aggettivi

Quiz Livello A1

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Quiz Livello A1: domande e risposte

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  1. Question 1 of 6
    8 points

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    Ask questions in Italian: Viaggiare

    Write

    chi, come, dove, quale, quando, quanto

    or the equivalent feminine and plural declinations

    e.g. Mi scusi, quanto costa il biglietto del tram?

    Quante fermate devo fare?


    •  
      •   autobus devo prendere per andare al Colosseo?
      •   si trova la fermata più vicina?
      •   posso comprare il biglietto?  costano due biglietti?
      •   passa l'ultimo autobus?
      •   si fa a prenotare il treno?
      •  Con viaggi in aereo?
      • ore di volo ci sono tra Roma e Chicago?
       

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Italian adjectives for absolute beginners

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Italian adjectives, also known as “aggettivi qualificativi,” generally agree in gender and number with the nouns they refer to. In Italian, all nouns have a gender (masculine and feminine) and can be singular or plural

This is a very simplified classification, but it will show most of what you need to learn as an absolute beginner.

When consulting an Italian dictionary, you will typically find adjectives listed in their singular masculine form. There are three categories of adjectives: those ending in -o, those ending in -e, and those ending in -a.

Italian adjectives decline in the feminine and plural forms as follows:

1. Adjectives ending in -o:

– “-o” for the masculine singular (e.g., Antonio è bello).
– “-a” for the feminine singular (e.g., Lucia è bella).
– “-i” for the masculine plural (e.g., Antonio e Claudio sono belli).
– “-e” for the feminine plural (e.g., Lucia e Giorgia sono belle).

2. Adjectives ending in -e:

– “-e” for both the singular forms (e.g., Dario è intelligente, Stefania è intelligente).
– “-i” for the plural forms (e.g., Dario e Francesco sono intelligenti, Claudia e Marta sono intelligenti). Adjectives ending in “-e” do not differentiate between masculine and feminine genders. The distinction is determined by the noun itself or the accompanying article.

3. Additionally, there is a small number of invariable Italian adjectives that do not change regardless of gender or number. Examples include “rosa” (pink): la macchina è rosa, i vestiti sono rosa. Other examples are pari (even), dispari (odd), blu (blue), lilla (lilac), and viola (violet).

4. Adjectives ending in -ista: this is just an example of adjectives ending with a particular suffix. there are others and you will learn with experience.

– Adjectives keep the same in the singular form (e.g., Mauro è altruista, Elisa è altruista).
– Adjectives change in the plural form:
– “-i” for the masculine plural (e.g., Giulio e Luigi sono ottimisti).
– “-e” for the feminine plural (e.g., Michela e Giorgia sono pessimiste).

In this case, there is only one form for both the masculine and feminine singular, but two different forms for the plural.

The position of an adjective in a sentence can also alter its meaning in some cases. For example:
– “Luigi è un amico vecchio” means “Luigi is an old friend.”
– “Luigi è un vecchio amico” means “Luigi is an old man.”

Feel free to test your knowledge with the quiz above, and check your score at the end. If you’re interested, you can have a chance to win a coupon for an Italian Zoom class with a native teacher.

Ciao!

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  1. Angelina è …

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Bel or Bello? A special Italian adjective

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The adjective “bello” is one of the most known Italian words. It follows a special rule, which you should learn and remember if you want to speak correctly

Foreigners make fun of Italians saying “Ciao bello!” or “Ciao Bella!”. I think it’s funny and also a good stereotype. We are friendly and everyone deserves the title of  “bello”.

Let’s see more in detail what this word means and how we can use it correctly.

In English, adjectives come before a noun. In Italian we usually put them after.

  • Ho una penna rossa and not Ho una rossa penna. We can’t put rossa before penna. 

Some adjectives however, can be put before or after a noun, changing the value of the noun itself.

  • Leonardo Di Caprio è un attore bravissimo. 
  • Leonardo Di Caprio è un bravissimo attore.

