B1 Italian GrammarParticipial Adjectives
Learn to use present and past participles as adjectives in Italian. Understand the difference between participi presenti (interesting, boring) and participi passati (interested, bored). Master agreement rules and common participial adjective pairs.
1Present Participle as Adjective
The present participle (participio presente) can function as an adjective, typically describing qualities or characteristics. It's formed by adding -ante (for -are verbs) or -ente (for -ere/-ire verbs) to the verb stem. These adjectives are invariable for gender but agree in number.
Present Participle Formation
| Verb | Present Participle | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| interessare | interessante | interesting |
| divertire | divertente | amusing/fun |
| seguire | seguente | following |
| correre | corrente | current/running |
| parlare | parlante | speaking |
| brillare | brillante | brilliant/shining |
Examples
È un libro molto interessante.
It's a very interesting book.
interessante describes the book
Ho visto un film divertente.
I watched an amusing movie.
divertente describes the film
Le notizie seguenti sono importanti.
The following news is important.
seguenti (plural) modifies notizie
Acqua corrente è essenziale.
Running water is essential.
corrente as adjective
2Past Participle as Adjective
The past participle (participio passato) is commonly used as an adjective to describe states or results. Unlike present participles, past participles agree in both gender and number: -ato/-ata/-ati/-ate for -are verbs, -uto/-uta/-uti/-ute for -ere verbs, -ito/-ita/-iti/-ite for -ire verbs.
Past Participle Agreement
| Verb | Masc. Sing. | Fem. Sing. | Masc. Plur. | Fem. Plur. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| chiudere | chiuso | chiusa | chiusi | chiuse |
| aprire | aperto | aperta | aperti | aperte |
| stancare | stancato | stancata | stancati | stancate |
| rompere | rotto | rotta | rotti | rotte |
Examples
La porta è chiusa.
The door is closed.
chiusa agrees with porta (fem.)
I negozi sono aperti fino alle otto.
The stores are open until eight.
aperti agrees with negozi (masc. plur.)
Ha le braccia rotte.
He has broken arms.
rotte agrees with braccia (fem. plur.)
Sembri stancata oggi.
You seem tired today.
stancata for female addressee
3Interesting vs Interested (Adjective Pairs)
Italian, like English, distinguishes between adjectives describing what causes a feeling (present participle: interessante = interesting) and those describing who experiences it (past participle: interessato = interested). This applies to many emotion-related verbs.
Adjective Pairs
| Verb | Causing (pres.) | Experiencing (past) |
|---|---|---|
| interessare | interessante (interesting) | interessato (interested) |
| annoiare | annoiante (annoying) | annoiato (annoyed) |
| stancare | stancante (tiring) | stancato (tired) |
| sorprendere | sorprendente (surprising) | sorpreso (surprised) |
| preoccupare | preoccupante (worrying) | preoccupato (worried) |
Examples
Il film era noioso. Ero annoiato.
The movie was boring. I was bored.
noioso (film) vs annoiato (person)
La situazione è preoccupante. Sono preoccupato.
The situation is worrying. I am worried.
preoccupante (situation) vs preoccupato (person)
È un lavoro stancante ma sono motivato.
It's a tiring job but I'm motivated.
stancante (job) vs motivato (person)
Le notizie sono sorprendenti. Siamo sorpresi.
The news is surprising. We are surprised.
sorprendenti (news) vs sorpresi (people)
4Common Participial Adjectives
Many common Italian adjectives derive from participles but may have evolved in meaning. Some past participles are used exclusively as adjectives and may have irregular forms. These participial adjectives follow standard adjective agreement rules.
Common Participial Adjectives
| Italian | English | Type |
|---|---|---|
| conosciuto | well-known | past |
| preferito | favorite | past |
| eccitante | exciting | present |
| commovente | moving/touching | present |
| affascinante | fascinating | present |
| arrabbiato | angry | past |
| innamorato | in love | past |
| sposato | married | past |
Examples
È un attore molto conosciuto.
He is a very well-known actor.
conosciuto as adjective
La pizza è il mio cibo preferito.
Pizza is my favorite food.
preferito agrees with cibo
È una persona affascinante.
She is a fascinating person.
affascinante (invariable for gender)
Sono sposati da dieci anni.
They have been married for ten years.
sposati (masc. plur.)