Questo affare è importante.

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

• questo = masculine singular
• questa = feminine singular
• questi = masculine plural
• queste = feminine plural

So:

• questo affare = this matter / this thing / this deal

Even though affare ends in -e, it is still masculine. In Italian, nouns ending in -e can be either masculine or feminine, so you have to learn the gender with the noun.

Affare is a flexible word. Depending on context, it can mean:

• matter
• thing
• business
• deal
• affair

In a sentence like Questo affare è importante, it often sounds like this matter or this thing is important.

It is a bit broader and sometimes vaguer than a very specific English noun. In conversation, it can even be used when someone does not name the exact object or issue.

Yes, but it depends on the meaning.

Common uses include:

• un affare interessante = an interesting deal
• gli affari di famiglia = family business
• Che affare è? = What kind of business/matter is this?
• questo affare = this thing / this matter

When used to mean thing, it can sound a little informal or vague, similar to saying this thing in English.

If you want a more neutral everyday word for thing, Italian often uses cosa:

• Questa cosa è importante

That can sound more natural in many contexts.

Because è is the verb is, from essere.

The accent is important because it distinguishes it from e, which means and.

• è = is
• e = and

So:

• Questo affare è importante = This matter is important
• questo affare e importante would be incorrect spelling

Because questo already functions as a determiner, like this in English.

In Italian, you normally do not say:

• il questo affare ❌

You say:

• questo affare ✅

Just as in English you say this matter, not the this matter.

Importante is an adjective ending in -e, and many Italian adjectives of this type have the same singular form for masculine and feminine.

So you get:

• questo affare importante = this important matter
• questa cosa importante = this important thing

The plural changes to -i:

• questi affari importanti
• queste cose importanti

So importante works for both masculine singular and feminine singular.

Yes, but Questo affare è importante is the most neutral and straightforward order.

Italian usually follows:

• subject + verb + adjective/complement

You may also hear variations for emphasis, such as:

• È importante questo affare

That can sound more marked or emphatic, as if highlighting this matter in particular.

For a learner, the original order is the safest and most natural.

A simple pronunciation guide is:

• questo ≈ KWEH-sto
• affare ≈ af-FAH-re
• è ≈ eh
• importante ≈ im-por-TAHN-te

A few useful points:

• qu in Italian is usually pronounced like kw
• the double ff in affare is pronounced more strongly than a single f
• the stress is on -fa- in affare
• the stress is on -tan- in importante

The plural would be:

• Questi affari sono importanti.

Changes:

• questo → questi
• affare → affari
• è → sono
• importante → importanti

So everything that needs plural agreement changes.

Yes, absolutely. That is often very natural.

Compare:

• Questo affare è importante
• Questa cosa è importante

Cosa usually means thing in a very everyday way.

Affare can sound more like:

• matter
• business
• deal
• affair
• this thing here

So the best choice depends on context. If you mean a general thing, cosa is often the more common option.

You usually have to learn the gender as part of the noun.

Italian patterns are often:

• nouns ending in -o are usually masculine
• nouns ending in -a are usually feminine
• nouns ending in -e can be either masculine or feminine

So for affare, you should memorize it as:

• l’affare = the matter / the deal / the thing

Using the article is a good way to remember gender. If you know it is l’affare, you know it behaves as a masculine noun:

• questo affare
• un affare importante

It is neutral overall.

• Questo is neutral
• è importante is neutral
• affare can feel slightly informal or context-dependent when it means thing

So the sentence can work in many situations, but the exact tone depends on what affare refers to.

If it refers to a serious issue, it may sound like:

• This matter is important

If it refers to an object in a vague way, it may sound more like:

• This thing is important

So the grammar is neutral, while the noun affare gives the sentence some of its tone.