You probably know that for every professore there is a professoressa, and for every studente there is a studentessa. But how about other nouns of profession, status, or relation that have a male and a female version?

　　Most masculine nouns ending in -tore become feminine by changing -tore to -trice (see table below).

　　GENDERED NOUNS: FROM -TORE TO -TRICE

　　MASCULINE

　　FEMININE

　　ENGLISH

　　attore

　　attrice

　　actor

　　autore

　　autrice

　　author

　　direttore

　　direttrice

　　director

　　imperatore

　　imperatrice

　　emperor/empress

　　lavoratore

　　lavoratrice

　　worker

　　pittore

　　pittrice

　　painter

　　scrittore

　　scrittrice

　　writer

　　stiratore

　　stiratrice

　　presser

　　traditore

　　traditrice

　　traitor

　　traduttore

　　traduttrice

　　translator

　　Some masculine nouns become feminine by changing their final vowel to -a (see table below).

　　GENDERED NOUNS THAT GAIN AN -A IN THE FEMININE

　　MASCULINE

　　FEMININE

　　ENGLISH

　　cameriere

　　cameriera

　　waiter/waitress

　　cassiere

　　cassiera

　　bank teller

　　figlio

　　figlia

　　son/daughter

　　giardiniere

　　giardiniera

　　gardener

　　infermiere

　　infermiera

　　nurse

　　marchese

　　marchesa

　　marquis/marchioness

　　padrone

　　padrona

　　boss, owner

　　portiere

　　portiera

　　doorman/doorwoman

　　sarto

　　sarta

　　tailor/dressmaker

　　signore

　　signora

　　Mr./Mrs.

　　Take note that there are certain names of professions that end in -a regardless of whether the term refers to a male or a female. In such case, the gender distinction is made by the definite article: il giornalista/la giornalista, il dentista/la dentista. The plurals of these professions follow the same general rule as with any other noun: Plural masculine nouns end in -i (i giornalisti, i dentisi), plural feminine nouns end in -e (le giornaliste, le dentiste).