Describing & Placing
Who, what, where, and what does it look like?
The world in the story
Stories come to life through descriptions. What do the characters look like? Where does it take place? With these words, you can visualize the world of the story.
Adjectives, prepositions, and family relationships form the backdrop in which the action takes place. These elements make the difference between a skeleton of events and a rich, vivid story.
Chapter
10
Adjectives & Descriptions
Color, character, and characteristics
Italian adjectives adjust to match gender and number. Usually they come AFTER the noun, but some important ones come before.
Adjective agreement
Most adjectives have 4 forms:
alto = tall/high
alto
(masculine singular)
→
un ragazzo alto
= a tall boy
alta
(feminine singular)
→
una ragazza alta
= a tall girl
alti
(masculine plural)
→
ragazzi alti
= tall boys
alte
(feminine plural)
→
ragazze alte
= tall girls
felice = happy
felice
(masculine/feminine singular)
→
un bambino felice
= a happy child
felici
(masculine/feminine plural)
→
bambini felici
= happy children
Common adjectives
grande
→
big
Before or after
una casa grande
- a big house
piccolo
→
small
Before or after
un piccolo problema
- a small problem
bello
→
beautiful
Usually before
una bella giornata
- a beautiful day
buono
→
good
Usually before
un buon amico
- a good friend
nuovo
→
new
After
scarpe nuove
- new shoes
vecchio
→
old
Before = longtime
un vecchio amico
- an old friend
giovane
→
young
After
una donna giovane
- a young woman
caro
→
expensive/dear
Before = dear
un caro amico
- a dear friend
povero
→
poor
Before = pitiful
Povero Marco!
- Poor Marco!
stesso
→
same
Before
lo stesso giorno
- the same day
altro
→
other
Before
un altro giorno
- another day
lungo
→
long
After
una strada lunga
- a long street
corto
→
short
After
capelli corti
- short hair
facile
→
easy
After
un esercizio facile
- an easy exercise
difficile
→
difficult
After
una domanda difficile
- a difficult question
Colors
Note: some colors change, others don't!
rosso
Nederlands
red
Verandert?
yes
Vormen
rosso/rossa/rossi/rosse
giallo
Nederlands
yellow
Verandert?
yes
Vormen
giallo/gialla/gialli/gialle
verde
Nederlands
green
Verandert?
partly
Vormen
verde/verdi
blu
Nederlands
blue
Verandert?
no
Vormen
blu (always)
azzurro
Nederlands
sky blue
Verandert?
yes
Vormen
azzurro/azzurra/azzurri/azzurre
nero
Nederlands
black
Verandert?
yes
Vormen
nero/nera/neri/nere
bianco
Nederlands
white
Verandert?
yes
Vormen
bianco/bianca/bianchi/bianche
grigio
Nederlands
gray
Verandert?
yes
Vormen
grigio/grigia/grigi/grigie
marrone
Nederlands
brown
Verandert?
partly
Vormen
marrone/marroni
rosa
Nederlands
pink
Verandert?
no
Vormen
rosa (always)
viola
Nederlands
purple
Verandert?
no
Vormen
viola (always)
arancione
Nederlands
orange
Verandert?
partly
Vormen
arancione/arancioni
Character traits
simpatico
→
nice/likeable
antipatico
→
unpleasant
gentile
→
kind
scortese
→
rude
intelligente
→
intelligent
stupido
→
stupid
divertente
→
funny
noioso
→
boring
allegro
→
cheerful
triste
→
sad
calmo
→
calm
nervoso
→
nervous
coraggioso
→
brave
pauroso
→
fearful
generoso
→
generous
avaro
→
stingy
onesto
→
honest
disonesto
→
dishonest
paziente
→
patient
impaziente
→
impatient
Physical descriptions
Ha i capelli biondi
→
He/she has blonde hair
Ha gli occhi azzurri
→
He/she has blue eyes
È alto e magro
→
He is tall and thin
È bassa e robusta
→
She is short and stocky
Ha la barba
→
He has a beard
Porta gli occhiali
→
He/she wears glasses
Ha un bel sorriso
→
He/she has a nice smile
È di media statura
→
He/she is of average height
Ha circa trent'anni
→
He/she is about thirty years old
Sembra giovane
→
He/she looks young
Chapter
11
Prepositions & Location
Where everything is located
Prepositions are small but crucial. They tell where things are, where people go, and how elements relate to each other.
