Quegli enigmi sono i peggiori.

Breakdown of Quegli enigmi sono i peggiori.

essere
to be
quello
that
peggiore
worse/worst
l'enigma
the enigma (m)

Questions & Answers about Quegli enigmi sono i peggiori.

Why does the plural of this noun end in -i (enigmi) if the singular is l'enigma?
Enigma is a masculine noun of Greek origin. Even though it ends in -a in the singular (which usually signals a feminine noun), these specific Greek loanwords ending in -ma are masculine. Because it is masculine, the plural changes the ending from -a to -i, giving us gli enigmi.
Why do we use quegli for 'those' instead of quei?
The forms of the demonstrative adjective quello ('that'/'those') change to exactly match the definite article the noun would take. Because enigmi is masculine plural and starts with a vowel, its 'the' word is gli (gli enigmi). Therefore, 'those' becomes quegli to match.
How do we know i peggiori means 'the worst' rather than 'the worse'?
In Italian, you form relative superlatives ('the best', 'the worst', 'the tallest') by simply adding a definite article (il, la, i, le) before the comparative word. Peggiore means 'worse', but adding the article makes it 'the worst'. Since enigmi is plural, we use i peggiori.
If enigmi is masculine, why doesn't the adjective end in -o to match it?
The base word for 'worse' is peggiore in the singular. Adjectives that end in -e in the singular do not have separate masculine and feminine forms. They just change to -i in the plural for both genders. So il peggiore (singular) naturally becomes i peggiori (plural).

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