Il viaggio è costoso.

The trip is expensive.

Breakdown of Il viaggio è costoso.

• essere: to be
• il viaggio: the trip
• costoso: expensive

Questions & Answers about Il viaggio è costoso.

What part of speech is viaggio, and what does it mean?

Viaggio is a masculine noun meaning trip or journey.

Why is the article il used before viaggio?

Il is the masculine singular definite article in Italian, used before nouns that:
• are masculine
• are singular
• begin with a simple consonant (not s+consonant, z, gn, ps, x, y)
Since viaggio meets all three criteria, we say il viaggio.

What is the difference between è (with an accent) and e (without an accent)?

• È (with a grave accent) is the third-person singular present of the verb essere (to be): “he/she/it is.”
• E (without an accent) is the conjunction “and.”
The accent distinguishes the verb from the conjunction.

Why does the adjective costoso come after the noun viaggio instead of before?

In Italian, descriptive adjectives generally follow the noun they qualify. Placing the adjective after the noun is the usual word order: il viaggio è costoso.

How do you change costoso if you talk about a feminine or plural noun?

Adjectives must agree in gender and number with the noun. From costoso (masculine, singular) we get:
• Feminine singular: costosa
• Masculine plural: costosi
• Feminine plural: costose

Where does the stress fall in costoso, and how is it pronounced?

Costoso is pronounced [ko-STO-so], with the stress on the second syllable sto.

Can you express “The trip is expensive” in another way?

Yes, for example:
• Il viaggio costa molto. (“The trip costs a lot.”)
• Il viaggio è caro. (“The trip is dear/expensive.”)