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