How to make adjectives plural - ADJECTIVES - Easy Learning Italian Grammar

Easy Learning Italian Grammar (2011)

ADJECTIVES

3. How to make adjectives plural

If the masculine singular adjective ends in –o, change –o to –i.

un fiore rosso	a red flower
dei fiori rossi	red flowers
un computer nuovo	a new computer
dei computer nuovi	new computers

If the feminine singular adjective ends in –a, change –a to –e.

una strada pericolosa	a dangerous road
delle strade pericolose	dangerous roads
una gonna nera	a black skirt
delle gonne nere	black skirts

If the adjective ends in –e, change –e to –i for both masculine and feminine plural.

un esercizio difficile	a difficult exercise
degli esercizi difficili	difficult exercises
un sito interessante	an interesting site
dei siti interessanti	interesting sites
una storia triste	a sad story
delle storie tristi	sad stories
una valigia pesante	a heavy case
delle valigie pesanti	heavy cases

Some adjectives do not change in the plural.

un paio di guanti rosa	a pair of pink gloves
delle tende blu	blue curtains
dei gruppi pop	pop groups

Adjectives that do not change for the feminine or plural are called invariable, which is abbreviated to inv in some dictionaries.

Tip

Remember that spaghetti, ravioli, lasagne and so on are plural nouns in Italian, so you must use plural adjectives with them.

Sono buoni gli spaghetti?	Is the spaghetti nice?
Le lasagne sono finite.	The lasagne is all gone.

Note that when you’re describing a couple consisting of a man and a woman or a group of people, use a masculine plural adjective unless the group consists entirely of females.

Paolo e Loredana sono pronti.	Paolo and Loredana are ready.
I bambini sono stanchi.	The children are tired.
Le ragazze sono stanche.	The girls are tired.