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People nouns with fixed feminine gender

When you learn Italian, you quickly get used to matching nouns to a person's gender. A male teacher is un insegnante, and a female teacher is un'insegnante. However, there is a catch. A specific group of nouns referring to people is always grammatically feminine.

Words like persona or vittima keep their feminine endings, feminine articles, and feminine adjectives, even if they describe a man. This can feel strange to English speakers, but it is a fundamental rule of Italian agreement.

Word list
personafA1 person una persona, even for a man guida turisticafA2 tour guide una guida turistica, even for a man starfA2 star una star, even for a man star del cinemafA2 movie star una star del cinema, even for a man stellafA2 star una stella, even for a man stella del cinemafA2 movie star una stella del cinema, even for a man celebritàfB1 celebrity una celebrità, even for a man creaturafB1 creature una creatura, even for a man spiafB1 spy una spia, even for a man vittimafB1 victim una vittima, even for a man guardia del corpofB2 bodyguard una guardia del corpo, even for a man guardia di sicurezzafB2 security guard una guardia di sicurezza, even for a man guardia giuratafB2 security guard una guardia giurata, even for a man conoscenzafC1 acquaintance una conoscenza, even for a man guardia carcerariafC1 prison guard una guardia carceraria, even for a man marionettafC2 puppet una marionetta, even for a man spiafC2 mole una spia, even for a man talpafC2 mole una talpa, even for a man
Strict agreement around the noun

The rule is simple. When you use a fixed feminine noun, any article or adjective attached directly to it must also be feminine. The person's actual gender does not matter for these words. If you are describing a man as a person, he is still una persona.

Marco è una persona tranquilla.
(Marco is a quiet person.)
Il signor Rossi è una vittima innocente.
(Mr. Rossi is an innocent victim.)
Fame and everyday roles

Many common words fall into this category. The most frequent is persona, along with conoscenza for someone you know. Fame and celebrity nouns are also heavily feminine. Words like celebrità, stella, stella del cinema, and the English words star and star del cinema follow this rule, even when talking about famous male actors or athletes.

L'attore è diventato una star internazionale.
(The actor became an international star.)
Luigi è una vecchia conoscenza.
(Luigi is an old acquaintance.)
Guards, spies, and metaphors

Jobs that involve guarding are typically feminine because they stem from the word guardia. This includes guardia del corpo, guardia di sicurezza, guardia giurata, and guardia carceraria. Similarly, a tour guide is always una guida turistica.

Mio fratello lavora come guardia giurata.
(My brother works as a security guard.)

Spies and undercover agents use fixed feminine words like spia and talpa. You will also see this with military words like recluta and sentinella. Finally, metaphorical descriptions like creatura or marionetta are always feminine.

James Bond è una spia eccellente.
(James Bond is an excellent spy.)
Quel politico è una marionetta nelle loro mani.
(That politician is a puppet in their hands.)
Watch out for pronouns

The strict feminine agreement only applies to the noun and the words connected to it. The noun itself, its article, and its attached adjectives must be feminine. However, once you move outside this group of words and use pronouns in a new part of the sentence or a new sentence, you can switch back to the person's actual gender.

Marco è una guida turistica esperta, e lui conosce bene la città.
(Marco is an experienced tour guide, and he knows the city well.)
Summary

Certain Italian nouns for people are always feminine. When using words like persona, vittima, or spia, you must use feminine articles and adjectives directly next to the noun, regardless of whether you are talking about a man or a woman.