Modern Italian Grammar: A Practical Guide, Third Edition (2013)

Part B. Functions

I. Giving and seeking factual informatio

10. Specifying people or objects

10.1 Introduction

The most common way of describing the characteristics of someone or something is to use an adjective or adjectives (see 1.4). This chapter illustrates some of the most frequently used categories of adjectives, some relating to people, some to things and some to both. We give just a few examples in each category. For the forms of adjectives, including those that are invariable, see 1.4.2–4.

10.2 Physical characteristics

Physical characteristics may be temporary or permanent, as seen in the examples below.

10.2.1 Size

Of the common adjectives describing size, some refer mainly to people (or animals), some to inanimate objects and some to both. Like all adjectives, they have to agree with the noun they describe in number and gender. Adjectives of size include the following.

Used mainly for people:

Used mainly for inanimate objects:

Used for either animate or inanimate:

Le case delle Isole Eolie sono piccole e basse.

The houses on the Aeolian islands are small and low.

La sua futura suocera era bassa e grassa.

His future mother-in-law was short and fat.

I ragazzi sono alti, con capelli lunghi.

The boys are tall, with long hair.

10.2.2 Shape

Common adjectives describing shape, referring mainly to inanimate objects, include:

La tavola è rotonda ma va bene anche una tovaglia quadrata.

The table is round but a square tablecloth will do as well.

La Piazza del Campo a Siena è di forma ovale.

The Piazza del Campo in Siena is oval shaped.

Il soggiorno non è quadrato, è rettangolare.

The living room isn't square, it's rectangular.

10.2.3 Colour

Common adjectives describing colour include:

The intensity of colour can be modified by chiaro ‘light’ or scuro ‘dark’, which come after the adjective or colour and are invariable in form:

Ho comprato un cappotto di lana grigia scuro.

I bought a dark grey wool coat.

La mia collana è composta di pietre verdi scuro e rosse chiaro.

My necklace is made up of dark green and light red stones.

Note that many adjectives of colour are invariable: they do not change form, regardless of whether they are masculine or feminine, singular or plural (see 1.4.4). These include beige, blu, marrone, rosa, viola:

Non vanno bene le scarpe beige con le calze rosa!

The beige shoes don't go with the pink stockings!

When referring to skin colouring and hair colour, you normally use the adjectives biondo (fair, blonde, fair-haired), bruno (dark, dark-haired), while castano is used only for hair colour:

È bionda, sui quaranta anni.

She's blonde, around forty.

Alice è una ragazza alta e bruna.

Alice is a tall dark-haired girl.

I miei figli hanno occhi azzurri ma capelli castani.

My children have blue eyes but chestnut brown hair.

10.2.4 Composition and materials

Rather than use an adjective (English ‘metallic’, ‘wooden’), Italian often uses a prepositional phrase to describe what an object is made of (see 4.3.4): for example, the preposition di ‘of’ or in ‘in’ with a noun such as metallo, legno, cotone, etc.

You can describe the object using fatto di ‘made of’ or another participle of similar meaning, such as:

The authenticity of the material is expressed by:

Characteristics of the material include:

10.2.5 Condition, state or appearance

Other adjectives which describe a physical condition, state or appearance, whether permanent or temporary, and that can apply to a person, an object or both, include:

10.2.6. Taste and smell

Adjectives describing taste or smell include:

10.2.7 Weather

Adjectives describing weather conditions include:

Il mare era mosso.
The sea was rough.

Il cielo era sereno.
The sky was clear.

A Milano c'era un tempo afoso.
In Milan the weather was humid.

10.3 Non-physical characteristics

10.3.1 Nationality

Adjectives of nationality are illustrated fully in 8.3.5.

Teresa parla bene il cinese, perché ha la mamma cinese.
Teresa speaks Chinese well, because she has a Chinese mother.

La Buick è una macchina americana.
The Buick is an American car.

Le scarpe che ho comprato al mercato sono italiane.
The shoes I bought at the market are Italian.

10.3.2 Marital status

Adjectives describing marital status (see also 8.3.6) have to agree with the person they refer to, apart from single which is invariable. They include:

10.3.3 Age

Here are some common adjectives denoting age, referring to people or inanimate objects.

Describing a person:

Note that anziano is less likely to cause offence than vecchio.

More informally, you can also use:

These two adjectives are used mainly when comparing ages, for example with a sibling or friend:

Mio fratello è più grande di me.
My brother is older than me.

Io sono più piccolo di mio fratello.
Iam younger than my brother.

For an inanimate object — but not a person — you can use:

For both object and person, you can also use:

Remember that vecchio is a less positive quality than antico which can also mean ‘antique’. The two examples below may help you understand the difference:

Le case vecchie sono difficili da pulire.

Old houses are hard to clean.

La mia casa è piena di mobile antichi.

My house is full of antique furniture.

10.3.4 racter, temperament or qualities

Other adjectives which describe character, temperament (person or animal) or other qualities (person or thing) are shown below. Some of these you have seen earlier with a literal, more concrete meaning (bello, brutto), while here they have a more abstract meaning or even an ironic meaning.

10.3.5 Talents and skills

Adjectives referring specifically to talents or skills include:

Abile and dotato can be used without any specific talent being mentioned. Dotato implies naturally gifted while abile suggests acquired skills:

Il direttore era una persona molto abile.
The director was a very skilled person.

Il figlio della mia amica era un bambino molto dotato.
My friend's son was a very gifted child.

