Italian Language Lessons
Grammar, spelling, and usage
Italian Adjectives
Workbook Exercises About This Topic
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Italian and English differ in their usage of adjectives. Italian descriptive adjectives are usually placed after the noun they modify, and with which they agree in gender and number.
| COMMON ITALIAN ADJECTIVES ENDING IN -O |
|---|
| allegro | cheerful, happy |
| buono | good, kind |
| cattivo | bad, wicked |
| freddo | cold |
| grasso | fat |
| leggero | light |
| nuovo | new |
| pieno | full |
| stretto | narrow |
| timido | timid, shy |
Adjectives ending in -o have four forms: masculine singular, masculine plural, feminine singular, and feminine plural. Observe how the adjectives nero and cattivo change to agree with nouns they modify.
| ENDINGS OF -O ADJECTIVES |
|---|
| SINGULAR | PLURAL |
|---|
| il gatto nero (the black cat, masculine) | i gatti neri (the black cats, masculine) |
| la gatta nera (the black cat, feminine) | le gatte nere (the black cats, feminine) |
| il ragazzo cattivo (the bad boy) | i ragazzi cattivi (the bad boys) |
| la ragazza cattiva (the bad girl) | le ragazze cattive (the bad girls) |
Note that when an adjective modifies two nouns of different gender, it retains its masculine ending. For example: i padri e le madre italiani (Italian fathers and mothers).
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