2.3 Adjective Agreement

Agreement in -o/-a

Adjectives ending in -o have four forms: -o (m.sg.), -a (f.sg.), -i (m.pl.), -e (f.pl.): alto, alta, alti, alte. 'I ragazzi alti,' 'le ragazze alte.'

Adjectives in -e

Adjectives ending in -e have only two forms: -e (singular), -i (plural), the same for both genders: 'un ragazzo intelligente,' 'una ragazza intelligente,' 'ragazzi/ragazze intelligenti.'

Placement

Descriptive adjectives usually follow the noun: 'una macchina rossa' (a red car). A few common ones (bello, buono, grande) often go before.

Key terms

-o adjectives

four forms: alto, alta, alti, alte

-e adjectives

two forms: intelligente (sing.), intelligenti (pl.)

Agreement

match gender and number of the noun

Placement

usually after the noun: macchina rossa

Before the noun

bello, buono, grande often precede

Try an AP-style question

Which is correct?

1. la case bianche
2. le case bianca
3. le case bianchi
4. le case bianche