Teaching guidelines +/- 15 minutes

Learn the agreement of adjectives in Italian, adjusting endings like alto/alta/alte to match gender and number; explore examples such as grande → grandi and lungo → lunghi.
  1. The adjective agrees in gender and number with the noun.
Desinenza (Ending)Singular (Singular)Plural (Plural)
Maschile -o -i

Alto

Il ragazzo è alto. (The boy is tall.)

Alti

I ragazzi sono alti. (The boys are tall.)

Femminile -a -e 

Alta

La ragazza è alta. (The girl is tall.)

Alte

Le ragazza sono alte. (The girls are tall.)

Exceptions!

  1. Adjectives ending in -e have only two forms: singular and plural. Example: grande → grandi
  2. In the case of words ending in -co, -ca, -go, -ga the plural is -chi, -che, -ghi, -ghe. Example: lungo → lunghi.

Exercise 1: La concordanza degli aggettivi

Instruction: Fill in the correct word.

Show translation Show answers

magro, biondi, castani, bella, bassi, lunghe, mossi, piccola

1.
La ragazza ha i capelli ....
(The girl has blonde hair.)
2.
Le gambe sono ... e snelle.
(The legs are long and slender.)
3.
I capelli di Luca sono ....
(Luca's hair is wavy.)
4.
Ho visto un uomo ... ieri.
(I saw a thin man yesterday.)
5.
Marta è una ... ragazza.
(Marta is a beautiful girl.)
6.
I bambini sono molto ....
(The children are very short.)
7.
La mano destra è ....
(The right hand is small.)
8.
Quella donna ha gli occhi ....
(That woman has brown eyes.)

Exercise 2: Multiple Choice

Instruction: Choose the correct solution

1. La ragazza ha i capelli ____ e gli occhi grandi.

(The girl has ____ hair and big eyes.)

2. I ragazzi sono ____ e simpatici.

(The boys are ____ and nice.)

3. Le ragazze sono ____ e intelligenti.

(The girls are ____ and intelligent.)

4. Il ragazzo ha una barba ____ e un sorriso grande.

(The boy has a ____ beard and a big smile.)

5. Le donne sono ____ e hanno capelli ricci.

(The women are ____ and have curly hair.)

6. Il bambino ha gli occhi ____ e i capelli corti.

(The child has ____ eyes and short hair.)

Understanding Adjective Agreement in Italian

This lesson covers adjective agreement in Italian, focusing on how adjectives change to match the gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural) of the nouns they describe. The material is tailored for absolute beginners (A1 level), making it accessible and clear.

Key Concepts of Adjective Agreement

  • Gender agreement: Adjectives agree with the noun's gender, changing their endings to masculine or feminine forms.
  • Number agreement: Adjectives must also agree in number, taking singular or plural endings accordingly.

Typical Adjective Endings

Here are common adjective endings for physical descriptions:

Ending PatternSingular ExamplePlural Example
Masculine: -o / Plural: -iAlto
Il ragazzo è alto.
Alti
I ragazzi sono alti.
Feminine: -a / Plural: -eAlta
La ragazza è alta.
Alte
Le ragazze sono alte.

Adjectives Ending in -e

Adjectives that end with -e have only two forms for both genders: singular and plural.

Example: grande becomes grandi in plural.

Special Plural Forms for Certain Endings

For adjectives ending in -co, -ca, -go, -ga, the plural endings change as follows:

  • -co-chi
  • -ca-che
  • -go-ghi
  • -ga-ghe

Example: lungolunghi

Practical Phrases from the Lesson

  • La ragazza ha i capelli lunghi e gli occhi grandi.
  • I ragazzi sono alti e simpatici.
  • Le ragazze sono belle e intelligenti.
  • Il ragazzo ha una barba corta e un sorriso grande.
  • Le donne sono alte e hanno capelli ricci.
  • Il bambino ha gli occhi azzurri e i capelli corti.

Notes on Differences and Useful Phrases

Unlike English, where adjectives do not change to match noun gender or number, Italian adjectives must agree both in gender and number with the noun they describe. This means you need to be aware of the noun’s gender and whether it's singular or plural to choose the correct adjective form.

Some useful Italian adjectives with their English equivalents:

  • alto / alta / alti / alte — tall (masculine singular / feminine singular / masculine plural / feminine plural)
  • corto / corta / corti / corte — short (length)
  • grande / grandi — big, large
  • bello / bella / belli / belle — beautiful, nice
  • azzurro / azzurra / azzurri / azzurre — light blue

Written by

This content has been designed and reviewed by the coLanguage pedagogical team: About coLanguage

Profile Picture

Fabio Pirioni

Bachelor in Humanities

University of Udine

University_Logo

Last Updated:

Thursday, 17/07/2025 01:32