‘Qualifying’ adjectives attribute a quality to the noun they refer to.
In Italian, unlike in English, they may appear either before or after the noun, depending on the meaning intended.
The key is to understand whether an adjective is used ‘figuratively’ or ‘literally’. For example:
Un pover’uomo = figurative use, expresses our sympathy for the ‘poor man’
Un uomo povero = literal use, the man has no money (but in other respects may have an enviable life!)
If the meaning of the adjective is figurative, it comes before the noun. For example:
un buon fine settimana
una bella festa
una straordinaria vacanza
un buon amico
Whereas if the meaning of the adjective is literal, it comes after the noun:
un uomo sposato
un cane randagio
una bambina educata
un ragazzo generoso
If we are using more than one qualifying adjective, both with literal meanings, they are placed after the noun:
una ragazza bella e gentile
una matita lunga e colorata
un uomo anziano e ammalato
But if one has a figurative meaning and the other has a literal meaning, you’ll need to use the figurative adjective before the noun and the literal one after it. For example:
un pover’uomo italiano [an Italian man that needs our sympathy…]
una bella donna mediterranea [a beautiful Mediterranean woman]
un gustoso piatto bolognese [a tasty Bolognese dish]
Back to Italian lesson on: adjectives
