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Demonstrative Adjectives by Ronald Glenn Wrigley, M.A.

A demonstrative adjectives indicates a particular person or object. In English, the demonstrative adjectives are “this,” “these,” “that,” and “those.”“This” and “these” are used when the person or object is in close proximity to the speaker. “That” and “those” are used to point to a person or an object distant from the speaker. Think about the meaning of the sentence “I like this car, but I don't like that one.” You are probably standing closer to “this” car than you are to “that” car. Like all adjectives in Italian, the demonstrative adjectives quello (“that”) and questo (“this”) must agree in number and gender with the nouns they modify. Remember that as adjectives, quello and questo always precede the nouns that they modify.

The adjective quello, like the adjective bello, has seven possible endings, all of which are similar in structure to the endings of the definite article:

<tgroup cols="2"> <colspec colname="col1" colnum="1" colwidth="50%" colsep="0" rowsep="0" align="center"/> <colspec colname="col2" colnum="2" colwidth="50%" colsep="0" rowsep="0" align="center"/> <tbody> <tr> <td><p><emphasis>il libro</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>the book</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><emphasis>quel libro</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>that book</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><emphasis>l'amico</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>the (male) friend</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><emphasis>quell'amico</emphasis></p></td> <td><p><emphasis>that (male) friend</emphasis></p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><emphasis>lo studente</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>the (male) student</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><emphasis>quello studente</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>that (male) student</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><emphasis>la ragazza</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>the girl</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><emphasis>quella ragazza</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>that girl</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><emphasis>le ragazze</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>the girls</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><emphasis>quelle ragazze</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>those girls</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><emphasis>l'amica</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>the (female) friend</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><emphasis>quell'amica</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>that (female) friend</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><emphasis>i libri</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>the books</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><emphasis>quei libri</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>those books</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><emphasis>gli studenti</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>the students</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><emphasis>quegli studenti</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>those students</p></td> </tr> </tbody> </tgroup> </table> <h2>Exercise 16: Practicing with Quello</h2> <p>Provide the correct form of <emphasis>quello.</emphasis></p> <ul> <li><p><emphasis> uomini stanno chiaccherando un po' troppo.</emphasis></p></li> <li><p><emphasis>Quando penso a anni, mi viene la nostalgia</emphasis>.</p></li> <li><p><emphasis>Mi piace tantissimo nuova macchina</emphasis>.</p></li> <li><p><emphasis>Vuole comprare studio in via Panzani</emphasis>.</p></li> <li><p><emphasis>Non ho ancora visto film</emphasis>.</p></li> <li><p><emphasis> pizze sono buone</emphasis>.</p></li> <li><p><emphasis>A mia moglie piacciono fiori.</emphasis></p></li> <li><p><emphasis>Luigino sta parlando con suo amico.</emphasis></p></li> <li><p><emphasis>Tu conosci ragazze?</emphasis></p></li> <li><p><emphasis> autobus si ferma davanti alla biblioteca?