Question 1

Why do both tredici (13) and quattordici (14) end in -dici?

Accepted Answer

In Italian, the numbers 11 through 16 all end in -dici (which means "ten"). It works a bit like the English "-teen", but notice the pattern: for 11 through 16, -dici is at the end of the word (undici, dodici, tredici, etc.), but for 17 through 19, it jumps to the beginning (diciassette, diciotto, diciannove).

Question 2

Why does the sentence say libri italiani instead of italiani libri?

Accepted Answer

In Italian, most adjectives—and especially adjectives of nationality like italiani (Italian) and inglesi (English)—are placed after the noun they describe. So, "Italian books" literally translates to "books Italian".

Question 3

Why do the adjectives italiani and inglesi both end in -i here?

Accepted Answer

They are both matching the masculine plural noun libri (books). The singular form italiano changes its -o to an -i for masculine plural. The singular form inglese belongs to a group of adjectives that end in -e. These adjectives always change their -e to an -i in the plural, regardless of whether the noun is masculine or feminine.

Question 4

Where is the word for "I" in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

The word for "I" is io, but it is dropped here. The verb ho (have) is uniquely conjugated for the "I" form. Since the verb itself tells us exactly who is doing the action, Italians usually leave the subject pronoun out unless they want to emphasize it.

Ho tredici libri italiani e quattordici libri inglesi.

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