In the first case, we express an objective fact. Di Caprio is a great actor. In the second example, we want to express a point of view, the value of Di Caprio as an actor according to the opinion of the speaker.

Since bravissimo is a superlative, the position of the adjective here does not change much the intensity or the perspective of the speaker.

A better example would be:

  • Mario è un vecchio amico.
  • Mario è un amico vecchio.

In the first case, we say that Mario is al old friend, in the second Mario is an old person and he’s a friend. So, the first case is an example of a qualitative use of the adjective vecchio, it’s about my friendship with Mario.

There’s a more extensive explanation on another blog about the position of adjectives in Italian sentences. Have a look.

The adjective bello belongs to this second category. We can put it before or after the noun.
If we put it after the noun, it acts as a normal aggettivo, changing as singular or plural, masculine or feminine. We express an objective situation:

  • Il bambino è bello – sm
  • La bambina è bella – sf
  • I bambini sono belli – pm
  • Le bambine sono belle – pf

However, if we put bello before the noun, it changes quite radically and instead of agreeing with number and gender, it follows the rules of definite articles IL – LO – LA – I – GLI – LE – L’.

  • il ragazzo
  • lo zaino
  • la macchina
  • i regali
  • gli anni
  • le colline
  • l’albero

We get as a result:

  • Mario è un bel ragazzo.
  • Hai un bello zaino.
  • La Ferrari è una bella macchina.
  • Ho ricevuto dei bei regali.
  • Ho passato dei begli anni all’università.
  • In Toscana ci sono delle belle colline.
  • Davanti a casa mia c’è un bell’albero.

We don’t simply say that an object is beautiful. We want to give an opinion, a subjective point of view.

Using correctly the Italian adjective “bello” will help you to speak naturally and, why not, to get along with Italian people.

Try the quiz. Alla prossima.

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  1. Bel or Bello?

    Select the correct sentence. They could be all right or wrong.

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L’Italia è bella! Aggettivi qualificativi – Free Lesson with a Quiz

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Descriptive Adjectives in Italian: A Complete Guide for beginners

Descriptive adjectives are one of the most important and versatile grammatical categories in the Italian language. These adjectives describe and qualify the characteristics, qualities, and properties of a noun, which can refer to a person, object, place, action, or situation. Their main function is to enrich the meaning of the noun they modify, adding details that distinguish it from other similar nouns. For example:

  • Un “gatto” (a “cat”) is simply a generic animal, but un “gatto bianco” (a “white cat”) is a cat that has a particular quality that makes it stand out from other cats.
  • Un “albero alto” (a “tall tree”) refers to a tree with a specific characteristic (height), while un “albero verde” (a “green tree”) tells us something about its color.

Descriptive adjectives, therefore, not only modify the noun but also affect how the message is perceived, adding more detailed and precise nuances of meaning.

Gender and Number of Descriptive Adjectives

In Italian, the agreement between the adjective and the noun it refers to is essential. Descriptive adjectives must agree with the noun in gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural). This means that the adjective changes its form depending on the noun it modifies.

Examples of agreement:

  • Un vestito vecchio (an old dress) (singular, masculine)
  • Una casa vecchia (an old house) (singular, feminine)
  • Dei vestiti vecchii (old dresses) (plural, masculine)
  • Delle case vecchie (old houses) (plural, feminine)

Classes of Descriptive Adjectives

Descriptive adjectives are divided into three different classes depending on their endings. Each class follows specific grammatical rules that determine the form of the adjective based on the noun it modifies.

  • First Class: Adjectives with Four Endings

Adjectives in the first class have four forms: one for the singular masculine, one for the singular feminine, one for the plural masculine, and one for the plural feminine.

Examples:

  • Un abito nuovo (a new dress) (singular, masculine)
  • Una casa nuova (a new house) (singular, feminine)
  • Dei libri nuovi (new books) (plural, masculine)
  • Delle case nuove (new houses) (plural, feminine)
  • Second Class: Adjectives with Two Endings

Adjectives in the second class have only two endings: -e for both masculine and feminine singular, and -i for both masculine and feminine plural.

