Italian Language Lessons
Grammar, spelling, and usage
Italian Adjective Order
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In general Italian adjectives follow the noun:
È una lingua difficile. (It is a difficult language.)
Marina è una ragazza generosa. (Marina is a generous girl.)
Certain common adjectives, however, generally come before the noun:
Anna è una cara amica. (Anna is a dear friend.)
Gino è un bravo dottore. (Gino is a good doctor.)
È un brutt'affare. (It's a bad situation.)
The most common adjectives that come before the noun are listed in the table below.
| ITALIAN ADJECTIVES THAT PRECEDE NOUNS |
|---|
| bello | beautiful |
| bravo | good, able |
| brutto | ugly |
| buono | good |
| caro | dear |
| cattivo | bad |
| giovane | young |
| grande | large; great |
| lungo | long |
| nuovo | new |
| piccolo | small, little |
| stesso | same |
| vecchio | old |
| vero | true |
But even these adjectives must follow the noun for emphasis or contrast, and when modified by an adverb:
Oggi non porta l'abito vecchio, porta un abito nuovo. (Today he is not wearing the old suit, he is wearing a new suit.)
Abitano in una casa molto piccola. (They live in a very small house.)
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