A1 Italian GrammarBasic Adjectives
Learn how Italian adjectives work. Adjectives agree in gender and number with the noun they describe. Most adjectives come after the noun, but some common ones come before. Master the four forms: masculine singular, feminine singular, masculine plural, feminine plural.
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