Everything You Need to Know About Italian Adjectives
In the beautiful realm of the Italian language, adjectives hold immense power in expressing meaning and adding color to our conversations. Just think of the endless possibilities Italian adjectives offer!
- You can describe the delicious food you’re about to enjoy: “È una pizza deliziosa” (It’s a delicious pizza).
- You can describe your feelings for that special person: “Sono così entusiasta di come stanno andando le cose tra di noi” (I’m so excited about how things are going between us)
- Italian adjectives even be used to show your admiration for someone’s artistic talent: “È un quadro magnifico” (It’s a magnificent painting).
See how Italian adjectives can bring life to your language?
→Find a Native Tutor Now and Start Learning a Language Now←
In this article, we will delve into the intricacies of Italian adjectives, including their agreement with nouns, the formation of the comparative and superlative forms, and how to describe nationality in Italian, so that you can add variety, color, and expressivity to your current repertoire.
So let’s dive in!
Italian Adjectives: Agreement with Nouns
One of the fundamental aspects of Italian adjectives is their agreement with the nouns they modify. Just like in Spanish, Italian adjectives need to agree in gender and number with the noun they describe.
This agreement adds harmony and precision to the language.
Masculine Singular
Most adjectives that describe masculine singular nouns end in -o:
Un vecchio vestito (An old suit)
Masculine Plural
Adjectives that describe masculine plural nouns usually end in -i.
Due vecchi abiti (Two old suits)
Feminine Singular
Adjectives that describe feminine singular nouns often end in -a.
Una bellissima ragazza (A beautiful girl)
Feminine Plural
Adjectives that describe feminine plural nouns typically end in -e.
Le mense universitarie (University canteens)
Here’s a summary of what we’ve said so far:
| Gender/Number | Ending | Examples |
| Masculine Singular | -o | Un vecchio vestito (An old suit) |
| Masculine Plural | -i | Due vecchi abiti (Two old suits) |
| Feminine Singular | -a | Una bellissima ragazza (A beautiful girl) |
| Feminine Plural | -e | Le mense universitarie (University canteens) |
It’s important to note, however, that these are general patterns, and there are exceptions and irregularities with specific adjectives.
For example, there are some Italian adjectives that end in -e for both the masculine and the feminine singular forms. In the plural, these adjectives change from -e to -i:
Un uomo inglese (An English man)
Due uomini inglesi (Two English men)
Una donna inglese (An English woman)
Due donne inglesi (Two English women)
Types of Italian Adjectives
Italian adjectives serve various purposes and can be categorized into different groups. Understanding these categories will help you use adjectives effectively in Italian.
For example, you can distinguish between adjectives that describe the appearance of people and objects and those that indicate possession. When you study Italian at home, it’s always a good idea to keep a vocabulary journal and categorize Italian adjectives as you learn them!
Descriptive Italian Adjectives
These adjectives describe the qualities of a noun, providing additional information about its color, size, shape, and more.
For example: “la macchina rossa” (the red car) or “i fiori profumati” (the fragrant flowers).
Here are some useful descriptive Italian adjectives:
Color: rosso (red), giallo (yellow), blu (blue), viola (purple), bianco (white), nero (black)
Size: grande (large), piccolo (small), alto (tall), basso (low)
Shape: rotondo (round), quadrato (square), triangolare (triangular)
Opinion: buono (good), bello (beautiful), orribile (horrible), interessante (interesting), meraviglioso (wonderful)
Physical appearence: carino (cute), grasso (fat), magro (slim), alto (tall), basso (short)
Italian Possessive Adjectives
Whether you want to remind a coworker that it’s your pen they’re using or ask a friend if the watch you found at home is theirs, adjectives of possession are very handy.
Here is a chart with Italian possessive adjectives:
| English | Masculine, singular | Feminine, singular | Examples (Italian) | Masculine, plural | Feminine, plural | Examples (Italian) |
| My | mio | mia | Il mio computer è veloce. (My computer is fast.) | miei | mie | I miei libri sono interessanti. (My books are interesting.) |
| Your | tuo | tua | Il tuo divano è comodo. (Your sofa is comfortable.) | tuoi | tue | I tuoi amici sono simpatici. (Your friends are nice.) |
| His, her, its, your (formal) | suo | sua | Il suo gatto è molto divertente. (His/Her/Its/Your (formal) cat is very funny.) | suoi | sue | I suoi quadri sono belli. (His/Her/Its/Your (formal) paintings are beautiful.) |
| Our | nostro | nostra | Il nostro giardino è fiorito. (Our garden is blooming.) | nostri | nostre | I nostri vestiti sono alla moda. (Our clothes are fashionable.) |
| Your (plural) | vostro | vostra | Il vostro matrimonio è stato indimenticabile. (Your (plural) wedding was unforgettable.) | vostri | vostre | I vostri quaderni sono colorati. (Your (plural) notebooks are colorful.) |
| Their* | loro | loro | Il loro gatto è molto divertente. (Their cat is very funny.) | loro | loro | I loro amici sono strani. (Their friends are strange.) |
*Note: “Their” in Italian does not have gender distinctions.
Italian Demonstrative Adjectives
While Italian possessive adjectives are used to talk about ownership, demonstrative adjectives are used to point out or identify specific people or things, indicating proximity or distance from the speaker. In English, these are known as “this”, “that”, and “these”, and their Italian equivalents are:
| English | Masculine, singular | Feminine, singular | Masculine, plural | Feminine, plural | Examples (Italian) | Examples (English) |
| This | questo | questa | questi | queste | Questo libro è interessante. | This book is interesting. |
| That | quello | quella | quelli | quelle | Quella penna è blu. | That pen is blue. |
| These | questi | queste | – | – | Questi quaderni sono nuovi. | These notebooks are new. |
| Those | quelli | quelle | – | – | Quelle case sono grandi. | Those houses are big. |
Comparative Adjectives
These adjectives compare two nouns or describe a noun in relation to another.
For example:
“Marco è più alto di Luca” (Marco is taller than Luca).
We use:
più + adjective + di
(more + adjective + than)
Superlative Adjectives
Superlative adjectives express the highest or extreme degree of a quality.
For example:
“Maria è la più alta del gruppo” (Maria is the tallest in the group).
We use:
la/il + più + adjective
(the + most/the adjective -est)
Here’s a summary of everything you need to know about comparative and superlative adjectives:
| English | Comparative Adjectives | Superlative Adjectives |
| Description | Compare two nouns or describe in relation to another | Express the highest or extreme degree of a quality |
| Example Sentence | “Marco è più alto di Luca.” | “Maria è la più alta del gruppo.” |
| Structure | più + adjective + di | la più + adjective + (superlative marker) |
| English Translation | “Marco is taller than Luca.” | “Maria is the tallest in the group.” |
By correctly using Italian adjectives, you can enhance your Italian communication skills and express yourself with precision. So go ahead, embrace the power of Italian adjectives, and add depth and richness to your conversations in the beautiful Italian language!
→Find a Native Tutor Now and Start Learning a Language Now←
If you’re looking for opportunities to practice and improve your vocabulary and grammar skills, At LovLan can help! We offer personalized Italian lessons with qualified tutors who will guide you on your language-learning journey.
Join us now and take a step closer to achieving your Italian fluency goals. Visit our website to find your match among our pool of experienced Italian tutors and start speaking Italian with confidence!