Learn Italian: Questo gatto è piccolo, ma questo cane è grande.

Questo gatto è piccolo, ma questo cane è grande.

This cat is small, but this dog is big.

Breakdown of Questo gatto è piccolo, ma questo cane è grande.

Questions & Answers about Questo gatto è piccolo, ma questo cane è grande.

Why do we use questo for both animals?

Because both gatto (cat) and cane (dog) are masculine singular nouns. The word for 'this' before a masculine singular noun is always questo. If we were talking about a feminine noun, we would use questa.

If cane is masculine, why does it end in -e instead of -o?

While most masculine nouns end in -o, there is a group of nouns in Italian that naturally end in -e. Some of these are masculine, like cane, and some are feminine. You just have to learn their gender as you go! Because cane is masculine, it still takes questo.

Why doesn't grande end in -o to match questo cane?

Just like nouns, adjectives have different ending patterns. piccolo belongs to the standard group that ends in -o for masculine and -a for feminine. grande belongs to a different group of adjectives that end in -e for both masculine and feminine singular nouns. It stays grande either way.

Does the accent mark on è matter?

Yes, it is very important! With the accent pointing down to the left, è means 'is'. Without the accent, e means 'and'. If you forgot the accent here, it would mean 'This cat and small...'.