Italian Grammar Bank
ITALIAN QUALIFYING ADJECTIVES
Within the group of adjectives, a very important role is played by qualifying adjectives, which, referring to a noun, give information about characteristics and qualities about a person, a thing, an animal, an abstract entity we are talking about.
CLASSES OF ADJECTIVES
In accordance with the names to which they refer, qualifying adjectives vary their ending according to gender (masculine/feminine) and number (singular/plural).
Apart from certain cases, most adjectives follow these rules:
FIRST CLASS
Four distinct forms for masculine/feminine, singular/plural.
Adjectives which:
PATTERN
– in the masculine singular have the ending -o
– in the feminine singular the ending -a
– in the plural take -i and -e
E.g.: bello, bella, belli, belle
SECOND CLASS
Two distinct forms, one for the singular, one for the plural
Adjectives that:
PATTERN
– at the masculine and feminine singular have the ending -e
– at the plural the ending -I
E.g.: grande (m.s.), grande (f.s.), grandi (m.p.), grandi (f.p.)
THIRD CLASS
One form for masculine/feminine singular, two distinct forms for the plural.
Adjectives that:
PATTERN
– at the masculine and feminine singular have the ending -a
– at the plural the ending -i or -e
E.g.: ottimista (m.s.), ottimista (f.s.), ottimisti (m.p.), ottimiste (f.p.)
Typical of the third class are some adjectives ending in:
-ista
| una persona egoista | a selfish person |
| un quadro cubista | a cubist painting |
-cida
| una mossa suicida | a suicidal move |
-ita
| una decisione ipocrita | a hypocritical decision |
-ota
| dei ragazzi entusiasti | some enthusiastic boys |
INVARIABLE ADJECTIVES
Then there is a fourth type of invariable adjectives that never change gender and number between masculine and feminine or singular and plural.
Among the variable adjectives, we find:
PATTERN
– adjectives with the ending in -i (“pari”, “dispari”, “impari”)
– some indicating a colour (“rosa, viola, amaranto, blu”)
– those of foreign origin (“standard”)
The last special case to remember is that of the noun adjective, i.e. when the adjective is used as a noun and preceded by an article.
| Le statistiche dicono che sono aumentati i poveri; | Statistics say that the poor have increased; |
| Uno straniero affascinante è entrato nel bar; | A charming stranger entered the bar; |
| A Filippo piacciono le rosse. | Filippo likes redheads. |
ACCORDANCE OF THE ADJECTIVES
The accordance in gender and number of the adjective with its noun does not cause problems when we have only one noun, but follows specific rules when we have several nouns, perhaps of different genders.
We must act as follows:
· When there are two or more nouns of the masculine gender, the concordance is in the masculine plural.
| L’appartamento era arredato con mobili e dipinti antichi e lussuosi | The apartment was furnished with antique and luxurious furniture and paintings. |
· In the presence of two or more nouns of the feminine gender, the concordance is in the feminine plural.
| Alessandra ha comprato una camicetta e una gonna nuove per la festa di sabato | Alessandra bought a new blouse and skirt for Saturday’s party. |
In the presence of a masculine and a feminine noun, the concordance is in the masculine plural if the nouns refer to animate beings (persons or things); however, it is possible, provided that the noun indicates a thing and that it is in the plural, for the adjective to agree in gender with the nearest noun.
| Un uomo e una donna assai affabili e gentili. | A very friendly and kind man and woman. |
| Ho acquistato un tavolo e delle sedie gialle. | I bought a table and some yellow chairs. |
POSITION OF THE ADJECTIVES
But what position does the qualifying adjective occupy in relation to the noun?
There are various cases: in fact, the qualifying adjective can be either in front of or behind the noun, in this way, however, it can have greater or lesser prominence and even totally change the meaning of the sentence.
In general, we can say that the adjective has a more neutral and less characterizing value when placed after the noun to which it refers, while it has a distinctive value when placed before the noun to which it refers.
For example, saying: Carlo ha un brutto viso , emphasizes the negative aspect much more than ‘Carlo has an ugly face’.
Or if we say, Alessandro è un uomo grande , we may mean that Alessandro is a big and mighty man; whereas if we say, Alessandro è un grand’uomo we are undoubtedly making a value judgment, stating that Alessandro is a great man!
GRADES OF THE ADJECTIVES
Another function of qualifying adjectives is to express the grade or measure of the quality associated with what is being spoken of.
If we say that a person, an animal, a thing, or an abstract entity possesses a certain quality, this quality can be related to that of another element, with which it establishes a relationship.
In this sense, the adjective has three degrees:
POSITIVE GRADE
Positive grade, whereby an element possesses a quality without its measure being specified.
| Francesca è bella | Francesca is beautiful |
COMPARATIVE GRADE
Comparative grade, whereby a comparison is established between two or more comparative terms, according to the degree or measure in which a given quality is possessed.
We will thus have
– a minority comparative: Francesca è meno bella di Giovanna , Francesca is less beautiful than Giovanna.
– an equality comparative Francesca è bella come Clara , Francesca è bella tanto quanto Clara , Francesca is as beautiful as Clara.
– a majority comparative Francesca è più bella di Anna , Francesca is more beautiful than Anna.
SUPERLATIVE GRADE
Superlative grade, which indicates that the quality under consideration is possessed by the element in the highest grade, either in relation to a defined group with which the comparison is established.
– relative superlative: Francesca è la più bella tra le mie amiche , Francesca is the most beautiful among my friends
or beyond comparison
– absolute superlative: Francesca è bellissima ; Francesca è molto bella , Francesca is very beautiful
VIEW MORE DETAILS
Last thing: it is necessary to distinguish between the attributive function of the adjective (when it refers directly to a noun, as in the sentence: ‘Giorgio’s blue sweatshirt’) and the predicative function of the adjective, which occurs with the nominal predicate with the verb ‘to be’ (“La felpa è azzurra” – The sweatshirt is blue) and with the appellative and estimative verbs (“La spiaggia sembrava deserta” – The beach seemed deserted; “Andrea si è dichiarato assai triste per quello che è successo” – Andrea said he was very sad about what happened; “Gianni si ritiene simpatico” – Gianni considers himself nice).
We should also remember the adverbial function of the adjective, when it is accompanied by a verb with the function of an adverb: e.g.: “Anna corre forte” (Anna runs fast); “Andrea parla piano” (Andrea speaks slowly).
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FAQs
What are qualifying adjectives in Italian?
Qualifying adjectives (aggettivi qualificativi) describe the qualities or characteristics of a noun, such as “bello” (beautiful) or “grande” (big). They provide more detail about the noun they modify.
Do qualifying adjectives in Italian agree with the noun?
Yes, adjectives must agree in gender and number with the noun they modify. For example, “un ragazzo alto” (a tall boy) vs. “una ragazza alta” (a tall girl).
Where to place a qualifying adjective in a sentence?
Qualifying adjectives usually come after the noun in Italian, such as “un libro interessante” (an interesting book), but certain adjectives, like those indicating quantity or size, may precede the noun.
How do adjectives change in the plural form?
Adjectives change based on the gender and number of the noun. For masculine nouns, adjectives usually end in “-i” (e.g., “ragazzi alti”), and for feminine nouns, they end in “-e” (e.g., “ragazze alte”).
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