Turn Italian Adjectives into Nouns – Learn basic suffixes – Quiz

Italian Adjectives into Nouns

Learn how to turn Italian Adjectives into nouns with a simple guide and a quiz


Look at the example:

  • alto —> altezza

In this case, the suffix –ezza changes the adjective alto into the noun altezza.

Let’s learn all the suffixes (in Italian suffissi) we can use for this purpose.

This is the first blog dedicated to Italian suffissi and their role in changing the function of words.

The final quiz consists of 50 adjectives that you will have to convert into nouns, following the patterns below. In accordance to the meaning of the suffix, you can obtain multiple nouns from the same adjective. For example:

  • alto —> altitudine

Altezza and altitudine have different meanings and both can be linked back to the adjective “alto”.

Look up the meaning of new words and feel free to add your comments. If you added a valid noun which is not included in the quiz, please write it in the comments and I’ll add it if it makes sense.

Let’s begin


  • –ezza

bello —> bellezza

triste —> tristezza

fermo —> fermezza

dolce —> dolcezza


  • –ìa (emphasis on “i”) Abstract nouns.

geloso —> gelosia

cortese —> cortesia

folle —> follia

malato —> malattia


  • –ia (emphasis on other syllables) Abstract nouns.

feroce —> ferocia

sagace —> sagacia

efficace —> efficacia

tenace —> tenacia


  • –ìzia / –uzia (emphasis on the penultimate syllable)

furbo —> furbizia

avaro —> avarizia

astuto —> astuzia

primo —> primizia


  •  –ità, –età, –tà (emphasis on the final “à”)

capace —> capacità

fedele —> fedeltà

sobrio —> sobrietà

buono —> bontà


  • –tudine

solo —> solitudine

simile —>similitudine

retto —>rettitudine

consueto —> consuetudine


  • –ura

bravo —> bravura

rotto —> rottura

cotto —> cottura

fritto —> frittura


  • –aggine

stupido —> stupidaggine

testardo —> testardaggine

lungo —> lungaggine

balordo —> balordaggine


  • –eria (emphasis on “I”)

sciatto —> sciatteria

carino —> carineria

cretino —> cretineria

galante —> galanteria


  • –ume  –  masculine

sudicio —> sudiciume

piatto —> piattume

dolce —> dolciume

marcio —> marciume


  • –anza / –enza –   feminine

Those come from adjectives   –ante / –ente.

arrogante —> arroganza

intelligente —> intelligenza

competente —> competenza

sapiente —> sapienza


  • –ismo – masculine

assente —> assenteismo

assoluto —> assolutismo

perfetto —> perfezionismo

fatale —> fatalismo


These are just a few examples of Italian adjectives turning into nouns. If their meaning isn’t clear, we can talk about it in class. Alla prossima!


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Painting: Juana Romani – Couverture Paris Noël – 1894

L’Italia è bella! Aggettivi qualificativi – Quiz & Audio

Adjectives, Italian aggettivi, are words that define, qualify or modify the meaning of a noun

This is a very basic Italian lesson, so I assume you are an absolute beginner. If you are not, try the quiz again and consolidate some vocabulary.

Aggettivi qualificativi are Italian adjectives, describing visible or abstract qualities of a noun.

  • l’Italia è bella

Italia is a feminine noun, “bella” is an adjective and agrees with the gender of the noun, so it’s singular and feminine too.

As a rule of thumb, we can classify aggettivi qualificativi in their singular masculine version and define the rules to make them feminine and plural.

Remember that most adjectives end in -o just like bello, so you can apply this rule with some confidence.

  • Il pomodoro è rosso.
  • La fragola è rossa.
  • I pomodori sono rossi.
  • Le fragole sono rosse.

Then we have a second minor type ending in -e like grande, where feminine and masculine are the same.

  • La casa è grande.
  • Lo stadio è grande.
  • Le case sono grandi.
  • Gli stadi sono grandi.

There are other types of aggettivi ending in -a. Please see the examples.


Some basic examples


  • L’abero è alto (the tree is tall).
  • I bambini sono simpatici (kids are funny).
  • Maria è bassa (Maria is short).
  • Le mele sono rosse (apples are red).

  • Giovanni è intelligente (Giovanni is Intelligent).
  • Gli elefanti sono pesanti (elephants are heavy).
  • La marmellata è dolce (jam is sweet).
  • Le foglie sono verdi (leaves are green).

  • Stefano è un idiota (Stefano is an idiot).
  • Daria è ottimista (Daria is optimist).
  • I bambini sono egoisti (kids are selfish).
  • Le mie amiche sono entusiate (my girlfriends are enthusiastic).

Grazie e alla prossima.


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