Do you know when to use un’, with the apostrophe, and when to use un, without the apostrophe? Un’ and un are both indefinite articles in Italian, and they’re easy to get mixed up if you’re a learner of the language.
This is why it’s the topic of our latest episode of The Coffee Break Italian Show, which is a podcast series in which we discuss and explain interesting and tricky topics for Italian learners. Join Francesca and Maurizio in this episode to learn the difference between un’ and un in Italian.
We recommend listening to the podcast episode while you read, and don’t forget to download your free worksheet at the end, to help you practise what you learn.
Iniziamo!
Understanding indefinite articles in Italian
Before we get into the difference between un’ and un, let’s start with a quick reminder of what we mean by indefinite articles in Italian.
Indefinite articles are used to refer to unspecified, or non-specific nouns.
In English, the indefinite articles are “a” and “an”. In Italian, there are different indefinite articles, depending on the gender and number of the noun they refer to.
In this article, we are focusing on two of the indefinite articles in Italian: un’ and un.
What’s the difference between UN’ and UN in Italian?
Un’ and un are easily mixed up by Italian learners in writing because the pronunciation is identical.
If you find the difference between un’ and un tricky to understand, don’t worry, as native speakers also mix them up from time to time. But this article will help you to understand the difference.
When to use UN
Un is the indefinite article that is used with most masculine singular nouns in Italian. For example:
un fratello
a brother
un problema
a problem
The noun problema is an interesting one. As it ends in -a, you may think that it would be a feminine noun, but it is actually a masculine noun.
The indefinite article un is also used with masculine singular nouns that start with a vowel. For example:
un amico
a (male) friend
However, remember that un is not the only masculine Italian indefinite article. We also have uno, which is used with masculine singular nouns that begin with certain consonants or combinations of sounds, specifically: s+consonant, z, x, y, gn, ps, pn. For instance:
uno studente
a student
uno zaino
a backpack
These are the nouns that are used with lo, when it comes to definite articles in Italian (the words for “the”).
Remember: un is never used with feminine nouns.
When to use UN’
Un’ is used before some feminine singular nouns in Italian.
The indefinite article that is used before most feminine singular nouns is una. For example:
una casa
a house
una ragazza
a girl
una mela
an apple
However, when a feminine singular noun starts with a vowel, the apostrophe replaces the -a in una to give us un’ and therefore make the pronunciation smoother. Here are some examples:
un’amica
a (female) friend
un’ape
a bee
un’emozione
an emotion
un’isola
an island
un’ombra
a shadow
un’unghia
a (finger/toe)nail
So, we drop the -a from the end of una, and add the apostrophe to remind us that it would be there.
In the episode, Maurizio and Francesca mention their interesting way of remembering why the apostrophe is there. Make sure to watch the video or listen to the podcast episode to hear why they like to think of the apostrophe as a teardrop!
A common mistake for Italian learners: UN’ or UN?
When it comes to indefinite articles in Italian, one mistake that is commonly made by both Italian learners and native speakers is using un’ with masculine nouns that start with a vowel, which is never correct. Masculine nouns starting with vowels still use un. For example:
un amico
a (male) friend
un uomo
a man
Remember: un’ is never used with masculine nouns.
Practising indefinite articles in Italian: UN’ vs. UN
It’s time to consolidate what you’ve learned about indefinite articles in Italian – in particular, un’ and un. Choose the correct indefinite article for each noun listed below. When you’re ready, you will find the answers at the end of this article.
- __ azione (“action”)
- __ attore (“actor”)
- __ uovo (“egg”)
- __ oca (“goose”)
- __ arancia (“orange”)
- __ arancio (“orange tree”)
We hope you’ve enjoyed learning about the difference between un’ and un – two of the indefinite articles in Italian.
Remember: by paying attention to the gender of the noun and the letter it begins with, you’ll be able to choose the correct indefinite article in Italian more confidently.
To get the most out of this article, watch the video lesson with Francesca and Maurizio on The Coffee Break Italian Show, or you can listen to the podcast version wherever you get your podcasts. While you’re there, don’t forget to subscribe to our podcast feed or our YouTube channel so that you are notified whenever there is something new from Coffee Break Italian.
And for more help with your language skills, you can sign up for regular, free email lessons, which we send out to our Coffee Break community of Italian learners. Look out for the sign-up box below.
In the meantime, happy Coffee Breaking!
PS. Here are the answers to the fill-in-the-gap challenge:
- un’azione (feminine noun starting with a vowel)
- un attore (masculine noun)
- un uovo (masculine noun)
- un’oca (feminine noun starting with a vowel)
- un’arancia (feminine noun starting with a vowel)
- un arancio (masculine noun)
