In Italian, adjectives must AGREE with the noun they describe in both GENDER (masculine or feminine) and NUMBER (singular or plural). This means the ending of the adjective changes depending on the noun. English adjectives never change ('a big house', 'big houses', 'a big man' — always 'big'), but Italian adjectives have different forms: una casa grande, case grandi, un uomo grande, uomini grandi.
| Form | Used with... | Example |
|---|---|---|
| -o | masculine singular | un ragazzo alto — a tall boy |
| -a | feminine singular | una ragazza alta — a tall girl |
| -i | masculine plural | ragazzi alti — tall boys |
| -e | feminine plural | ragazze alte — tall girls |
| Form | Used with... | Example |
|---|---|---|
| -e | masculine singular | un ragazzo grande — a big boy |
| -e | feminine singular | una ragazza grande — a big girl |
| -i | masculine plural | ragazzi grandi — big boys |
| -i | feminine plural | ragazze grandi — big girls |
Most Italian adjectives follow the noun: una casa bella (a beautiful house), un ragazzo alto (a tall boy). However, some very common adjectives usually come BEFORE the noun: bello (beautiful), brutto (ugly), buono (good), cattivo (bad/naughty), grande (big/great), piccolo (small), giovane (young), vecchio (old), nuovo (new). Even these can follow the noun when emphasised. When in doubt, put the adjective after the noun — it is always grammatically correct.
| Before noun | Article parallel | Example |
|---|---|---|
| bel | il | un bel ragazzo — a handsome boy |
| bello | lo | uno bello specchio — wait: un bello specchio — a beautiful mirror |
| bella | la | una bella casa — a beautiful house |
| bell' | l' | un bell'uomo / una bell'idea — a handsome man / a beautiful idea |
| bei | i | dei bei ragazzi — some handsome boys |
| begli | gli | dei begli specchi — some beautiful mirrors |
| belle | le | delle belle case — some beautiful houses |
When 'buono' comes BEFORE a singular noun, it follows the same pattern as the indefinite articles un/uno/una/un': buon (before masc. regular consonant or vowel: un buon libro, un buon amico), buono (before masc. z/s+cons./gn/ps/pn/x/y: uno buono zaino — wait: un buono zaino — actually: un buono psicologo), buona (before fem. consonant: una buona pizza), buon' (before fem. vowel: una buon'idea — actually the apostrophe form is buon': buon'amica). In the plural, buono uses regular adjective forms: buoni (m.pl.), buone (f.pl.).
| Form | Used before | Example |
|---|---|---|
| buon | masc. + regular consonant or vowel | un buon libro, un buon amico |
| buono | masc. + z, s+cons., gn, ps, pn, x, y | un buono zaino, un buono studente |
| buona | fem. + consonant | una buona pizza, una buona casa |
| buon' | fem. + vowel | una buon'idea, una buon'amica |
When two adjectives both describe the same noun, they must both agree with the noun: una ragazza alta e bella (a tall and beautiful girl), un uomo vecchio e stanco (an old and tired man). When a plural noun is mixed gender (e.g., boys and girls together), the masculine plural form is used for the adjective: ragazzi e ragazze alti.
Look up the adjective in its dictionary form (masculine singular). If it ends in -o, it has FOUR forms (-o/-a/-i/-e). If it ends in -e, it has TWO forms (-e/-i). Some adjectives ending in -a are invariable (like 'viola' — purple, 'rosa' — pink): una rosa vestito rosa / un vestito rosa / vestiti rosa / gonne rosa.
10 exercises · 0 completed
Basic -o Adjectives: Masculine Singular
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Basic -o Adjectives: Feminine Singular
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Basic -o Adjectives: Plural Forms
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Four-Form Adjectives: All Forms
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Colour Adjectives
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Physical Descriptions: Adjective Agreement
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Personality Adjectives
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Mixed Adjective Agreement Practice
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Context Sentences 1: -o Adjective Agreement
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Group 1 Review: -o Adjective Agreement
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10 exercises · 0 completed
Two-Form Adjectives (-e): Basic Practice
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More Two-Form Adjectives
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Identify Adjective Type: Four-Form or Two-Form
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Two-Form Adjectives in Sentences
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Mixed: Four-Form and Two-Form Adjectives
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Adjectives with Place and Environment Nouns
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Predicative Adjectives (after 'essere')
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Two-Form Adjective Review
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Context Sentences 2: Two-Form Adjectives
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Group 2 Review: Four-Form and Two-Form Adjectives
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Bello: Pre-Noun Forms
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Bello: Pre-Noun vs Post-Noun
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Buono: Pre-Noun Forms
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Bello and Buono: Mixed Pre-Noun Forms
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Bello: Full Table Drill
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Buono: All Contexts
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Bello and Buono: Error Prevention
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Bello and Buono in Sentences
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Context Sentences 3: Bello and Buono
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Group 3 Review: Bello and Buono
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Adjective Position: Before or After the Noun?
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Adjective Agreement with Exception Nouns
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Advanced Adjective Vocabulary
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Invariable Adjectives
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Adjectives That Go Before the Noun
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Adjective Position Changes Meaning
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Mixed — Choosing Correct Adjective Position
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Invariable Color Adjectives
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Group 4 Review — Adjective Position and Special Cases
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All Adjectives — Mixed Practice (Set 1)
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All Adjectives — Mixed Practice (Set 2)
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Adjective Agreement in Complete Sentences
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Adjective Translation — English to Italian
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Adjective Agreement — Find the Error
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Advanced Adjective Vocabulary
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Noun + Adjective Completion
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Comprehensive Adjective Review
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Adjectives — Final Challenge
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