Questions & Answers about Le bici elettriche verdi sono molto costose.
Why doesn't the word bici change its ending in the plural?
Bici is a clipped (shortened) version of the feminine noun bicicletta. In Italian, when a noun is abbreviated like this, its ending becomes invariable, meaning it doesn't change in the plural. You just change the article to show there is more than one, which is why we say la bici for the singular and le bici for the plural.
Why is there an 'h' in elettriche?
The singular feminine form is elettrica, which has a hard 'c' sound (like a 'k'). When we make it plural by changing the 'a' to an 'e' to match the feminine plural bici, we have to add an 'h' to keep that hard sound. Without the 'h', it would be pronounced with a soft 'ch' sound, like in the English word 'cheese'.
If the bikes are feminine plural, why does verdi end in 'i' instead of 'e'?
Why doesn't molto change to molte to match the feminine plural costose?