Learn Italian: Gli zaini neri sono pesanti. - The black backpacks are heavy.

Gli zaini neri sono pesanti.

The black backpacks are heavy.

Breakdown of Gli zaini neri sono pesanti.

Questions & Answers about Gli zaini neri sono pesanti.

Why do we use gli instead of i for "the"?

In Italian, masculine plural nouns usually take the article i. However, because zaini starts with the letter z, it takes the special plural article gli. You also use gli before words starting with a vowel, gn, ps, or an s followed by a consonant.

How do I pronounce the article gli?

The gli sound in Italian does not exist in English, but it is very similar to the "lli" sound in the middle of the English word "million." You make it by pressing the flat middle part of your tongue against the roof of your mouth.

Why is it neri and not nero?

Adjectives in Italian must match the noun they describe in both gender and number. Since zaini is a masculine plural noun, the singular adjective nero (black) changes its ending to match, becoming neri.

The dictionary says "heavy" is pesante. Why does it change to pesanti here?

Adjectives that end in -e in the singular change their ending to -i in the plural. This rule applies whether the noun is masculine or feminine! Since there are multiple backpacks, pesante becomes pesanti.