Questo museo è molto popolare.

Breakdown of Questo museo è molto popolare.

essere
to be
questo
this
molto
very
il museo
the museum
popolare
popular

Questions & Answers about Questo museo è molto popolare.

Why is it questo and not questa?

Because museo is a singular masculine noun, and the demonstrative must agree with it.

  • questo = this, for singular masculine nouns
  • questa = this, for singular feminine nouns

So:

  • questo museo = this museum
  • questa casa = this house
Why is there no word for the in questo museo?

In Italian, a demonstrative like questo already does the job of this, so you do not also use the definite article.

So Italian says:

  • questo museo = this museum

Not:

  • il questo museo ❌

This is similar to English, where you say this museum, not the this museum.

Why does è have an accent?

The accent is important because è means is.

Without the accent, e means and.

So:

  • è = is
  • e = and

That small accent changes the meaning completely.

What form of the verb is è?

È is the third-person singular form of essere = to be.

Here are a few forms:

  • io sono = I am
  • tu sei = you are
  • lui/lei è = he/she is

Since questo museo is a singular thing, Italian uses è.

Why is molto used here? Does it mean very or much?

Here molto means very because it is modifying the adjective popolare.

So:

  • molto popolare = very popular

Molto can have different roles in Italian depending on how it is used:

  • as an adverb: molto interessante = very interesting
  • as an adjective/pronoun: molti turisti = many tourists

In this sentence, it is an adverb, so it does not change form.

Why is popolare the same form? Shouldn't it change for masculine or feminine?

Popolare is an adjective that ends in -e, and many Italian adjectives of this type use the same singular form for both masculine and feminine.

So you get:

  • un museo popolare = a popular museum
  • una città popolare = a popular city

The plural changes to -i:

  • musei popolari = popular museums
  • città popolari = popular cities

So in this sentence, popolare is singular because museo is singular.

Is popolare always a good thing? Does it exactly match English popular?

Usually, yes, popolare often means popular in the sense of well-liked or well-known.

For example:

  • un cantante molto popolare = a very popular singer

But depending on context, popolare can also have other shades of meaning, such as relating to the people, working-class, or folk/traditional in some expressions.

In Questo museo è molto popolare, the normal meaning is simply This museum is very popular.

Why is the word order Questo museo è molto popolare? Could it be changed?

This is the most neutral and natural word order in Italian:

Italian can sometimes change word order for emphasis, but this standard order is the one learners should use first.

For example, Molto popolare è questo museo is possible only in a marked, literary, or strongly emphatic style. It is not the normal everyday way to say it.

How do you pronounce Questo museo è molto popolare?

A simple pronunciation guide is:

KWEH-stoh moo-ZEH-oh eh MOL-toh poh-poh-LAH-reh

A few useful points:

  • qu in questo sounds like kw
  • z in museo is usually pronounced like dz or a soft ts/dz sound depending on accent
  • è is an open eh
  • popolare has stress on -la-: popo-LA-re

If you want to sound more natural, try saying it smoothly rather than word by word.

How would I make this sentence plural?

You need to change the demonstrative, the noun, the verb, and the adjective:

  • Questo museo è molto popolare.
  • Questi musei sono molto popolari.

Changes:

  • questo → questi
  • museo → musei
  • è → sono
  • popolare → popolari

Molto stays the same because it is an adverb.

Could I also say Questo è un museo molto popolare?

Yes, but it means something slightly different in structure.

  • Questo museo è molto popolare = This museum is very popular.
  • Questo è un museo molto popolare = This is a very popular museum.

The first directly talks about this museum. The second starts with this is... and then identifies it as a very popular museum.

Both are correct, but they are not exactly the same sentence pattern.

AI Language TutorTry it ↗
Your avatar
“What's the best way to learn Italian grammar?”
Italian grammar becomes intuitive with practice. Focus on understanding the core patterns first — how sentences are structured, how verbs change form, and how words relate to each other. Our course breaks these concepts into small lessons so you can build understanding step by step.

Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor

Start learning Italian

Master Italian — from Questo museo è molto popolare to fluency

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
  • ✓Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
  • ✓Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
  • ✓ AI tutor to answer your grammar questions