Italian adjectives and their position

Italian adjectives must be put before or after the noun?

While in English adjectives always precede the noun, in Italian they are usually placed after the noun, even if some common adjectives (brutto = ugly, bello = beautiful, nuovo = new, cattivo = bad, grande = big, piccolo = small…) can be placed also before the noun.

There are, however, some adjectives that always follow the noun. These are:

- adjectives indicating religion, nationality, colour and shape

• una chiesa cattolica = a Catholic church

• una ragazza francese = a French girl

• una gonna rossa = a red skirt

• un tavolo rotondo = a round table

- adjectives preceded by an adverb

• un signore molto ricco = a very rich man

- past participle used as adjective

• le scarpe rotte = the broken shoes

In some cases a change in the position can affect the meaning of the phrase. When an adjective precedes the noun its meaning may be more emotional, when it follows the noun its meaning is literal and objective. To better understand you can give a look at the sentences below:

• Mio nipote è un caro bambino. (My nephew is a dear child)

• Mio figlio ha comprato una macchina cara. (My son bought an expensive car)

• Posso farti una semplice domanda? (Can I make only one question?)

• È una domanda semplice. Sicuramente sai rispondere. (It’s a simple question. Surely you can answer it)

• Marco è un vecchio amico. (Marco is an old friend - you and Marco have been friends for a long time)

• Marco è un amico vecchio. (Marco is a friend of mine and he is old)