Basic prepositions
a = to/at/in
Vado a Roma
→
I go to Rome
Sono a casa
→
I am at home
Alle tre
→
At three o'clock
di = of/from
Il libro di Marco
→
Marco's book
Sono di Milano
→
I'm from Milan
Una tazza di caffè
→
A cup of coffee
da = from/at/since
Vengo da te
→
I'm coming to you
Dal medico
→
At the doctor's
Da ieri
→
Since yesterday
in = in
In Italia
→
In Italy
In macchina
→
In the car
In estate
→
In summer
con = with
Con Maria
→
With Maria
Con piacere
→
With pleasure
Caffè con latte
→
Coffee with milk
su = on/about
Sul tavolo
→
On the table
Un libro su Roma
→
A book about Rome
Su internet
→
On the internet
per = for/through
Per te
→
For you
Per strada
→
On the street
Per favore
→
Please
tra/fra = between/in
Tra amici
→
Among friends
Tra cinque minuti
→
In five minutes
Tra Roma e Milano
→
Between Rome and Milan
Combined prepositions
Prepositions merge with articles:
a + il
→
al
Voorbeeld
Vado al cinema
Vertaling
I go to the cinema
a + la
→
alla
Voorbeeld
alla stazione
Vertaling
to the station
a + l'
→
all'
Voorbeeld
all'università
Vertaling
to the university
a + i
→
ai
Voorbeeld
ai bambini
Vertaling
to the children
a + le
→
alle
Voorbeeld
alle ragazze
Vertaling
to the girls
di + il
→
del
Voorbeeld
la casa del professore
Vertaling
the professor's house
di + la
→
della
Voorbeeld
il libro della studentessa
Vertaling
the student's book
da + il
→
dal
Voorbeeld
vengo dal dottore
Vertaling
I come from the doctor
da + la
→
dalla
Voorbeeld
dalla finestra
Vertaling
from the window
in + il
→
nel
Voorbeeld
nel giardino
Vertaling
in the garden
in + la
→
nella
Voorbeeld
nella borsa
Vertaling
in the bag
su + il
→
sul
Voorbeeld
sul letto
Vertaling
on the bed
su + la
→
sulla
Voorbeeld
sulla sedia
Vertaling
on the chair
Location expressions
qui/qua
→
here
Vieni qui!
= Come here!
lì/là
→
there
Il libro è là
= The book is there
sopra
→
above/on
sopra il tavolo
= on the table
sotto
→
under
sotto il letto
= under the bed
dentro
→
inside
dentro la scatola
= inside the box
fuori
→
outside
fuori casa
= outside the house
davanti (a)
→
in front (of)
davanti alla porta
= in front of the door
dietro
→
behind
dietro la casa
= behind the house
accanto (a)
→
next to
accanto a me
= next to me
vicino (a)
→
near
vicino alla stazione
= near the station
lontano (da)
→
far (from)
lontano da qui
= far from here
verso
→
towards
verso il centro
= towards the center
fino a
→
until/up to
fino alla fine
= until the end
attraverso
→
through/across
attraverso il parco
= through the park
Common locations in stories
a casa
→
at home
No article!
a scuola
→
at school
No article!
al lavoro
→
at work
With article
in centro
→
downtown
No article
in città
→
in the city
No article
in campagna
→
in the countryside
No article
al mare
→
at the seaside
With article
in montagna
→
in the mountains
No article
all'estero
→
abroad
With article
in chiesa
→
in church
No article
in banca
→
at the bank
No article
dal medico
→
at the doctor's
With people: da
in ospedale
→
in the hospital
No article
alla stazione
→
at the station
With article
Chapter
12
Family & People
The characters in the story
Family and relationships are central themes in Italian stories. These words help you understand who's who.
Immediate family
Note: with family in singular usually NO article with possessive adjective!
il padre
→
father
mio padre
= my father
la madre
→
mother
mia madre
= my mother
il figlio
→
son
mio figlio
= my son
la figlia
→
daughter
mia figlia
= my daughter
il fratello
→
brother
mio fratello
= my brother
la sorella
→
sister
mia sorella
= my sister
il marito
→
husband
mio marito
= my husband
la moglie
→
wife
mia moglie
= my wife
i genitori
→
parents
i miei genitori
= my parents
i figli
→
children
i miei figli
= my children
i fratelli
→
brothers/siblings
i miei fratelli
= my brothers
il papà
→
dad
il mio papà
= my dad
WITH article!
la mamma
→
mom
la mia mamma
= my mom
WITH article!
