Breakdown of Oggi il capo è di cattivo umore.
essere
to be
oggi
today
cattivo
bad
di
of, from
il capo
the boss
l'umore
the mood (essere di buon/cattivo umore = to be in a good/bad mood) (m)
Questions & Answers about Oggi il capo è di cattivo umore.
Why do we use di here instead of in for "in a bad mood"?
In Italian, states of mind or moods often use the preposition di rather than in. So "in a bad mood" translates to the fixed phrase di cattivo umore, just like "in a good mood" is di buon umore.
What if the boss is a woman? Does il capo change?
Could I say umore cattivo instead of cattivo umore?
While adjectives normally follow the noun in Italian, common descriptive adjectives like cattivo (bad), buono (good), and bello (beautiful) usually go right before the noun. For this specific expression, it is always cattivo umore.
Why isn't there an article before cattivo umore?
In English we say "in a bad mood," but the Italian expression essere di cattivo umore is a fixed phrase that does not use the indefinite article un. Adding it would sound unnatural to a native speaker.
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