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Nouns ending in -ta and -tu

Nouns ending in –tà and –tù have identical forms in the singular and in the plural. 

la virtù — virtue                        la difficoltà — difficulty

le virtù — virtues                      le difficoltà — difficulties

It is therefore necessary to examine the context to determine whether such a noun is singular or plural. An accompanying article, adjective, or verb will generally indicate which is the case.

Many of these words have English cognates.

VOCABULARY