Definite articles: il, la, lo, l'

Italian has more definite articles than just "the". In fact, the definite articles say something about the gender of the word that follows.

Consider this:

• il libro (the book, masculine)
• lo studente (the student, masculine)
• la mattina (the morning, feminine)
• l'amico (the friend, masculine)
• l'amica (the friend, feminine)

That way, some words can be used in a masculine and feminine way. When talking about your amica, you're specifically referring to a female friend!