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In Italian, adjectives must agree in gender with the noun they describe. This is one of the most fundamental rules of Italian grammar and something you will use in every sentence. Unlike English, where adjectives never change form, Italian adjectives shift their endings to match whether the noun is masculine or feminine.
The most common type of Italian adjective has four forms: masculine singular, feminine singular, masculine plural, and feminine plural. These adjectives end in -o in the masculine singular.
| Form | Ending | Example (alto — tall) |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine singular | -o | il ragazzo alto (the tall boy) |
| Feminine singular | -a | la ragazza alta (the tall girl) |
| Masculine plural | -i | i ragazzi alti (the tall boys) |
| Feminine plural | -e | le ragazze alte (the tall girls) |
Here are more common adjectives that follow this pattern:
| Adjective | Meaning | Masc. Sing. | Fem. Sing. | Masc. Pl. | Fem. Pl. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| bello | beautiful | bello | bella | belli | belle |
| brutto | ugly | brutto | brutta | brutti | brutte |
| piccolo | small | piccolo | piccola | piccoli | piccole |
| nuovo | new | nuovo | nuova | nuovi | nuove |
| vecchio | old | vecchio | vecchia | vecchi | vecchie |
| bianco | white | bianco | bianca | bianchi | bianche |
| rosso | red | rosso | rossa | rossi | rosse |
| nero | black | nero | nera | neri | nere |
| caro | dear/expensive | caro | cara | cari | care |
| largo | wide | largo | larga | larghi | larghe |
Tip: If you see an adjective ending in -o in the dictionary, you know it has all four forms. This is the most predictable pattern in Italian.
A second large group of adjectives ends in -e in the singular. These adjectives have the same form for both masculine and feminine in the singular, and they both become -i in the plural.
| Form | Ending | Example (grande — big/great) |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine singular | -e | il palazzo grande (the big building) |
| Feminine singular | -e | la casa grande (the big house) |
| Masculine plural | -i | i palazzi grandi (the big buildings) |
| Feminine plural | -i | le case grandi (the big houses) |
Common two-ending adjectives:
| Adjective | Meaning |
|---|---|
| grande | big, great |
| intelligente | intelligent |
| interessante | interesting |
| importante | important |
| difficile | difficult |
| facile | easy |
| felice | happy |
| triste | sad |
| gentile | kind |
| forte | strong |
| dolce | sweet |
| verde | green |
| veloce | fast |
| giovane | young |
| elegante | elegant |
Tip: Two-ending adjectives are very learner-friendly because you only need to remember two forms (-e singular, -i plural) instead of four.
A small number of adjectives never change form regardless of gender or number. These are called invariable adjectives.
| Adjective | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| blu | blue | la macchina blu / le macchine blu |
| rosa | pink | il fiore rosa / i fiori rosa |
| viola | purple/violet | la gonna viola / le gonne viola |
| arrosto | roasted | il pollo arrosto / i polli arrosto |
| pari | even (number) | il numero pari / i numeri pari |
| dispari | odd (number) | il numero dispari / i numeri dispari |
| anti- compounds | anti- | la crema antirughe (anti-wrinkle cream) |
Most borrowed colour words (from English or other languages) are also invariable:
Follow these steps to choose the correct adjective form:
Example:
Noun: macchina (feminine, singular)
Adjective: rosso → rossa
Result: la macchina rossa (the red car)
Noun: libri (masculine, plural)
Adjective: interessante → interessanti
Result: i libri interessanti (the interesting books)
When an adjective describes a group of mixed gender (both masculine and feminine nouns together), Italian uses the masculine plural form.
| Situation | Example |
|---|---|
| Marco e Lucia sono alti. | Marco and Lucia are tall. |
| I ragazzi e le ragazze sono bravi. | The boys and girls are good/clever. |
| Il gatto e la gatta sono bianchi. | The male and female cats are white. |
Tip: The masculine plural acts as the "default" whenever genders are mixed. This is a consistent rule throughout Italian grammar.
| Mistake | Why It Is Wrong | Correct Form |
|---|---|---|
| *la casa bianco | Feminine noun + masculine adjective | la casa bianca |
| *i ragazzi grande | Plural noun + singular adjective | i ragazzi grandi |
| *le ragazze intelligento | -e adjective does not have an -o form | le ragazze intelligenti |
| *il libro bluo | blu is invariable | il libro blu |
Match each noun with the correct adjective form:
Answers:
| Adjective Type | Singular | Plural | Gender Distinction |
|---|---|---|---|
| -o type | -o (m) / -a (f) | -i (m) / -e (f) | Yes — all four forms |
| -e type | -e (m & f) | -i (m & f) | No — same for both |
| Invariable | unchanged | unchanged | No — never changes |
Mastering gender agreement is essential. Every adjective you learn should be practised with both masculine and feminine nouns until the correct ending becomes automatic.