{"id":1105,"date":"2019-05-31T06:28:38","date_gmt":"2019-05-31T06:28:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.yabla.com\/italian-blog\/?p=1105"},"modified":"2023-04-02T16:47:38","modified_gmt":"2023-04-02T16:47:38","slug":"common-italian-adjectives-and-how-they-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yabla.com\/italian-blog\/2019\/05\/31\/common-italian-adjectives-and-how-they-work\/","title":{"rendered":"Common Italian Adjectives and How They Work"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"flowers<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

How do adjectives work in Italian?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Are you ready to learn some common Italian adjectives and how to use them? Let’s get started. First, let’s review what an adjective is and what it does. An adjective describes or modifies a noun, as opposed to an adverb that describes or modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The distinction is important because adjectives need to agree with the nouns they describe, whereas adverbs don’t. This means that the ending of the adjective changes according to gender and number. In English, we don’t have this problem, so it can be tough to learn in a language where it does matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First: What type of adjective is it?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are two basic types: adjectives that end in “o” <\/strong>and adjectives that end in “e.” <\/strong> Let’s clarify this. When we say an adjective ends in “o” or “e,” we’re talking about its basic form: masculine + singular. That’s how you will find an adjective in the dictionary: in its basic masculine and singular form. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Second: What’s the gender of the noun we are describing? Masculine or feminine?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Is the noun<\/strong> that the adjective describes masculine<\/strong> or feminine<\/strong>? Often, a masculine noun will end in “o” when in the singular, but not always. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An example of a masculine noun ending in “o” is il piatto<\/em> (the plate, the dish). Consequently, the rules for adjective endings will be straightforward with this kind of noun. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But we also come across plenty of exceptions. For example, il pane<\/em> (the bread) is masculine but ends in “e.” Feminine nouns, on the other hand, often end in “a, but not always. La mente<\/em> (the mind) is feminine but ends in “e.” These kinds of nouns need to get memorized, but the good news is that there are a great many nouns that are<\/strong> predictable and as a result, their adjectives are predictable, too. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Third: Is the noun we are describing singular or plural?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This factor, together with the gender, will determine the ending of the adjective. That’s a lot to think about, so let’s look at each of the four endings one by one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adjectives that end in “o”:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This is the more common of the two kinds of adjectives, so let’s see how these adjective endings work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Masculine + singular = o. <\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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Il tavolo \u00e8 tondo.<\/em>
The table is round.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n