🇮🇹A1 Italian GrammarBasic Adjectives
1Adjective Agreement: -o/-a Type
Most Italian adjectives have four forms to match the noun's gender and number. Adjectives ending in -o change to: -o (m.sg.), -a (f.sg.), -i (m.pl.), -e (f.pl.). For example: bello, bella, belli, belle. The adjective must always agree with the noun it describes.
Adjective Endings (-o type)
| Singular | Plural | |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | alto (tall) | alti |
| Feminine | alta | alte |
| Masculine | piccolo (small) | piccoli |
| Feminine | piccola | piccole |
Examples
Il ragazzo è alto.
The boy is tall.
alto agrees with ragazzo (m.sg.)
La ragazza è alta.
The girl is tall.
alta agrees with ragazza (f.sg.)
I libri sono nuovi.
The books are new.
nuovi agrees with libri (m.pl.)
Le case sono piccole.
The houses are small.
piccole agrees with case (f.pl.)
2Adjectives Ending in -e
Adjectives ending in -e have only two forms: -e for singular (both genders) and -i for plural (both genders). Examples: grande/grandi (big), intelligente/intelligenti. These are simpler because you only need to distinguish singular from plural, not gender.
Adjective Endings (-e type)
| Singular | Plural | |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | grande | grandi |
| Feminine | grande | grandi |
| Masculine | interessante | interessanti |
| Feminine | interessante | interessanti |
Examples
Il film è interessante.
The movie is interesting.
-e same for masculine
La storia è interessante.
The story is interesting.
-e same for feminine
I problemi sono difficili.
The problems are difficult.
-i for both plural genders
Le lezioni sono facili.
The lessons are easy.
facile → facili in plural
3Adjective Position
Most Italian adjectives come after the noun: una macchina rossa (a red car). However, some common adjectives typically come before: bello, brutto, buono, cattivo, grande, piccolo, giovane, vecchio, nuovo, lungo, breve. These often describe inherent qualities or express opinion.
Position Examples
| After Noun (typical) | Before Noun (common adj.) |
|---|---|
| una macchina rossa (a red car) | una bella macchina (a nice car) |
| un libro interessante | un nuovo libro (a new book) |
| una persona simpatica | una grande persona (a great person) |
| un vestito elegante | un vecchio vestito (an old dress) |
Examples
Ho una macchina nuova.
I have a new car.
nuova can come before or after
È un bel giorno.
It's a beautiful day.
bello before noun shortens to bel
Abbiamo un grande giardino.
We have a big garden.
grande before noun
È una donna intelligente.
She is an intelligent woman.
most adjectives go after
4Common Adjectives
Learn these essential adjectives for everyday descriptions: buono/cattivo (good/bad), grande/piccolo (big/small), bello/brutto (beautiful/ugly), nuovo/vecchio (new/old), caldo/freddo (hot/cold), facile/difficile (easy/hard), lungo/corto (long/short), alto/basso (tall/short).
Essential Adjective Pairs
| Italian | English | Opposite |
|---|---|---|
| buono | good | cattivo (bad) |
| grande | big | piccolo (small) |
| bello | beautiful | brutto (ugly) |
| nuovo | new | vecchio (old) |
| facile | easy | difficile (difficult) |
| caldo | hot | freddo (cold) |
Examples
Questo caffè è buono.
This coffee is good.
buono describes quality
Fa molto caldo oggi.
It's very hot today.
caldo for temperature
L'esame è stato facile.
The exam was easy.
facile (invariable gender)
Abbiamo un nuovo insegnante.
We have a new teacher.
nuovo before noun
Practice
Get 2 of 3 right to learn this lesson
Complete: 'La casa è ___.' (The house is small.)
Complete: 'I problemi sono ___.' (The problems are difficult.)
In 'una macchina rossa', where is the adjective?
See Real Examples in Stories
Now that you've practiced, see this grammar in context
