Buono o Cattivo? Good or Bad? Basic Descriptions of Things in Italian

In this post you’ll learn some basic descriptions of things in Italian. That means that you’ll learn how to use Italian adjectives to describe things. First you’ll learn colors in Italian along with some examples. Then you’ll learn other common adjectives you can use to give descriptions of things in Italian. Along the way, we’ll point out a few important grammar points to keep in mind when you’re using Italian adjectives.

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Colors in Italian

Let’s start with colors: nero/nera black; bianco/bianca white; rosso/rossa red; blu blue; giallo/gialla yellow; verde green; marrone brown; grigio/grigia gray.

• Di che colore è?
  What color is it?
• Il cane è nero.
  The dog is black.
• Il gatto è bianco.
  The cat is white.
• La nostra macchina è blu.
  Our car is blue.
• La bandiera italiana è verde, bianca, e rossa.
  The Italian flag is green, white, and red.

GRAMMAR TIP!

Don’t forget that adjectives agree with the noun they describe in gender and number. So, a masculine noun is nero, bianco, or rosso, and a feminine noun is nera, bianca, and rossa. In the plural, that’s neri, bianchi, and rossi for masculine, and nere, bianche, and rosse for feminine. If the adjective ends in –e, it’s only got one singular form (verde, marrone) and one plural form (verdi, marroni). And if an adjective ends in something else, like blu, it’s just got that one form.

Other Common Italian Adjectives

Now let’s look at several other important basic adjectives: buono/buona, bravo/brava good; cattivo/cattiva bad; grande big; piccolo/piccola small; bellissimo/bellissima beautiful; brutto/brutta ugly; vecchio/vecchia old; nuovo/nuova new; lungo/lunga long; corto/corta short; alto/alta high; basso/bassa low; vuoto/vuota empty; pieno/piena full; largo/larga wide; stretto/stretta narrow; duro/dura hard; morbido/morbida soft; difficile difficult; facile easy.

• Questo libro è buono/cattivo.
  This book is good/bad.
• Questi libri sono buoni/cattivi.
  These books are good/bad.
• Questa canzone è buona/cattiva.
  This song is good/bad.
• Queste canzoni sono buone/cattive.
  These songs are good/bad.
• Il cantante è bravo.
  The singer is good/talented.
• Il film è vecchio/nuovo.
  The film is old/new.
• La città è bella/grande.
  The city is beautiful/big.
• La strada è larga/stretta.
  The street is wide/narrow.
• Il letto è duro/morbido.
  The bed is hard/soft.
• Il bicchiere è pieno/vuoto.
  The glass is full/empty.

NOTE

Notice that there are two ways to say good: buono and bravo. Buono is good in a general sense, and you can use it to describe a person, animal, or thing. Bravo means good in the sense of good at something, or talented at something, and it’s typically used with people. (That’s why some people shout bravo! or brava! at the end of a performance.)

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We hope you’ve enjoyed learning about basic descriptions of things in Italian. Now you know colors in Italian along with some other common Italian adjectives. If you’d like to learn more, check out our other posts on Italian language, culture, and more. And if you’re looking for convenient and affordable live Italian lessons with a real teacher, check out The Language Garage. Our lessons are given online in a virtual classroom, so it doesn’t matter where you live or work – we can come to you. And we have flexible options, with a free trial so that you can decide if there’s a fit. Check us out!

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