Learn Italian: Mio zio guida una macchinona rossa.

Mio zio guida una macchinona rossa.

My uncle drives a big red car.

Breakdown of Mio zio guida una macchinona rossa.

Questions & Answers about Mio zio guida una macchinona rossa.

How does the word macchinona mean big car?

It uses the augmentative suffix -ona. The root word is macchina (car). By dropping the final vowel and adding -ona, it adds the meaning of large or big to the noun. Because macchina is a feminine noun, it takes the feminine suffix -ona instead of the masculine -one.

Wait, I've heard Italians say un macchinone. Is that wrong?

Not at all! Interestingly, when adding the -one suffix to a feminine noun, the new big noun often becomes masculine, making it un macchinone. However, keeping the feminine gender and using una macchinona is also correct and very common. Both simply mean a big car.

Why is it Mio zio instead of Il mio zio?

In Italian, you drop the definite article (il, la, etc.) when using a possessive adjective with a singular, close family member. So it is always mio zio, mia madre, or tuo fratello. If you were talking about multiple uncles, you would bring the article back: i miei zii.

Why does rossa come after the noun, and why does it end in -a?