Italiano — Plurals of -co/-go/-ca/-ga
Words ending in -co, -go, -ca and -ga change their spelling in the plural to keep or drop the hard c/g sound. Feminine -ca/-ga are predictable (amica → amiche); masculine -co/-go split into two patterns (fuoco → fuochi, but amico → amici).
How it works
Feminine -ca/-ga always add an h: amica → amiche, riga → righe, keeping the hard sound. For masculine -co/-go the rule is stress: if the stress falls on the second-to-last syllable, keep the hard sound with -chi/-ghi (fuoco → fuochi, lago → laghi); if the stress falls earlier, it usually softens to -ci/-gi (medico → medici, psicologo → psicologi).
Examples
| Singular → plural | Meaning / rule |
|---|---|
| amica → amiche | friend (f.) — -ca always keeps the hard sound |
| riga → righe | line/row (f.) — -ga always keeps the hard sound |
| fuoco → fuochi | fire (m.) — stress on next-to-last: hard -chi |
| lago → laghi | lake (m.) — stress on next-to-last: hard -ghi |
| medico → medici | doctor (m.) — stress earlier: soft -ci |
| psicologo → psicologi | psychologist (m.) — stress earlier: soft -gi |
| amico → amici | friend (m.) — irregular: soft -ci despite the stress |
| bianco → bianchi | white (adj.) — adjective, hard -chi |
Good to know
The stress test for -co/-go is a strong guide, not an absolute law: amico → amici breaks it, while nemico → nemici and porco → porci also soften. A few nouns even accept both forms (stomaco → stomaci/stomachi). When unsure, check a dictionary rather than assume -chi/-ghi.