The adjective can be variable or invariable. Variable adjectives are divided into three groups:
1. Adjectives that are variable in gender (masculine/feminine) and number (singular/plural).
| Singular | Plural | |
| Masculine | rosso caro | rossi cari |
| Feminine | rossa cara | rosse care |
Adjectives that follow this pattern are: alto (tall), basso (short), bravo (good), vero (true), caro (dear), lungo (long), vicino (near), vecchio (old), nuovo (new), piccolo (small), certo (certain), povero (poor), solo (only), questo (this), tutto (all), suo (his), altro (other), poco (little), tanto (much), primo (first), stesso (same), etc.
Note:
Adjectives ending in (-go) and (-ga) in the plural end in (-ghi) and (-ghe).
| Singular | Plural | |
| Masculine | largo | larghi |
| Feminine | larga | larghe |
Feminine adjectives ending in (-ca) in the plural end in (-che).
| Singular | Plural | |
| Feminine | simpatica ricca | simpatiche ricche |
Masculine adjectives ending in (-co) in the plural end in (-chi) if they place the accent on the penultimate syllable.
| Singular | Plural | |
| Masculine | antico pudico | antichi pudichi |
Exceptions:
- greco -> greci.
- amico -> amici.
- nemico -> nemici.
Masculine adjectives ending in (-co) in the plural end in (-ci) if they place the accent on the third to last syllable.
| Singular | Plural | |
| Masculine | pratico chimico fisico magnifico | pratici chimici fisici magnifici |
In the case of compound adjectives, only the second adjective is inflected.
| Singular | Plural | |
| Masculine | teorico-pratico | teorico-pratici |
| Feminine | teorico-pratica | teorico-pratiche |
2. Adjectives that vary only in number (singular/plural), but remain unchanged in gender.
| Singular | Plural | |
| Masculine Feminine | elegante breve | eleganti brevi |
Adjectives that follow this pattern are: facile (easy), difficile (difficult), forte (strong), dolce (sweet), pesante (heavy), tale (such), grave (serious), quale (which), cotale (such), etc.
3. A small part of adjectives vary in gender only in the plural.
| Singular | Plural | |
| Masculine | entusiasta ottimista | entusiasti ottimisti |
| Feminine | entusiasta ottimista | entusiaste ottimiste |
This type includes adjectives ending in:
- -ista :> pessimista (pessimist).
- -cida :> omicida (murderous).
- -ita :> ipocrita (hypocritical).
- -asta :> entusiasta (enthusiastic).
- -ota :> idiota (idiot).
Exercises on the lesson here
Next lesson:
Gli aggettivi invariabili / Invariable adjectives.