2. Qualifying adjectives
Aggettivi qualificativi
A qualifying adjective is a word that modifies the meaning of a noun by adding some description to it. In Italian almost all adjectives follow the same basic patterns as the nouns, with their endings depending on gender and number.
There are two classes or groups of adjectives: those ending in -o and those ending in -e.
1) Adjectives ending in -o in the masculine have four forms.
| c1 | c2> | |
|---|---|---|
| Singular | Plural | |
| Masculine | -o | -i |
| Feminine | -a | -e |
Some examples:
Il ragazzo italiano - The Italian boy
I ragazzi italiani - The Italian boys
La ragazza italiana - The Italian girl
Le ragazze italiane - The Italian girls
2) Adjectives in -e show the same ending for the masculine and the feminine singular; in the plural, the -e changes to -i.
| c1 | c2> | |
|---|---|---|
| Singular | Plural | |
| Masculine | -e | -i |
Some examples:
Il ragazzo inglese - The English boy
La ragazza inglese - The English girl
I ragazzi inglesi - The English boys
Le ragazze inglesi - The English girls
When referred to nouns of different gender, an adjective always takes the masculine ending.
I padri e le madri italiani - Italian fathers and mothers