In Italian, adjectives agree in gender and number with the nouns they modify. There are three types of Italian adjectives. See the table below, which highlights their different endings.
Adjectives of the first and second type are the most common. Adjectives of the third type are few, but they are frequently used. Examples include comunista (communist), fascista (fascist), ottimista (optimist), and pessimista (pessimist).
Masculine Singular | Feminine Singular | Masc./Fem. Singular | Masculine Plural | Feminine Plural | Masc./Fem. Plural | |
| First Type (4 different endings) | nuovo | nuova | NA | nuovi | nuove | NA |
| Second Type (2 different endings) | NA | NA | intelligente | NA | NA | intelligenti |
| Third Type (3 different endings) | NA | NA | femminista | femministi | femministe | NA |
Adjectives of the first and second type are the most common. Adjectives of the third type are few, but they are frequently used. Examples include comunista (communist), fascista (fascist), ottimista (optimist), and pessimista (pessimist).
Rules and Uses
- Certain adjectives change their spelling in the plural. These changes follow the same pattern as nouns, which we saw in a previous lesson. Some spelling changes in adjectives depend on where the stress is in the word. See the following tables with common examples.