And when you are getting everything wrong, or dropping things:

Oggi sono proprio imbranata.
Today I am all fingers and thumbs.

10.3.6 Emotional condition or state

Adjectives describing an emotional or psychological state include:

10.4 Position of adjectives

Adjectives can form part of a close group with the noun and the article:

Mio nipote è un bel bambino.

My grandchild is a lovely little boy.

Taranto è una città interessante.

Taranto is an interesting city.

Or they can be used with the verb essere to complete the sentence:

Il falegname era molto abile.

The carpenter was very skilled.

Oggi il mare è mosso.

Today the sea is rough.

In English, in the noun group (article + adjective + noun), adjectives almost always come before the noun (‘an interesting film’, ‘a historic city’, ‘an elegant Italian woman’). In Italian, when found in the noun group, the most common position for descriptive adjectives — including adjectives of shape, colour and nationality — is after the noun:

un film interessante

una tavola rotonda

una maglia rossa

una ragazza italiana

This is also true for adjectives qualified by an adverb:

una casa veramente originale

In Italian, the order of the noun group is flexible, and changing the position of the adjectives can change the emphasis of the sentence. This is particularly true for the common descriptive adjectives, for example nuovo, vecchio, giovane, piccolo, bello, brutto (see examples in 1.4.5).

Some adjectives actually change meaning depending on their position in the noun group. These include alto, bello, certo, grande and povero (see examples in 1.4.5).

10.5 Intensifying the meaning of the adjective

There are various ways in which the meaning of the adjective can be intensified or strengthened (see also 17.5).

10.5.1 Using an adverb

The adverbs most commonly used for this purpose in Italian are:

These are used before the adjective in the same way as ‘very, greatly, extremely’ in English. You can also use:

Alcuni leghisti erano molto preoccupati dal patto con Forza Italia.

Some members of the Lega were very worried by the agreement with Forza Italia.

È una situazione estremamente instabile.

It's an extremely unstable situation.

Il cane era ben contento di vederci.

The dog was really happy to see us.

10.5.2 Using the suffix -issimo

The suffix -issimo (see 1.4.8) is normally used only for shorter or more common adjectives:

I ragazzi sono contentissimi di andare in vacanza senza la mamma.

The kids are really happy to be going on holiday without their mother.

Ha un marito simpaticissimo.

She has a really nice husband.

10.5.3 Using a prefix

There are several prefixes which can be added to the beginning of an adjective, and although these are not very common, they are found more and more in the press and in the spoken language. Always check with a dictionary before using one of these. The form you want may not exist, or else it may mean something different. The hyper forms in particular (arci-, ultra-) are used for effect, for example in journalistic writing:

10.5.4 Using a second adjective

There are several fixed phrases in which a second adjective is used to intensify the meaning of the first adjective. In general, the second adjective also has to agree with the noun it refers to. Here are some examples:

10.5.5 Doubling the adjective

Sometimes the adjective can be doubled or repeated to intensify its meaning:

10.5.6 Using a phrase indicating the extent or effect

You can use certain idiomatic phrases to indicate the extent of a quality:

10.5.7 Using an exclamative

Along with the adjectives and essere, you can use the interrogative adverbs come, quanto as exclamatives, as in the following examples (see also 6.3.3):

Come sei bello!

How nice you look!

Quanto sei stupido!

How stupid you are!

10.6 Diminishing the intensity of the adjective

10.6.1 Using an adverb

In the same way that certain adverbs can be used to intensify or strengthen the meaning of the adjective, a few adverbs can be used to produce the opposite effect. The adverb most commonly used for this purpose is poco ‘a little’:

Gli studenti sono poco motivati.

The students are not very motivated.

Other adverbs which can be used include:

10.6.2 Using a suffix

Suffixes which can be used to diminish the strength of the adjective include -etto, -ino:

They can only be used for the shorter more common adjectives, and, as for the suffixes used to intensify meaning, you should avoid using them unless you are certain of the meaning conveyed. For example, although they sound similar, there is a difference between poverino and poveretto. If you want to express sympathy, use only the first one.

10.6.3 Using a prefix

Prefixes which can be used to imply the opposite of any adjective include:

For other ways of expressing different degrees of intensity and comparison, see Chapter 17.

10.7 Essere, stare

To ask or describe how someone is (state of health), use stare (see 15.3.3 and 20.1):

To ask what someone (or something) looks like, use essere (see 15.3.3):

10.8 Dialogo

Incontro con gli amici

AACiao Sergio, come stai?

ABBene grazie e tu?

AAE Lucia come sta?

ABNon sta bene, è stanca e nervosa. Il suo lavoro è faticoso, ma per fortuna Lucia è una ragazza forte e sana e non sono preoccupato per lei.

AASenti, oggi è una bella giornata. Usciamo insieme?

ABÈ una buona idea, Lucia sarà contenta.

AAAllora va bene. La mia macchina è comoda e grande. Guido io. Tu e Lucia potete stare rilassati e riposare.

Meeting with friends

AHi Sergio, how are you?

BI'm fine and you?

AHow is Lucia doing?

BShe's not well, she's tired and edgy. Her job is hard, but luckily Lucia is a strong and healthy girl and I'm not worried about her.

AListen, it's a beautiful day today. Shall we go out together?

BIt's a good idea. Lucia will be pleased.

AThat's fine then. My car is big and comfortable. I'll drive. You and Lucia can relax and have a rest.