Breakdown of I treni italiani sono veloci o lenti?
essere
to be
italiano
Italian
o
or
il treno
the train
lento
slow
veloce
fast
Questions & Answers about I treni italiani sono veloci o lenti?
Why is it I treni italiani and not Gli italiani treni?
In Italian, adjectives of nationality and most descriptive adjectives come directly after the noun they describe. Also, because treni is a masculine plural noun, the adjective italiano changes its ending to -i to match it.
The adjectives italiani and lenti end in -i for masculine plural. Does veloci follow the exact same rule?
They all match the plural noun treni, but veloci comes from a different adjective group. Italiano and lento end in -o in the singular. However, the singular word for fast is veloce. Adjectives that end in -e in the singular are used for both masculine and feminine nouns, and they always change their ending to -i in the plural.
Why isn't italiani capitalized in this sentence?
In Italian, you do not capitalize adjectives of nationality or languages. You only capitalize the actual name of the country itself, like Italia.
Quick refresher: why use I for "the" instead of Gli or Le?
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