Grammar Lesson 27:
The adjective: gender and number
The adjective: gender and number
In Italian in general the adjective agrees in gender and number with the noun it describes.
As with the nouns, we divide adjectives in classes according to their ending:
1) Adjectives that in the masculine singular form end in -o have four endings:
| Singular | Plural | |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine |
-o | -i |
| Feminine |
-a | -e |
Examples:
Basso (in all its forms) = Small
Marco è basso / Marco is small
Anna è bassa / Anna is small
Marco e Giovanni sono bassi / Marco and Giovanni are small
Anna e Mariangela sono basse / Anna and Mariangela are small
2) Adjectives that in the masculine singular form end in -e have two endings:
| Singular | Plural | |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine |
-e | -i |
| Feminine |
-e | -i |
Examples:
Speciale (in all its forms) = special
Marco è speciale / Marco is special
Anna è speciale / Anna is special
Marco e Giovanni sono speciali / Marco and Giovanni are special
Anna e Mariangela sono speciali / Anna and Mariangela are special
3) Adjectives that in the masculine singular form end in -ista, -cida, -ita and -asta have three endings:
| Singular | Plural | |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine |
-a | -i |
| Feminine |
-a | -e |
Examples:
Egoista (in all its forms) = selfish
Marco è egoista / Marco is selfish
Anna è egoista / Anna is selfish
Marco e Giovanni sono egoisti / Marco and Giovanni are selfish
Anna e Mariangela sono egoiste / Anna and Mariangela are selfish
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