Extended family
il nonno
grandfather
Meervoud
i nonni
→
grandparents/grandfathers
la nonna
grandmother
Meervoud
le nonne
→
grandmothers
lo zio
uncle
Meervoud
gli zii
→
uncles
la zia
aunt
Meervoud
le zie
→
aunts
il nipote
nephew/grandson
masculine
la nipote
niece/granddaughter
feminine
il cugino
cousin (male)
Meervoud
i cugini
→
cousins
la cugina
cousin (female)
Meervoud
le cugine
→
cousins
il suocero
father-in-law
Meervoud
i suoceri
→
in-laws
la suocera
mother-in-law
Meervoud
le suocere
→
mothers-in-law
il genero
son-in-law
Meervoud
i generi
→
sons-in-law
la nuora
daughter-in-law
Meervoud
le nuore
→
daughters-in-law
il cognato
brother-in-law
Meervoud
i cognati
→
brothers-in-law
la cognata
sister-in-law
Meervoud
le cognate
→
sisters-in-law
Relationships & social connections
Mannelijk
l'amico
→
friend (male)
Vrouwelijk
l'amica
→
friend (female)
Mannelijk
il fidanzato
→
boyfriend/fiancé
Vrouwelijk
la fidanzata
→
girlfriend/fiancée
Mannelijk
il ragazzo
→
boy/boyfriend
Vrouwelijk
la ragazza
→
girl/girlfriend
Mannelijk
il compagno
→
partner/companion
Vrouwelijk
la compagna
→
partner/companion
Mannelijk
il collega
→
colleague (male)
Vrouwelijk
la collega
→
colleague (female)
Mannelijk
il vicino
→
neighbor (male)
Vrouwelijk
la vicina
→
neighbor (female)
Mannelijk
il conoscente
→
acquaintance
Vrouwelijk
la conoscente
→
acquaintance
Mannelijk
il capo
→
boss
Mannelijk
l'ospite
→
guest/host
Mannelijk
lo straniero
→
stranger (male)
Vrouwelijk
la straniera
→
stranger (female)
Professions
Mannelijk
il medico
→
doctor
Mannelijk
l'insegnante
→
teacher
Mannelijk
il professore
→
professor (male)
Vrouwelijk
la professoressa
→
professor (female)
Mannelijk
lo studente
→
student (male)
Vrouwelijk
la studentessa
→
student (female)
Mannelijk
l'avvocato
→
lawyer (male)
Vrouwelijk
l'avvocatessa
→
lawyer (female)
Mannelijk
il cameriere
→
waiter
Vrouwelijk
la cameriera
→
waitress
Mannelijk
il commesso
→
salesperson (male)
Vrouwelijk
la commessa
→
salesperson (female)
Mannelijk
l'operaio
→
worker (male)
Vrouwelijk
l'operaia
→
worker (female)
Mannelijk
l'impiegato
→
office worker (male)
Vrouwelijk
l'impiegata
→
office worker (female)
Mannelijk
il poliziotto
→
police officer (male)
Vrouwelijk
la poliziotta
→
police officer (female)
Mannelijk
il cuoco
→
cook (male)
Vrouwelijk
la cuoca
→
cook (female)
Mannelijk
l'autista
→
driver
Mannelijk
il giornalista
→
journalist (male)
Vrouwelijk
la giornalista
→
journalist (female)
Mannelijk
l'artista
→
artist
Expressing age
Ho venti anni
→
I am twenty years old
(have + years)
Quanti anni hai?
→
How old are you?
(literally: how many years do you have?)
un bambino di 5 anni
→
a 5-year-old child
È più grande di me
→
He/she is older than me
È più giovane di te
→
He/she is younger than you
Abbiamo la stessa età
→
We are the same age
un uomo anziano
→
an elderly man
una donna di mezza età
→
a middle-aged woman
un adolescente
→
a teenager
un neonato
→
a newborn