Learn Italian: Il gattino è piccolo e molto carino. - The kitten is small and very cute.

Il gattino è piccolo e molto carino.

The kitten is small and very cute.

Breakdown of Il gattino è piccolo e molto carino.

Questions & Answers about Il gattino è piccolo e molto carino.

How did gatto turn into gattino in this sentence?

By dropping the final -o of gatto (cat) and adding the diminutive suffix -ino. This suffix makes a noun smaller or more endearing, which is why gattino translates to "kitten" or "little cat".

If gattino already means "little cat," isn't adding piccolo (small) redundant?

Technically yes, but this kind of double emphasis is very natural in Italian! Using both a diminutive noun and the adjective piccolo stresses exactly how tiny or young the animal is.

Does carino (cute) also use the diminutive -ino suffix?

Yes, historically it comes from adding -ino to caro (dear). However, carino has taken on a life of its own to mean "cute," "pretty," or "nice." Italians treat it like a standalone adjective rather than just a "little dear."

Why do gattino, piccolo, and carino all end in -o?

This is a great example of noun-adjective agreement! Because gattino is a masculine singular noun, the adjectives describing it (piccolo and carino) must also use the masculine singular -o ending to match it.