65 Comments
LOL. I just wrote the same thing before seeing your comment. So moved it here:
Don't tell them. It may hurt their feelings.
ps: You certainly have a long list of languages there. Good for you.
Adjectives usually change according to gender and number. If the adjective ends in -e in the singular (la donna speciale, il ragazzo speciale) then when it modifies a plural noun it ends in -i (le donne speciali, i ragazzi speciali). Here are some other examples:
- la mela verde/le mele verdi
- un uomo forte/due uomini forti
- una scarpa grande/due scarpe grandi
So the e ending over-rules the agreement of adjectives, otherwise I would have expected' Le mele speciale'
No, adjectives ending in -e are gender-invariable, and change -e into -i in the plural.
This is what I wrote. Le mele(f) (prural) the adjectives should also be prural, speciale. But this is wrong! The answer is :speciali (i) is the ending in (m) words Why?
Because "speciale" ends with an "e": speciale = singular (m and f), speciali = plural (m and f).
1302
Except it might be helpful to note that an adj like speciale has no gender, so only the number agrees. Is this true for all adjecives ending in e ?
Yes - all adjectives that end in -e (when they are singular) are gender invariant
I have the same question, I thought there is a 'speciala' so pl would be 'speciale'. Silly me. Thanks.
- 110
- (Type 1) Adjectives that have 4 forms - they end in -o (male singular, ex. 'perfetto') and in -a (female plural, ex. perfetta) end in -i (male plural, ex. perfetti) and in -e (female plural, ex. perfette). However, (case 2) adjectives that end in -e, for both male and female gender forms in singular, end in -i, in plural, for both male and female forms. These adjectives (type 2) have only 2 forms, not 4 (type 1 adjectives)
What a rude comment! Did the red apples walk around pretending they were special
I cannot for the life of me figure out when it's pink and when it's red! It's like Duolingo changes its mind every time I use it. Please help!
- 16
Here is my way: pink=rosa only one "s" but red=rossi because it is a deeper color it has two "SS. Whatever works, right? :-)
Pink is 'rosa' - one 's' and it is invariant (unlike most adjectives, the form doesn't change to match the noun)
Red is 'rosso' - double 's' and it's a normal adjective which changes the ending to match the gender/number of the noun (ie. rosso, rossa, rossi, rosse)
To hear the difference between 'rosa' (pink) and 'rossa' (red - feminine singular), the main difference is in the first vowel: 'rosa' sounds like 'rose + ah', whereas 'rossa' sounds like 'ross + sah'
Is "le" necessary here? E.g. in English you would say "Red apples aren't special." (Not The red apples...)
Yes it is. In italian the definite article (il, la...) is used much more frequently than in English, for example: "le mie mele" ("the my apples")...
the red apples are feminine plural and the correct adjective "special" is male plural - speciali - why/perche? is it because it is not a direct adjective?
Some adjectives are gender invariant (they only change for singular and plural) - 'speciale' is one of these. All adjectives where their base form (masc singular) ends in -e are gender invariant
Following this rule then, shouldn't it read 'le mele rossi' rather than 'lt mele rosse?? Confused.
rule is without exceptions end in o,i,a,e (masc singular, plural, femine singular, feminine plural) exceptions are colorday mentioned end in e, i singular, plural regardless of sex or gender-invariable.
it's not always so easy. In Italian you have a lot of colours (adjectives) that don't change their forms.
-
il cappotto rosa
-
la gonna rosa
-
i pantaloni rosa
-
le gonne rosa
etc.
Please can someone explain why 'the red apples are no speciality' is incorrect. Is speciality a different word or something? How would you say that?
You've changed the meaning entirely. Your speciality is something you are especially good at. Special is an adj. that means better, greater, or different. They cannot be used interchangeably.
why doesn't the adjective "speciali" agree with "mele". I thought it would be "speciale" but no. Is this an exception?
I thought the adjective "speciali" would be "speciale" to agree with noun "mele". Apparently this is an exception?
Yes, speciale (masculine singular) is one of a few exceptions and is not gender variant, it does however change for plurals i.e speciali used in this case in relation to the plural apples. You might wish to take a look above at jessic's answer to lisaBrigst similar question one year ago.
From what I am reading many have a "loose" interpretation of the rules of grammar whatever the language. In any event I get it. Any way it's spelled, anyone can figure it out. there is no such thing as a grammar jail. Grazie.
No one will tell me... someone please tell me. how do i get disable these listening exercises while still being able to use the audio for other exersises? i just want to get rid of these listening exercises they are seriously driving me crazy i cant stand them and consider using a different language learning program everytime they pop up!
