Italian Intermediate Italian Grammar Syllabus

Intermediate Italian Grammar syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Intermediate Italian Grammar in Italian, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Adjectives and Adverbs

   3 topics

   • Learn Adjective Agreement
   • Use Comparative and Superlative Forms
   • Understand Placement of Adverbs
2. 2

   Complex Sentence Structures

   3 topics

   • Learn Conjunctions and Connectors
   • Practice Subordinate Clauses
   • Use Relative Pronouns

Intermediate Italian Grammar flashcards for Italian

23 of 51 cards from the Intermediate Italian Grammar deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. In Italian, what four features must an adjective agree with when it modifies a noun?

   Gender and number: masculine/feminine and singular/plural. An adjective changes its ending to match the noun's gender and number (e.g. 'ragazzo alto' vs 'ragazza alta').

2. How do the endings of a 'first-class' (four-ending) Italian adjective like 'alto' change across gender and number?

   -o (m. sing.), -a (f. sing.), -i (m. pl.), -e (f. pl.): alto, alta, alti, alte.

3. How do 'second-class' (two-ending) Italian adjectives like 'verde' or 'grande' agree?

   They end in -e for both masculine and feminine singular, and change to -i for both genders in the plural: 'verde' -> 'verdi'. Gender is not distinguished, only number.

4. When an adjective modifies two nouns of different genders (e.g. 'il ragazzo e la ragazza'), which plural form is used?

   The masculine plural form: 'il ragazzo e la ragazza sono simpatici.' Mixed-gender groups default to masculine plural.

5. How do adjectives ending in '-co' and '-go' typically form the masculine plural, and give the rule of thumb.

   They usually add an 'h' to keep the hard sound: '-co' -> '-chi' (bianco -> bianchi), '-go' -> '-ghi' (lungo -> lunghi). Exception: when '-co' is preceded by a vowel with stress patterns like 'simpatico -> simpatici' (soft).

6. How do adjectives ending in '-cia' and '-gia' form the feminine plural?

   If preceded by a vowel, keep the 'i' (grigia -> grige is debated; 'vecchia -> vecchie'); generally if a vowel precedes, keep -cie/-gie, if a consonant precedes drop the i to -ce/-ge. E.g. 'liscia -> lisce', but 'grigia -> grigie'.

7. What is unusual about the adjectives 'blu', 'rosa', 'viola', and 'arancione' regarding agreement?

   'Blu', 'rosa', 'viola', and 'arancione' (as color adjectives) are invariable: they do not change ending for gender or number (e.g. 'i fiori blu', 'le magliette rosa').

8. How do 'bello' and 'buono' behave when placed before a noun in Italian?

   They inflect like the definite article ('bello') or indefinite article ('buono'): bel/bello/bella/bei/begli/belle; buon/buono/buona/buon'. E.g. 'un buon amico', 'un bel giorno', 'i begli occhi'.

9. What happens to the adjective 'grande' when it precedes a noun beginning with a consonant?

   It can shorten (truncate) to 'gran': 'un gran giorno', 'una gran donna', though the full 'grande' is also acceptable.

10. Where are most descriptive (qualitative) adjectives placed relative to the noun in Italian, and what is the exception?

    Most descriptive adjectives follow the noun ('una casa grande'), but common short/subjective adjectives (bello, buono, bravo, giovane, vecchio, piccolo, grande) often precede it. Position can change nuance/meaning.

11. How does meaning change for adjectives like 'grande' or 'povero' based on position (before vs after the noun)?

    Before the noun the meaning is often figurative; after, literal. 'un grand'uomo' = a great man vs 'un uomo grande' = a big/tall man; 'un pover'uomo' = an unfortunate man vs 'un uomo povero' = a man without money.

12. How is the comparative of majority ('more...than') formed in Italian?

    Use 'più + adjective + di/che'. E.g. 'Marco è più alto di Luca' (Marco is taller than Luca).

13. How is the comparative of minority ('less...than') formed in Italian?

    Use 'meno + adjective + di/che'. E.g. 'Questo libro è meno interessante di quello' (This book is less interesting than that one).

14. When comparing, when do you use 'di' versus 'che' for 'than' in Italian?

    Use 'di' before nouns, pronouns, and numbers ('più alto di me'). Use 'che' when comparing two adjectives, two verbs, two nouns governed by the same subject, or after prepositions ('più intelligente che simpatico', 'meglio tardi che mai').

15. How is the comparative of equality ('as...as') expressed in Italian?

    Use '(così)... come' or '(tanto)... quanto', with the first element usually omitted: 'Anna è (così) alta come Maria' / 'Anna è (tanto) alta quanto Maria'.

16. How is the relative superlative ('the most/least...') formed in Italian?

    Use 'definite article + più/meno + adjective (+ di/tra)': 'Marco è il più alto della classe' (Marco is the tallest in the class). Note 'di' translates 'in' after a superlative.

17. How is the absolute superlative ('very/extremely...') most commonly formed in Italian?

    Drop the final vowel of the adjective and add '-issimo/-a/-i/-e': 'bello -> bellissimo', 'facile -> facilissimo'. It can also be formed with 'molto/assai + adjective' or by repetition/prefixes.

18. What are the irregular comparative forms of 'buono', 'cattivo', 'grande', and 'piccolo'?

    buono -> migliore (better); cattivo -> peggiore (worse); grande -> maggiore (bigger/older/greater); piccolo -> minore (smaller/younger/lesser).

19. What are the irregular relative superlative forms of 'buono', 'cattivo', 'grande', and 'piccolo'?

    il migliore (the best), il peggiore (the worst), il maggiore (the greatest/oldest), il minore (the smallest/youngest). Regular forms (il più buono, etc.) also exist with more literal meaning.

20. What are the irregular absolute superlatives of 'buono', 'cattivo', 'grande', and 'piccolo'?

    ottimo (very good/excellent), pessimo (very bad/terrible), massimo (very big/maximum), minimo (very small/minimum). These coexist with buonissimo, cattivissimo, etc.

21. How are the comparative and superlative of the adverbs 'bene' and 'male' formed in Italian?

    bene -> meglio (better) -> benissimo/ottimamente (very well); male -> peggio (worse) -> malissimo/pessimamente (very badly). Note: 'migliore/peggiore' are adjectives, 'meglio/peggio' are adverbs.

22. What is the general default position of an adverb relative to the verb in a simple Italian tense?

    Adverbs usually follow the verb directly: 'Parla lentamente' (He speaks slowly), 'Mangio spesso qui'. Adverbs of manner in particular normally follow the verb.

23. Where are adverbs like 'già', 'ancora', 'sempre', 'mai', and 'più' placed with compound tenses (passato prossimo)?

    They are typically placed between the auxiliary and the past participle: 'Ho già mangiato', 'Non ho mai visto', 'Non ho ancora finito', 'Ho sempre pensato'.

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