Learn Italian: Abbiamo comprato due bei quadri e un bel ritratto. - We bought two beautiful paintings and a beautiful portrait.

Abbiamo comprato due bei quadri e un bel ritratto.

We bought two beautiful paintings and a beautiful portrait.

Breakdown of Abbiamo comprato due bei quadri e un bel ritratto.

Questions & Answers about Abbiamo comprato due bei quadri e un bel ritratto.

Why is it bei quadri instead of belli quadri?

When the adjective bello comes right before a masculine plural noun starting with most consonants, it changes to bei. You would use belli if the adjective came after the noun, like in i quadri sono belli.

Why do we say un bel ritratto and not un bello ritratto?

Just like how we use the article il for most masculine nouns, bello drops its final vowel to become bel before a masculine singular noun starting with a normal consonant. You only use bello before nouns starting with tricky sounds like z, gn, or s plus another consonant.

Does the number due change how bello behaves here?

No, due doesn't affect the adjective. The form bei is used purely because it sits directly in front of quadri, a masculine plural noun starting with a standard consonant.

Could I put the adjectives after the nouns and say due quadri belli e un ritratto bello?

Yes, absolutely! When you put the adjective after the noun, you use the standard forms bello and belli. Putting bello before the noun is very common in Italian and often emphasizes the beauty a bit more.