0.1.3 Adjectives

Question 1

How do adjectives agree with nouns?

Answer 1

Adjectives change their last letter to match the nouns they are describing.

Sometimes, in Italian, you’ll see the same adjective with a different final letter. This is so that it matches its noun in number (singular/plural) and gender (masculine/feminine). This matching is called “agreeing”.

For example, alto means “tall”. But the last letter changes to match its noun.

il ragazzo alto = “the tall boy”
la ragazza alta = “the tall girl”
i ragazzi alti = “the tall boys”
le ragazze alte = “the tall girls”

The ending of the adjective (and noun) changes between masculine and feminine, and it also changes between singular and plural.

The word for “the” changes too (il, la, i, le).

Words like “the” and adjectives have to change their spelling in Italian in order to agree with their noun. Don’t be alarmed if you recognize an adjective but the last letter is different! It’s the same word you know, it’s just agreeing with a different noun.

Question 2

Translate to Italian:

lots of pasta

Answer 2

molta pasta

lots of = molto/molta/molti/molte

The word molto is an adjective so it has to match its noun.

Question 3

Translate to Italian:

lots of money

Answer 3

molti soldi

The Italian word soldi (“money”) is a plural noun.

Question 4

Translate to Italian:

a little pasta

Answer 4

poca pasta

a little = poco/poca/pochi/poche

The word poco is an adjective so it has to match its noun.

Question 5

Translate to Italian:

a little money

Answer 5

pochi soldi

Question 6

Translate to Italian:

lots of kids

Answer 6

molti ragazzi

Question 7

Translate to Italian:

a big car

Answer 7

una macchina grande

big = grande

In English, adjectives are usually placed before the noun. In Italian, adjectives are usually placed after the noun.

Question 8

Translate to Italian:

a small house

Answer 8

una casa piccola

small = piccolo after masculine nouns
small = piccola after feminine nouns

The last letter changes to agree with the noun.

Question 9

Translate to Italian:

The house is big.

Answer 9

La casa è grande.

is = è

Remember, accents sometimes make a big difference to meaning!

è = “is”
e = “and”

Don’t worry, they’re both pronounced the same.

Question 10

Translate to Italian:

a very small car

Answer 10

una macchina molto piccola

very = molto

Note that the word molto means both “much” and “very”.

Question 11

Translate to Italian:

there

Answer 11

là

Question 12

Translate to Italian:

here

Answer 12

qui

Question 13

Translate to Italian:

There is a car over there.

Answer 13

C’è una macchina là.

there is = c’è

This is a contraction of the preposition ci and the verb “is” (è).

Question 14

Translate to Italian:

There are a lot of girls here.

Answer 14

Ci sono molte ragazze qui.

there are = ci sono

Question 15

Translate to Italian:

[What is being said in the audio recording?]

Answer 15

Ci sono molte case grandi qui?

Translation: “Are there a lot of big houses here?”

You can turn any Italian sentence into a question by asking it with a rising inflection.

Question 16

Translate to Italian:

a person

Answer 16

una persona

Note that the word persona is always a feminine noun, regardless of the gender of the person. (Grammatical gender is an attribute of words! It is not the same as human gender.)

Question 17

Translate to Italian:

two people

Answer 17

due persone

Question 18

Translate to Italian:

people

Answer 18

la gente

This means “people” in general, as a collective. For example, “people want their trains to run on time”.

Question 19

Translate to Italian:

[What is being said in the audio recording?]

Answer 19

Donna: C’è molta gente là?

Uomo: No, c’è poca gente qui.

Translation:
Woman: “Are there a lot of people there?”
Man: “No, there are few people here.”

Question 20

Translate to Italian:

a big dog

Answer 20

un cane grande

Like many words that end in the letter E, the word cane doesn’t change between masculine and feminine. So regardless of the sex of the dog, “a dog” is un cane (always masculine).

Question 21

Translate to Italian:

Is the dog big?

Answer 21

È grande il cane?

Note that the word order changes for questions, compared to English. In order, this is literally “Is big the dog?”

Question 22

Translate to Italian:

Is the cat small?

Answer 22

È piccolo il gatto?

Note that the word order changes for questions, compared to English. In order, this is literally “Is small the cat?”

Question 23

Translate to Italian:

a new car

Answer 23

una nuova macchina

Occasionally, adjectives for size and age will go before the noun. There’s a subtle distinction in meaning.

una nuova macchina = a car that is new to me (for example, the car made in 1998, but I just bought it)
una macchina nuova = a car that is new to the world (for example, it was manufactured this year)

Question 24

Translate to Italian:

an old woman

Answer 24

una donna vecchia

old = vecchio for a masculine noun
old = vecchia for a feminine noun

Question 25

# Translate to Italian: a _young_ man

Answer 25

un uomo _giovane_ ## Footnote young = *giovane* It doesn't matter whether the noun is masculine or feminine, as *giovane* keeps the same spelling ending in an *e* for a singular noun.

Question 26

# Translate to Italian: a _baby_

Answer 26

un _bambino_/una _bambina_ ## Footnote The *o* ending is for a boy. The *a* ending is for a girl. The same word *bambino*/*bambina* is used for babies and young children.

Question 27

# Translate to Italian: a _cute_ baby

Answer 27

un bambino _carino_ / una bambina _carina_ ## Footnote The *o* ending is for a boy. The *a* ending is for a girl. The adjective changes to _agree_ with the noun.

Question 28

# Translate to Italian: the cute babies

Answer 28

i bambini carini ## Footnote If there is a mixed group of boys and girls, the nouns and adjectives default to masculine. (Yes, it's unfair. We're describing the grammar rules, not endorsing them!)

Question 29

# Translate to Italian: _handsome_

Answer 29

bello ## Footnote beautiful = *bello* It has the masculine *o* ending so you can use it to describe men.

Question 30

# Translate to Italian: an _attractive_ woman

Answer 30

una donna _bella_ ## Footnote beautiful = *bella* It has the feminine *a* ending so you can use it to describe women.

Question 31

# Translate to Italian: a _lady_

Answer 31

una _signora_ ## Footnote The word *signora* is a more "classy" term for *donna*, in the same way we would use "lady" for a woman in English if we're being formal.

Question 32

# Translate to Italian: Carlo is _cute_.

Answer 32

Carlo è _carino_. ## Footnote Just like in English, the word *carino* means "cute" in different ways. You can use it to describe a child who's cute in a childlike way. You can also use it to say that an adult is good-looking.

Question 33

# Translate to Italian: Carla is _cute_.

Answer 33

Carla è _carina_. ## Footnote Just like in English, the word *carina* means "cute" in different ways. You can use it to describe a child who's cute in a childlike way. You can also use it to say that an adult is good-looking.

Question 34

[What is being said in the audio recording?]

Answer 34

Oh, che carino! ## Footnote _Translation_: "Oh, how cute!"

Question 35

[What is being said in the audio recording?]

Answer 35

Wow, che bello! ## Footnote _Translation_: "Wow, how beautiful!"

Question 36

[What is being said in the audio recording?]

Answer 36

Uffa, che brutto! ## Footnote _Translation_: "Ew, how ugly!" ugly = *brutto*