In Italian, adjectives change their endings to match the gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural) of the nouns they describe.
Adjectives ending in -o
The most common adjectives end in -o in the masculine singular. They have four different forms:
| Singular | Plural | |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | -o | -i |
| Feminine | -a | -e |
| The train is slow. | Il treno è lento. |
| The night is not hot, it is cold. | La notte non è calda, è fredda. |
| The children are very quiet today. | I bambini sono molto tranquilli oggi. |
| The islands are beautiful and quiet. | Le isole sono belle e tranquille. |
Adjectives ending in -e
Some adjectives, like veloce (fast) or divertente (fun), end in -e in the singular. They use the same form for both masculine and feminine nouns.
To make them plural, change the -e to an -i.
| Singular | Plural | |
|---|---|---|
| Masc. & Fem. | -e | -i |
| The newspaper is boring, but the book is fun. | Il giornale è noioso, ma il libro è divertente. |
| Are the Italian trains fast or slow? | I treni italiani sono veloci o lenti? |
When describing a feminine plural noun, pay close attention. Standard adjectives end in -e, while adjectives from this second group end in -i:
| The girls are tall and intelligent. | Le ragazze sono alte e intelligenti. |
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