Learn Italian: Lei ha le orecchie grandi e le labbra rosse.

Lei ha le orecchie grandi e le labbra rosse.

She has big ears and red lips.

Breakdown of Lei ha le orecchie grandi e le labbra rosse.

Questions & Answers about Lei ha le orecchie grandi e le labbra rosse.

Why does labbra end in -a if it uses the plural article le?

Labbro (lip) is one of several body parts in Italian that have a highly irregular plural. In the singular, it is masculine (il labbro). But in the plural, it becomes feminine and ends in -a: le labbra.

Since labbra comes from a masculine singular word, should the adjective describing it be masculine or feminine?

It must be feminine! When words like il labbro change to the feminine plural le labbra, they act completely feminine. That is why the adjective for red is rosse (feminine plural) to match le labbra, rather than the masculine rossi.

Is orecchie (ears) also an irregular plural?

Yes! The singular word for ear is masculine: l'orecchio. However, its plural form becomes feminine and changes its ending to -e, giving us le orecchie. Several body parts follow this masculine-to-feminine pattern.

If orecchie is a feminine plural noun, why doesn't the adjective grandi end in -e?