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).

　　Finally, certain masculine nouns become feminine by replacing their final vowel with -essa (see the following table).

　　GENDERED NOUNS THAT GAIN AN -ESSA IN THE FEMININE

　　MASCULINE FEMININE ENGLISH

　　avvocato avvocatessa lawyer

　　campione campionessa champion

　　conte contessa count/countess

　　dottore dottoressa doctor

　　oste ostessa host/hostess

　　poeta poetessa poet

　　principe principessa prince/princess

　　profeta profetessa prophet

　　sacerdote sacerdotessa high priest/priestess

　　studente studentessa student