Adjectives are used in Italian to define nouns. Gender and number of the adjective have to match with the one of the noun.
Most adjectives end in -o as for example caro, -a (f. Sg.), -i (m, Pl.) and -e (f, Pl.), others -e like felice and -i (Pl.).
Adjectives are placed (apart from a few exeptions) after the referring noun.
Adjectives with 4 endings
Example:
Male |
Female |
Male; plural |
Female; plural |
il negozio piccolo |
la casa piccola |
i negozi piccoli |
le case piccole |
Adjectives with 2 endings
Singular |
Plural |
la donna felice |
le donne felici |
“essere” + Adjective
When used with the verb “essere” - to be - adjectives always change their endings. The adjective refers to the noun it accompanies.
Italian |
English |
Il ragazzo è simpatico. |
The boy is nice. |
La casa è bella. |
The house is beautiful. |
Le case sono belle e nuove. |
The houses are beautiful and new. |
Attention:
If there are two nouns the adjective has the plural ending.
Italian |
English |
Il ragazzo e la ragazza sono simpatici. |
The boy and the girl are nice.. |
And:
If there is a male and a female nouns, the adjective has the male plural ending.
Italian |
English |
L’amico e l’amica sono simpatici. |
The (male) friend and the (female) friend are nice. |
Gli amici e le amiche sono simpatici. |
The (male) friends and the (female) friends are nice. |
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