Buono and Bello
Practice: buono, bello
Buono (good) and bello (beautiful, great) are strange adjectives. When they appear after the noun, their forms are regular (i.e. the same as those of all other 4-ending adjectives). For example:
- Questa torta e' veramente buona.
- Ieri sera ho visto un film molto bello.
- Dove hai trovato gli stivali cosi' belli?
When, however, buono and bello appear before the noun, which is their more common position, their forms are a bit irregular, varying depending on the letter which the noun begins with.
Buono
maschile
| adjective | examples | usage |
|---|---|---|
| buon | il buon libro il buon autore |
The default masculine form of buono. Use with all masculine nouns except those beginning with -z or -s + consonant. |
| buono | un buono stadio il buono zio |
Use with masculine nouns beginning with -z or -s + consonant. |
femminile
| adjective | examples | usage |
|---|---|---|
| buona | la buona ragazza | The default feminine form of buono. Use with all feminine nouns except those beginning with a vowel. |
| buon' | la buon'amica una buon'opera |
Use with feminine nouns that begin with a vowel. |
The plural forms of buono when it comes before a noun are the same as those used when it follows a noun, e.g: le buone arance, i buoni spaghetti
The singular forms of buono follow a pattern identical to that of the indefinite articles (un, uno, una, etc.)
Bello
maschile
| adjective | examples | usage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| singular | bel | il bel libro | with all masculine nouns except those beginning with -z, -s + consonant, or a vowel. |
| plural | bei | i bei libri | |
| singular | bello | il bello stadio il bello zoo |
with masculine nouns beginning with -z or -s + consonant. |
| plural | begli | i begli sport | |
| singular | bell' | un bell'amico il bell'uomo |
with masculine nouns beginning with a vowel. |
| plural | begli | i begli ombrelli |
femminile
| adjective | examples | usage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| singular | bella | una bella ragazza | with all feminine nouns except those beginning with a vowel. |
| bell' | la bell'amica, bell'Italia | with feminine nouns beginning with a vowel. | |
| plural | belle | le belle amiche, le belle case | with all feminine nouns. |
The forms of bello follow a pattern identical to that of the definite articles (il, lo, la, etc.)
Practice Exercises