s.” It is common in phrases such as “libri altrui” (other people’s books) and is considered a formal or literary variant of the possessive sense of altro.

Origins trace back to Latin alter, meaning “the other.” In modern Italian, altri retains its core meaning of “the other(s)” while adapting to grammatical gender and number. See also altro, alle, altre for related forms and usage.