Learn Italian: Questa borsetta rossa costa molto. - This small red bag costs a lot.

Questa borsetta rossa costa molto.

This small red bag costs a lot.

Breakdown of Questa borsetta rossa costa molto.

Questions & Answers about Questa borsetta rossa costa molto.

How do we get the word borsetta from borsa?

The word borsetta is made by taking the root of borsa (bag) and adding the diminutive suffix -etta. In Italian, adding -etto or -etta to the end of a noun shows that it is smaller or cuter. So, a borsetta is a small bag or handbag.

Why is it questa and not questo?

Questa means 'this'. It is a describing word that must match the gender and number of the noun it points to. Because borsetta is a feminine singular noun, the masculine questo changes to the feminine questa.

Why does the color rossa come after the noun?

In Italian, adjectives that describe a physical characteristic, like colors, almost always come directly after the noun they describe. That is why it is borsetta rossa instead of the other way around.

Since the bag is feminine, why doesn't molto change to molta?

In this sentence, molto acts as an adverb meaning 'a lot', and it describes how much the bag costs (the verb costa). Unlike adjectives, adverbs never change their endings to match nouns, so it stays molto.