2.3.3: Che bella città!
- Page ID
- 347112
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\(\newcommand{\avec}{\mathbf a}\) \(\newcommand{\bvec}{\mathbf b}\) \(\newcommand{\cvec}{\mathbf c}\) \(\newcommand{\dvec}{\mathbf d}\) \(\newcommand{\dtil}{\widetilde{\mathbf d}}\) \(\newcommand{\evec}{\mathbf e}\) \(\newcommand{\fvec}{\mathbf f}\) \(\newcommand{\nvec}{\mathbf n}\) \(\newcommand{\pvec}{\mathbf p}\) \(\newcommand{\qvec}{\mathbf q}\) \(\newcommand{\svec}{\mathbf s}\) \(\newcommand{\tvec}{\mathbf t}\) \(\newcommand{\uvec}{\mathbf u}\) \(\newcommand{\vvec}{\mathbf v}\) \(\newcommand{\wvec}{\mathbf w}\) \(\newcommand{\xvec}{\mathbf x}\) \(\newcommand{\yvec}{\mathbf y}\) \(\newcommand{\zvec}{\mathbf z}\) \(\newcommand{\rvec}{\mathbf r}\) \(\newcommand{\mvec}{\mathbf m}\) \(\newcommand{\zerovec}{\mathbf 0}\) \(\newcommand{\onevec}{\mathbf 1}\) \(\newcommand{\real}{\mathbb R}\) \(\newcommand{\twovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\ctwovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\threevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cthreevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\mattwo}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{rr}#1 \amp #2 \\ #3 \amp #4 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\laspan}[1]{\text{Span}\{#1\}}\) \(\newcommand{\bcal}{\cal B}\) \(\newcommand{\ccal}{\cal C}\) \(\newcommand{\scal}{\cal S}\) \(\newcommand{\wcal}{\cal W}\) \(\newcommand{\ecal}{\cal E}\) \(\newcommand{\coords}[2]{\left\{#1\right\}_{#2}}\) \(\newcommand{\gray}[1]{\color{gray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\lgray}[1]{\color{lightgray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\rank}{\operatorname{rank}}\) \(\newcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\col}{\text{Col}}\) \(\renewcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\nul}{\text{Nul}}\) \(\newcommand{\var}{\text{Var}}\) \(\newcommand{\corr}{\text{corr}}\) \(\newcommand{\len}[1]{\left|#1\right|}\) \(\newcommand{\bbar}{\overline{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bhat}{\widehat{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bperp}{\bvec^\perp}\) \(\newcommand{\xhat}{\widehat{\xvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\vhat}{\widehat{\vvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\uhat}{\widehat{\uvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\what}{\widehat{\wvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\Sighat}{\widehat{\Sigma}}\) \(\newcommand{\lt}{<}\) \(\newcommand{\gt}{>}\) \(\newcommand{\amp}{&}\) \(\definecolor{fillinmathshade}{gray}{0.9}\)Expressing Emotions and Describing with Adjectives
In Italian, adjectives and idiomatic expressions play a key role in expressing emotions, opinions, and reactions to the world around us. This page will help you use common exclamations like Che bello! and learn how adjectives work in different positions, forms, and expressions.
Idiomatic Expression: "Che + Adjective or Noun"
In Italian, the exclamatory structure "che + adjective" or "che + noun" is used to express strong emotions, surprise, admiration, frustration, and many other reactions. This structure is equivalent to English expressions like "What a..." or "How..." depending on the context.
- Understand the structure and meaning of idiomatic expressions beginning with che + adjective and che + noun.
- Identify the emotional tone conveyed by different expressions such as Che bello!, Che fame!, Che sorpresa!, Che confusione!.
- Use che + adjective or che + noun to react spontaneously in conversation with appropriate intonation.
- Apply the special forms of buono, bello, quello, and questo when they precede or follow nouns.
- Create original sentences using the "che" structure to express emotions, reactions, or comments on real-life situations or images.
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It is a very common and natural way to react in everyday conversation and is widely used in both spoken and informal written Italian.
Structure:
- Che + adjective → often used to describe emotions, opinions, or conditions
- Che + noun → used to highlight something in an exclamatory way (positive or negative)
Examples with Adjectives:
- Che bella giornata! – What a beautiful day!
- Che brutto voto! – What a bad grade!
- Che noiosa questa lezione! – How boring this lesson is!
- Che gentile! – How kind!
- Che difficile esercizio! – How difficult this exercise is!
Examples with Nouns:
- Che sorpresa! – What a surprise!
- Che disastro! – What a disaster!
- Che fame! – I'm so hungry! / What hunger!
- Che idea! – What an idea!
- Che confusione! – What a mess!
- Che fortuna! – What luck!
Notes:
- When used with nouns, there is no article (no una, un, il, etc.) after che.
- This structure works with both positive and negative feelings or situations.
- Intonation and context play a big role in understanding the speaker's emotion.
Practice:
Complete the following exclamatory sentences:
-
Che ______ giornata!
-
Che ______ amico!
-
Che ______ professoressa!
-
Che ______ caldo!
-
Che ______ emozione!
Now, try to create your own sentences using che + adjective or che + noun to react to situations from your daily life or personal experiences. Think about things that surprise you, annoy you, make you laugh, or impress you!
Adjective Position: Before or After the Noun
In Italian, as you already learn most adjectives come after the noun.
Examples:
- un film interessante
- una casa moderna
However, some common adjectives appear before the noun. These often express judgment, quantity, or emphasis and frequently appear in idiomatic expressions like Che bella notizia!
Examples:
- una bella città / una brutta città
- una buona pizza / una cattiva pizza
- un nuovo negozio / un vecchio negozio
- una piccola piazza / una grande piazza
- questa trattoria / quella trattoria
- molti palazzi / alcuni palazzi
Special Case: Buono
When buono appears before the noun, it takes the form of the indefinite articles in the singular.
| Article | Buono form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| un | buon | un buon panino |
| uno | buono | uno buono studente |
| una | buona | una buona pizza |
| un’ | buon’ | un’ buon’idea |
The plural forms are regular: buoni / buone
When buono follows the noun, it behaves like a regular four-form adjective.
Examples:
- Quel panino è buono.
- Due pizze buone
Special Case: Bello and Quello
When bello and quello appear before the noun, they follow the form of the definite articles.
| Article | Bello form | Quello form |
|---|---|---|
| il | bel | quel |
| lo | bello | quello |
| l’ | bell’ | quell’ |
| la | bella | quella |
| i | bei | quei |
| gli | begli | quegli |
| le | belle | quelle |
When bello, buono, quello, and questo follow the noun, they have regular adjective endings.
Examples:
- Due bei negozi → quei due negozi sono belli
- Questo panino è buono
- Mi piace quello (quello replaces the noun bar)
- Quest’aula → contraction of questa aula
To say "very" + adjective Use molto before the adjective. In this usage, molto does not change form.
Example:
Questa città è molto bella.