Adjectives
Italian and English have distinct approaches to adjective usage. In Italian, descriptive adjectives typically come after the noun they modify, and they must agree with the noun in terms of gender and number.
Word Order
Unlike English, Italian allows for the placement of adjectives both before and after the noun.
Examples
- La grande macchina - the large car
- La macchina grande - the large car
Both examples above are correct. When you want to bring attention to the adjective use it in front. In most cases, adjectives are placed after the noun.
-o Ending Adjectives
Adjectives which end in -o have four forms, where the ending changes depending on the gender and quantity of the noun it's describing.
| Gender | Plurality | Ending Becomes |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | Singular | -o |
| Masculine | Plural | -i |
| Feminine | Singular | -a |
| Feminine | Plural | -e |
Example: alto - tall
- Il albero alto - The tall tree
- I alberi alti - The tall trees
- La finestra alta - The tall window
- Le finestre alte - The tall windows
-e Ending Adjectives
Adjectives which end in -e only change their ending depending on plurality.
Example: verde - green
- Il albero verde - The green tree
- I alberi verdi - The green trees
- La finestra verde - The green window
- Le finestre verdi - The green windows
Preserving Ending Sound
Like with nouns, when adjectives change form, the original ending sound must be preserved in the plural form as well.
For example, bianco - white, ends in -co and makes the "ko" sound. If we followed the normal rule and change the -o to an -i for the plural form the new form would be bianci and the new ending sound would make the "chee" sound. This is incorrect, because we need to preserve the original sound. To preserve the sound, the ending must change from -co to -chi because the chi makes the "kee" sound.
Here's a table on how to preserve letter sound when changing endings
| Singular Ending | Plural Ending |
|---|---|
| -ca | -che |
| -ga | -ghe |
| -cia | -ce |
| -gia | -ge |
| -cio | -ci |
| -gio | -gi |
| -co | -chi |
| -glia | -glie |
| -scia | -sce |
| -glio | -gli |
| -scio | -sci |
| -go | -ghi |
Examples
- White - (f) bianca - becomes - bianche
- White - (m) bianco - becomes - bianchi
- Large - (f) larga - becomes - larghe
- Large - (m) largo - becomes - larghi
The Good, Beautiful Exceptions
Buono - good, and bello - beautiful/nice follow their own rules, and are exceptions to the above rules.
Buono - Good
| Form | Rule | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | ||
| buon | Use with all masculine singular nouns except those beginning with -z, -gn, ps or -s + consonant. | un buon libro A good book |
| buono | Use with masculine singular nouns beginning with -z, -gn, ps or -s + consonant. | un buono zoo A good zoo |
| buoni | Use with all masculine plural nouns. | buoni ravioli good ravioli |
| Feminine | ||
| buona | Use with all feminine singular nouns except those beginning with a vowel. | una buona torta A good pie |
| buon' | Use with feminine singular nouns that begin with a vowel. | una buon'amica A good friend |
| buone | Use with all feminine plural nouns. | buone esperienze good experiences |
Bello - Beautiful/Nice
| Form | Rule | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | ||
| bel | Use with all masculine singular nouns except those beginning with -z, -gn, ps, -s + consonant, or a vowel. | il bell corpo A beautiful body |
| bello | Use with masculine singular nouns beginning with -z, -gn, ps, or -s + consonant. | un bello spazio A beautiful space |
| bell' | Use with masculine singular nouns beginning with a vowel. | il bell'uomo the beautiful man |
| bei | Use with plural masculine nouns except those beginning with -z, -gn, ps, -s + consonant, or a vowel. | i bei libri the beautiful books |
| begli | Use with plural masculine nouns except those beginning with -z, -gn, ps, -s + consonant, or a vowel. | i begli ombrelli The beautiful umbrellas |
| Feminine | ||
| bella | Use with all feminine singular nouns except those beginning with a vowel. | la bella ragazza The beautiful women |
| bell' | Use with feminine singular nouns beginning with a vowel. | bell’Italia beautiful Italy |
| belle | Use with all feminine plural nouns. | le belle case the beautiful houses |