Learn Italian: I cugini americani sono qui. - The American cousins are here.

I cugini americani sono qui.

The American cousins are here.

Breakdown of I cugini americani sono qui.

Questions & Answers about I cugini americani sono qui.

Why is sono used here? I thought sono meant "I am".

Sono is a special word because it means both "I am" (io sono) and "they are" (loro sono). Since the subject of this sentence is i cugini americani (which acts as "they"), we use the "they are" meaning. You will always be able to tell which one it is from the context of the sentence.

Why is it i cugini americani and not gli cugini?

Both i and gli are plural words for "the" when talking about masculine nouns. We use i here because cugini starts with a normal consonant. Gli is saved for masculine plural nouns starting with a vowel, a "z", or an "s" followed by another consonant.

Why does the adjective come after the noun (cugini americani)?

In English we say "American cousins", but in Italian, adjectives of nationality almost always come after the noun they describe. So, the order becomes "the cousins American" (i cugini americani).

Why does the word for American end in "-i" (americani)?

In Italian, adjectives must match the noun they describe. Because cugini is masculine and plural, the adjective has to change from its singular form (americano) to the masculine plural form (americani).