Italian grammar · Beginner (A1)
Adjectives: agreement and position
How Italian adjectives change to match the noun, and where to put them in the sentence.
Adjectives agree with the noun
An adjective is a word that describes a noun, like “red” or “tall”. In Italian it changes its ending to match the noun: masculine or feminine, singular or plural.
Adjectives ending in -o have four forms. Adjectives ending in -e have only two: one for the singular and one for the plural.
| Number | Masculine | Feminine |
|---|---|---|
| singular | ||
| plural | ||
| singular | ||
| plural |
- Il gelato è buono.The ice cream is good.
- La pizza è buona.The pizza is good.
- Le ragazze sono inglesi.The girls are English.
Where adjectives go
Most adjectives go after the noun, especially colours, nationalities and shapes: (a black car), (Italian wine).
A few short, common adjectives often go before the noun: (beautiful), (good), (big, great), (small), (new), (old). before a noun follows the pattern of : , .
- Abitiamo in una casa piccola.We live in a small house.
- È una bella giornata.It's a beautiful day.
- Marco è un vecchio amico.Marco is an old friend.
- Vorrei un vino rosso.I'd like a red wine.
Mixed groups and words that never change
When one adjective describes a mix of masculine and feminine nouns, use the masculine plural: (Paolo and Anna are tired).
A few colour words never change: (blue), (pink), (purple) and . (very) before an adjective never changes either: , .
- Ho due giacche blu.I have two blue jackets.
- I miei genitori sono molto simpatici.My parents are very nice.