Here are some Italian adjectives and verbs taken from our B2 material.
Adjectives
I’ve grouped these according to the suffixes, which should make them easier to remember. Bear in mind that the translations are approximate, as there are usually multiple meanings.
Our aim here is not to replicate a dictionary but to give you a ‘vocabulary snack’ to chew on…
To get more from this list, I suggest checking each item in a good online dictionary and perhaps writing down the example sentence or sentences.
For instance, wordreference.com has this example for ‘appassionato’, the first word in our list:
Marco è appassionato di caccia.
Another useful technique is to enter a short phrase containing the word (not just the word itself), into your favourite search engine and look to see what comes up.
I searched for ‘lui è appassionato’ and got examples showing the dependent preposition ‘appassionato al’ and various nice collocations (baci appassionati = passionate kisses.)
(‘past participle’ adjectives)
appassionato [enthusiastic, heartfelt]
compiuto [completed]
insensato [foolish]
rapito [rapt]
scoperto [uncovered]
scomposto [unseemly]
stagionato [seasoned]
frastagliato [rugged]
(‘-oso’)
armonioso [harmonious, balanced, agreeable]
miracoloso [miraculous]
(‘-ente’)
ardente [burning]
avvolgente [enveloping, captivating]
clemente [mild]
(‘-ante’)
incostante [fickle]
(‘-ile/-ale/-ole’)
dissimile [unlike]
disuguale [unequal]
notevole [considerable]
(others)
integro [whole, undivided]
Verbs
The verbs below are in alphabetical order, rather than being grouped as I tried to do with the adjectives.
Again, I’d suggest you look for example sentences (in a dictionary, in a search engine).
But also, pay attention to the ‘word stress’, that is to say, which syllable is stressed compared to the others.
The first in the list is ‘addolcire’, which is regular in its pronunciation – like many Italian verbs.
When a verb has a regular stress pattern the penultimate (next to last) syllable is emphasised.
So: ad-dol-‘ci-re (here the apostrophe before the third syllable shows the stress.)
Most but not all of the verbs in this list are regular in their stress pattern. ‘Mordere’ is one that isn’t.
You can get this type of information online, for example at https://it.wiktionary.org/wiki/mordere.
On that site, check out the second and third sections for each entry (sillabazione = syllables, pronuncia = pronunciation).
You’ll see the pronunciation should be ‘mor-de-re, rather than the typical second-from-last mor-‘de-re.
addolcire [to sweeten]
afferrare [to grab]
affondare [to sink]
apprendere [to learn]
arrancare [to hobble]
avvitare [to screw]
brillare [to shine]
caricare [to load]
comprendere [to comprehend]
impiegare [to employ, use]
masticare [to chew]
mordere [to bite]
piombare [to fall/descend on (heavily, like lead?)]
provenire [to come from]
sfidare [to challenge]
sommergere [to submerge]
sprofondare [to collapse, to sink into]
rovesciare [1. to spill, 2. to knock over]
tenere lontano [to keep away]