Adjective Agreement

In brief

In Italian, an adjective changes to match the noun it describes in gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural). This also applies when the adjective follows a verb such as essere: la pizza è calda (‘the pizza is hot’). The noun determines the form, even when it refers to a thing rather than a person.

Form

For adjectives ending in -o: masculine singular -o, feminine singular -a, masculine plural -i, feminine plural -e (caldo, calda, caldi, calde). Adjectives ending in -e use -e for either gender in the singular and -i for either gender in the plural (grande → grandi).

Usage

• Check whether the noun is singular or plural before choosing the adjective ending.
• Match the noun’s grammatical gender, not the English translation: la pizza è calda.
• Use plural -i with both masculine and feminine nouns for adjectives ending in -e: libri grandi, case grandi.

Examples

• Il caffè è caldo. — The coffee is hot.
• La pizza è calda. — The pizza is hot.
• I panini sono caldi. — The sandwiches are hot.
• Le case sono grandi. — The houses are big.

Common mistake

❌ La pizza è caldo.

✅ La pizza è calda.

English adjectives do not change for gender, but Italian caldo must become calda to agree with the feminine singular noun pizza.

Remember

Match the adjective to the Italian noun, even when a verb separates them.