Examples:

  • Un uomo forte (a strong man) (singular, masculine)
  • Una donna forte (a strong woman) (singular, feminine)
  • Degli uomini forti (strong men) (plural, masculine)
  • Delle donne forti (strong women) (plural, feminine)
  • Third Class: Adjectives with the Ending -a

Adjectives in the third class end in -a for both masculine and feminine singular forms, but change in the plural, where the ending becomes -i for the masculine and -e for the feminine.

Examples:

  • Un uomo egoista (a selfish man) (singular, masculine)
  • Una donna egoista (a selfish woman) (singular, feminine)
  • Degli uomini egoisti (selfish men) (plural, masculine)
  • Delle donne egoiste (selfish women) (plural, feminine)

Invariable Adjectives

Some adjectives do not change, regardless of the gender or number of the noun they modify. These adjectives are said to be “invariable,” which means that they retain the same form no matter whether they refer to a masculine or feminine noun, or whether the noun is singular or plural. For example, some colours are invariable.

Examples of invariable adjectives: Rosa (pink), blu (blue), marrone (brown)

  • Due vestiti rosa (two pink dresses)
  • Un cielo blu (a blue sky)
  • Una giacca marrone (a brown jacket)
  • Pari (even), dispari (odd)
  • Un numero pari (an even number)
  • Due numeri dispari (two odd numbers)
  • Degli uomini perbene (well-behaved men)
  • Delle donne perbene (well-behaved women)

Agreement of the Adjective with Multiple Nouns

When an adjective refers to more than one noun, the agreement follows the gender and number of the nouns:

  • If all the nouns are masculine, the adjective will be in the plural masculine form:
  • Paolo e Gianni sono stanchi (Paolo and Gianni are tired).
  • If all the nouns are feminine, the adjective will be in the plural feminine form:
  • Laura e Bruna sono stanche (Laura and Bruna are tired).
  • If the nouns are of different genders, the adjective will be in the plural masculine form:
  • Laura e i suoi amici sono stanchi (Laura and her friends are tired).

In some cases, if the agreement with the closest noun could create confusion, the adjective can be repeated:

  • Ho comperato un cappotto e una giacca neri (I bought a coat and a jacket in black).
  • Ho comperato scarpe e guanti neri (I bought shoes and gloves in black).

Position of the Descriptive Adjective

The position of the adjective in a sentence is never random and significantly affects the meaning of the sentence itself.

  • Adjective after the noun: When the adjective is placed after the noun, it tends to indicate a distinctive, specific, or restrictive quality. For example: un libro interessante (an interesting book) – a book with a specific quality.
  • Adjective before the noun: When the adjective is placed before the noun, it generally has a more general or ornamental value. For example: un interessante libro (an interesting book) – a book that is interesting but not necessarily distinguished from other books.

Some adjectives can completely change their meaning depending on their position:

  • Un buon uomo (a good man – simple)
  • Un pover’uomo (a poor man – pitiable, unfortunate)
  • Una vecchia amica (an old friend – a long-time friend)
  • Un’amica vecchia (an old friend – elderly)

Altered Adjectives

Altered adjectives express different shades of meaning through the use of diminutive, augmentative, or pejorative suffixes. Although this topic deserves a separate lesson, we’ll just briefly acknowledge it here.

Examples:

  • Furbo (smart) can become furbetto (sly) (a minor type of smartness) or furbacchione (sly dog) (a negative connotation).
  • Grande (big) can become grandissimo (very big) or grande (a big statue vs. a large statue).

Conclusion

Descriptive adjectives are essential in the Italian language and greatly contribute to the expression of complex concepts, enriching the language with nuances of meaning. Understanding the grammatical rules and their applications allows for precise and articulate use of adjectives, improving the ability to communicate effectively in Italian.

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Descriptive Adjectives in Italian

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