Introduction
In Italian, adjectives play a crucial role in providing detailed descriptions of nouns, whether they are people, objects, or places. Adjectives must agree with the nouns they modify in both gender and number.
Agreement
Gender and Number
Adjectives must match the gender (masculine or feminine) and the number (singular or plural) of the noun they describe.
Examples
- Masculine Singular: Il libro rosso. (The red book.)
- Feminine Singular: La casa rossa. (The red house.)
- Masculine Plural: I libri rossi. (The red books.)
- Feminine Plural: Le case rosse. (The red houses.)
Common Descriptive Adjectives
| Adjective (Masculine Singular) | Feminine Singular | Masculine Plural | Feminine Plural | English Translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| bello | bella | belli | belle | beautiful |
| grande | grande | grandi | grandi | big/large |
| piccolo | piccola | piccoli | piccole | small |
| nuovo | nuova | nuovi | nuove | new |
| vecchio | vecchia | vecchi | vecchie | old |
| alto | alta | alti | alte | tall |
| basso | bassa | bassi | basse | short/low |
| lungo | lunga | lunghi | lunghe | long |
| corto | corta | corti | corte | short |
| interessante | interessante | interessanti | interessanti | interesting |
| grosso | grossa | grossi | grosse | thick |
| magro | magra | magri | magre | thin |
| pulito | pulita | puliti | pulite | clean |
| sporco | sporca | sporchi | sporche | dirty |
| vecchio | vecchia | vecchi | vecchie | old |
Examples in Sentences
- Masculine Singular:
- Marco è un uomo alto. (Marco is a tall man.)
- Feminine Singular:
- Lucia ha una macchina nuova. (Lucia has a new car.)
- Masculine Plural:
- I ragazzi sono intelligenti. (The boys are intelligent.)
- Feminine Plural:
- Le bambine sono piccole. (The girls are small.)
Practice
Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the adjective in parentheses:
- Giovanni ha un cane . (grande)
- Maria indossa una giacca . (blu)
- I gatti sono . (piccolo)
- Le finestre sono . (pulito)
- Lui è un ragazzo . (intelligente)
Conclusion
Adjective agreement in Italian is essential for clear and accurate communication. By ensuring that adjectives match the gender and number of the nouns they describe, you create grammatically correct and meaningful sentences.