Il cuscino è rotondo.

The cushion is round.

Breakdown of Il cuscino è rotondo.

• essere: to be
• rotondo: round
• il cuscino: the cushion

Questions & Answers about Il cuscino è rotondo.

Why is the article il used before cuscino?

In Italian, il is the singular, masculine definite article used before most consonant-initial nouns.
• cuscino begins with a consonant (c), so it takes il.
• If the noun were feminine, you’d use la (e.g. la sedia).
• For masculine nouns starting with s + consonant, z, gn, ps, etc., you’d use lo (e.g. lo studente, lo zio).

How do I know that cuscino is masculine?

Many Italian nouns ending in -o are masculine, while those ending in -a are often feminine. This is a general pattern:
• -o → masculine (singular)
• -a → feminine (singular)
• -i → masculine (plural)
• -e → feminine (plural)
There are exceptions, so it’s best to memorize each noun with its article: il cuscino, la mano, etc.

Why does rotondo end in -o?

Italian adjectives must agree in gender and number with the noun they modify. Here, rotondo is:
• Masculine (because cuscino is masculine)
• Singular (we’re talking about one pillow)
If you had a feminine or plural noun, the ending would change:
• Feminine singular: rotonda
• Masculine plural: rotondi
• Feminine plural: rotonde

What would the plural form of the sentence be?

Both subject and adjective must become plural and the verb changes accordingly:
• I cuscini sono rotondi.
– I is the plural masculine definite article.
– sono is the 3rd-person plural of essere (to be).
– rotondi is masculine plural.

Why is the adjective placed after the noun, instead of before it as in English?

In Italian, the default (neutral) position for most adjectives is after the noun:
• Il cuscino è rotondo.
Putting adjectives before the noun can add emphasis or change nuance, but following the noun is the standard descriptive order.

What’s the difference between rotondo and circolare?

• Rotondo describes something with a rounded, ball-like or spherical shape (3D).
• Circolare refers to something in the shape of a circle (2D).
A round table top might be circolare, while a ball or pillow is rotondo.

Why does è have an accent, and can I omit it?

• È with a grave accent is the 3rd-person singular present of essere (to be).
• E without an accent is the conjunction “and.”
The accent is mandatory to distinguish them, so you cannot omit it in è.

How do you pronounce cuscino and rotondo?

• cuscino: /kuˈʃiːno/
– c before u = /k/
– sc before i = /ʃ/ (like English “sh”)
– Stress on the second syllable: cu-SCU-i-no
• rotondo: /roˈtondo/
– r is rolled or tapped
– Stress on the second syllable: ro-TON-do

Can I say il cuscino rotondo instead of il cuscino è rotondo?

Yes, but there’s a nuance:
• Il cuscino rotondo is an attributive adjective (“the round pillow,” identifying which pillow).
• Il cuscino è rotondo is a predicative adjective (a statement: “the pillow is round”).
Use the copula è when making a comment or describing a state.