Breakdown of I suoi vicini sono molto simpatici.
essere
to be
molto
very
simpatico
nice
suo
his/her/Your
il vicino
neighbor
Questions & Answers about I suoi vicini sono molto simpatici.
Why do we use i suoi here? Could this also mean "her neighbors"?
Yes! In Italian, possessive adjectives agree with the thing being possessed, not the owner. Because vicini (neighbors) is a masculine plural noun, you must use the masculine plural possessive i suoi. Without more context, i suoi vicini can mean "his neighbors," "her neighbors," or even formal "your neighbors."
Why is there an i before suoi? We don't say "the his neighbors" in English.
In Italian, you almost always need a definite article (like il, la, i, or le) right before a possessive adjective. Since the word for "the neighbors" is i vicini, you simply insert the possessive in the middle to get i suoi vicini.
Does simpatici mean "sympathetic"?
No, this is a very common "false friend"! Simpatico (singular) or simpatici (plural) means "nice," "pleasant," or "likable" when talking about a person's character. If you want to say someone is sympathetic or understanding, you would use a word like comprensivo.
How does the adjective simpatici match the noun, and how is it pronounced?
Because vicini is masculine and plural, the adjective describing them must also be masculine and plural. The singular simpatico changes its -o ending to an -i, becoming simpatici. Notice that the pronunciation changes too: the hard "k" sound at the end of simpatico becomes a soft "ch" sound (like in "cheese") in simpatici.
Learn I suoi vicini sono molto simpatici and more in Italian
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free