Teaching guidelines +/- 15 minutes

Learn how to use Italian past participles as adjectives to describe states and characteristics. This lesson covers gender and number agreement with examples like sudato, caduta, and rilassata, helping students understand how participles describe feelings and conditions in Italian syntax.
  1. The past participle can be used to describe a state or a characteristic.
  2. The participle agrees with the gender and number of the subject.
 Singolare (Singular)Plurale (Plural)
Maschile (Masculine)

Sudato

Lui è sudato (He is sweaty.)

Sudati

Loro sono sudati (They are sweaty.)

Riposato

Il bambino è riposato. (The child is rested.)

Riposati

I bambini sono riposati. (The children are rested.)

Femminile (Feminine)

Caduta

Lei è caduta. (She has fallen.)

Cadute

Loro sono cadute. (They are fallen.)

Rilassata

Lei si sente rilassata. (She feels relaxed.)

Rilassate

loro si sentono rilassate. (They feel relaxed.)

Exercise 1: I participi passati come aggettivi

Instruction: Fill in the correct word.

Show translation Show answers

riposata, caduto, rilassata, sudato, caduti, stanche, rilassati

1.
Maria si sente molto ... oggi.
(Maria feels very rested today.)
2.
Le ragazze sono ... dopo la corsa.
(The girls are tired after the run.)
3.
Ci siamo ... dopo il lavoro.
(We relaxed after work.)
4.
Dopo la corsa, lui è ....
(After the run, he is sweaty.)
5.
Ieri sono ... e mi sono fatto male.
(Yesterday I fell and hurt myself.)
6.
La ragazza è ....
(The girl is relaxed.)
7.
Sono ... a causa del vento.
(They have fallen because of the wind.)
8.
Il bambino è ... al parco.
(The child has fallen in the park.)

Exercise 2: Multiple Choice

Instruction: Choose the correct solution

1. Dopo la corsa, Marco è molto ___.

(After the run, Marco is very ___.)

2. Le ragazze sono stanche e ___ dopo la lezione di yoga.

(The girls are tired and ___ after the yoga lesson.)

3. Il bambino è ___ perché ha dormito bene.

(The child is ___ because he slept well.)

4. Loro sono ___ dalla bicicletta ieri.

(They ___ off the bike yesterday.)

5. Le mani sono ___ per il caldo.

(The hands are ___ because of the heat.)

6. Gli uomini si sentono stanchi e ___ dopo il lavoro.

(The men feel tired and ___ after work.)

Past Participles as Adjectives in Italian

In this lesson, you will learn how some past participles in Italian can function as adjectives. This means they describe a state or characteristic of a person or thing, rather than just forming the past tense of verbs.

Gender and Number Agreement

Past participles used as adjectives follow the gender and number of the noun they describe. For example, masculine singular forms often end with -o (e.g., sudato), while feminine singular forms end with -a (e.g., caduta). Plural forms change to -i for masculine and -e for feminine, like sudati (masculine plural) or cadute (feminine plural).

Common Examples

  • Sudato / Sudata: sweaty (e.g., Lui è sudato – He is sweaty)
  • Riposato / Riposata: rested (e.g., Il bambino è riposato – The child is rested)
  • Caduto / Caduta: fallen (e.g., Lei è caduta – She has fallen)
  • Rilassato / Rilassata: relaxed (e.g., Lei si sente rilassata – She feels relaxed)

Usage Notes

These participles as adjectives highlight temporary conditions or feelings, such as being sweaty after exercise or feeling relaxed after yoga. Remember, the ending changes based on who or what you are describing, making gender and number agreement essential.

Comparison to English

Unlike in English, where past participles used as adjectives usually remain unchanged (e.g., tired, relaxed), Italian modifies the adjective ending to agree with the subject’s gender and number. For example, “riposato” corresponds to “rested” for a male singular subject, but becomes “riposata” for a female singular subject.

Useful phrases include: essere + participio passato (to be + past participle) acting as an adjective, such as è sudato (he is sweaty) or sono rilassate (they [feminine] are relaxed).

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Fabio Pirioni

Bachelor in Humanities

University of Udine

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Last Updated:

Monday, 14/07/2025 22:07