Learn Italian: Questo è un sistema difficile che non capisco. - This is a difficult system that I don't understand.

Questo è un sistema difficile che non capisco.

This is a difficult system that I don't understand.

Breakdown of Questo è un sistema difficile che non capisco.

Questions & Answers about Questo è un sistema difficile che non capisco.

Why is it un sistema and not una sistema if it ends in '-a'?

Even though it ends in -a, sistema is a masculine noun. It belongs to a specific group of words of Greek origin ending in -ma that are masculine, just like il problema or il programma. That is why it takes the masculine article un.

How would I change un sistema difficile to plural to mean "difficult systems"?

You would say sistemi difficili. Because sistema is a masculine noun, its plural ending is -i. The adjective difficile ends in -e in the singular, so its plural form also changes to -i.

Does the adjective difficile give us any clue about the gender of sistema?

No, it doesn't. Adjectives that end in -e in their singular form (like difficile or intelligente) are used for both masculine and feminine nouns. The only giveaway in this sentence that sistema is masculine is the article un.

In English, I can say "a system I don't understand" and completely drop the word "that". Can I drop che here?

No, in Italian you can never skip the relative pronoun che. Even when it translates to "that" or "whom" and feels optional in English, you must always include it to connect the two parts of the sentence.