Answers
Nov 30, 2010 - 11:58 AM
You are absolutey correct when you say that in Italian adjectives are placed after the noun. But not all of them.
For example, altra is one of them, it goes before the noun.
What happens is that some you must place before the noun, as in the case of altra, where if put after it is incorrect. But for example, with bella, it can go both before and after.
What we have done is choose those adjectives that are most useful and that can go before the noun so as not to have you think about the position just yet. Later on you will encounter adjectives placed after the noun.
With colors you'll see that they will be placed after the nouns in sessions ahead.
For example, altra is one of them, it goes before the noun.
What happens is that some you must place before the noun, as in the case of altra, where if put after it is incorrect. But for example, with bella, it can go both before and after.
What we have done is choose those adjectives that are most useful and that can go before the noun so as not to have you think about the position just yet. Later on you will encounter adjectives placed after the noun.
With colors you'll see that they will be placed after the nouns in sessions ahead.
Jan 27, 2011 - 01:25 PM
I recently purchased a book called "Essential Italian Grammar" that deals with this topic. Here's what it has to say:
In Italian, the adjective usually follows the noun:
una parola cortese (a polite word)
un lensuolo bianco (a white sheet)
una lingua difficile (a difficult language)
dei viaggi lunghi (some long trips)
A number of very common adjectives, however, often precede the noun in Italian:
bello (una bella ragazza, a good-looking girl)
buono (buone notizie, good news)
nuovo (un nuovo ristorante, a new restaurant)
vecchio (un vecchio amico, an old friend)
giovane (un giovane ragazzo, a young boy)
antico (nell' antico palazzo, in the ancient palace)
primo/secondo (la prima fermata, the first stop
piccolo (un piccolo regalo, a small gift)
grande (una grande città, a big city)
lungo (una lunga strada (a long road)
breve (un breve soggiorno (a short stay)
There are even some adjectives that can be used either before or after the noun, and depending where you put them, it changes the meaning of the sentence. An example:
il ragazzo povero (the poor boy -- as in not rich)
il povero ragazzo (the poor boy -- as in unfortunate)
Italian seems to be filled with twists and turns like that. And there are two foreign words I've learned that help me deal with this situation: oy vay.
In Italian, the adjective usually follows the noun:
una parola cortese (a polite word)
un lensuolo bianco (a white sheet)
una lingua difficile (a difficult language)
dei viaggi lunghi (some long trips)
A number of very common adjectives, however, often precede the noun in Italian:
bello (una bella ragazza, a good-looking girl)
buono (buone notizie, good news)
nuovo (un nuovo ristorante, a new restaurant)
vecchio (un vecchio amico, an old friend)
giovane (un giovane ragazzo, a young boy)
antico (nell' antico palazzo, in the ancient palace)
primo/secondo (la prima fermata, the first stop
piccolo (un piccolo regalo, a small gift)
grande (una grande città, a big city)
lungo (una lunga strada (a long road)
breve (un breve soggiorno (a short stay)
There are even some adjectives that can be used either before or after the noun, and depending where you put them, it changes the meaning of the sentence. An example:
il ragazzo povero (the poor boy -- as in not rich)
il povero ragazzo (the poor boy -- as in unfortunate)
Italian seems to be filled with twists and turns like that. And there are two foreign words I've learned that help me deal with this situation: oy vay.