Questo gatto è interessante.

This cat is interesting.

Breakdown of Questo gatto è interessante.

• il gatto: the cat
• essere: to be
• interessante: interesting
• questo: this

Questions & Answers about Questo gatto è interessante.

Why do we use Questo instead of Quello?

Questo means this in English, referring to something that is close to the speaker. Quello translates to that and refers to something farther away. In this sentence, we are indicating a cat that is near the speaker, hence Questo.

How do we know gatto is masculine?

Italian nouns generally have a fixed gender that you learn over time. Gatto is a masculine noun because it ends in -o (a typical marker of masculine words), and the feminine form would be gatta.

Why is the verb è used instead of something else?

È is the third-person singular of the verb essere (to be). We use it to describe a characteristic or state of being. In this case, we are describing how the cat is interesting, so è is the correct form.

Why is interessante the same form for both masculine and feminine?

Certain adjectives in Italian (often those ending in -e) have only one form for both masculine and feminine singular. Interessante does not change to -a or -o; the same form is used regardless of the noun’s gender.