If you have a masculine noun, the definite article (in singular) is either il or l' or lo. L' if the noun begins with a vowel (e.g. l'aeromobile), and lo if it begins with:
For the rest (the majority of nouns): il. Plural form of il is i, and plural form of l' and lo is gli.
If you have a feminine noun, it's either la or l'. The same rules, la for the majority of nouns and l' for those which begin with a vowel (e.g. l'automobile). The plural form of both is le.
There’s another lo rule, it’s i + vowel.
lo ione, lo iodio
And x.
lo xilofono, lo xilema
Lo
| case | e.g. |
|---|---|
| i + vowel | lo ione |
| s + consonant | lo studente |
| x | lo xilofono |
| y | lo yogurt |
| z | lo zio |
| gn | lo gnomo |
| pn | lo pneumatico |
| ps | lo psicologo |