</emphasis></p></li> </ul> <p>The adjective <emphasis>questo</emphasis> has five forms: <emphasis role="Bolditalic">questo, questa, quest', questi, queste:</emphasis></p> <p><emphasis>Questo ragazzo è simpatico.</emphasis> <emphasis role="Bolditalic">This boy is nice.</emphasis></p> <p><emphasis>Questa ragazza è simpatica.</emphasis> <emphasis role="Bolditalic">This girl is nice.</emphasis></p> <p><emphasis>Vado in Italia quest'anno.</emphasis> <emphasis role="Bolditalic">I am going to Italy this year.</emphasis></p> <p><emphasis>Questi ragazzi fanno troppo rumore.</emphasis> <emphasis role="Bolditalic">These boys are making too much noise.</emphasis></p> <p><emphasis>Queste ragazze si annoiano facilmente.</emphasis> <emphasis role="Bolditalic">These girls get bored easily.</emphasis></p> <h2>Exercise 17: Practicing with Questo</h2> <p>Provide the correct form of <emphasis>questo</emphasis>.</p> <ul> <li><p><emphasis> ragazzi sono antipatici.</emphasis></p></li> <li><p><emphasis>Pensiamo di andare a Venezia estate</emphasis>.</p></li> <li><p><emphasis>Mi piace tantissimo nuova macchina</emphasis>.</p></li> <li><p><emphasis>Non voglio leggere libro</emphasis>.</p></li> <li><p><emphasis>Ho già visto film</emphasis>.</p></li> <li><p><emphasis>Non posso mangiare lasagne</emphasis>.</p></li> <li><p><emphasis>A mia moglie piacciono fiori.</emphasis></p></li> <li><p><emphasis>Non facciamo un viaggio anno.</emphasis></p></li> <li><p><emphasis>Tu conosci ragazza?</emphasis></p></li> <li><p><emphasis> autobus si ferma davanti alla biblioteca?</emphasis></p></li> </ul> <h2>Exercise 18: Translation Exercise</h2> <p>Translate the following sentences into Italian.</p> <ul> <li><p>He is buying those beautiful flowers for his wife.</p> <p></p></li> <li><p>He wants to go to Rome this summer.</p> <p></p></li> <li><p>These books are too heavy.</p> <p></p></li> <li><p>I have too many appointments this week.</p> <p></p></li> <li><p>Those Italian movies are very interesting.</p> <p></p></li> <li><p>I can't drink this beer because it is too warm.</p> <p></p></li> <li><p>Those men are talking about politics.</p> <p></p></li> <li><p>I want to see that movie with my father.</p> <p></p></li> <li><p>These children get bored too easily.</p> <p></p></li> <li><p>That idea is very interesting.</p> <p></p></li> </ul> <p><emphasis>Questo</emphasis> and <emphasis>quello</emphasis> can also be used as pronouns. As pronouns, they must agree in number and in gender with the nouns they replace. As pronouns, <emphasis>questo</emphasis> and <emphasis>quello</emphasis> each have four forms: <emphasis>questo, questa, questi, queste</emphasis> and <emphasis>quello, quella, quelli, quelle</emphasis>. Following are some examples of <emphasis>questo</emphasis> and <emphasis>quello</emphasis> used as pronouns.</p> <p><emphasis>Queste (<B>adjective</emphasis>) scarpe sono troppo strette ma quelle (<emphasis role="bold">pronoun</emphasis>) mi stanno benissimo.</B></p> <p><emphasis>Quei (<B>adjective</emphasis>) ragazzi sono buoni ma quelli (<emphasis role="bold">pronoun</emphasis>) sono cattivi.</B></p> <h2>Exercise 19: This and That</h2> <p>Finish the sentences with the correct form of the pronoun <emphasis>questo</emphasis> or <emphasis>quello,</emphasis> following the example.</p> <p><emphasis>Questo ragazzo è alto ma quello è basso.</emphasis></p> <ul> <li><p><emphasis>Queste signore sono italiane, ma</emphasis> .</p></li> <li><p><emphasis>Quell'uomo è ricco, ma</emphasis> .</p></li> <li><p><emphasis>Questi ragazzi studiano l'italiano, ma</emphasis> .</p></li> <li><p><emphasis>Queste idee sono poco chiare, ma</emphasis> .</p></li> <li><p><emphasis>Quei film sono noiosi, ma</emphasis> .</p></li> <li><p><emphasis>Quegli studenti sono pigri, ma</emphasis> .</p></li> <li><p><emphasis>Questa pizza è calda, ma</emphasis> .</p></li> <li><p><emphasis>Quelli grigi sono brutti, ma</emphasis> .</p></li> <li><p><emphasis>Questo ragazzo legge il giornale, ma</emphasis> .</p></li> <li><p><emphasis>Quel libro è interessante, ma</emphasis> .</p></li> </ul> <!--/gc--> <div id="pagination"><ul><li class="prev"><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/italian-practice/indirect-and-direct-object-pronouns-demonstrative-adjectives/double-object-pronouns.htm" title="Double Object Pronouns">Double Object Pronouns</a></li><li class="next"><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/italian-practice/indirect-and-direct-object-pronouns-demonstrative-adjectives/months-and-days.htm" title="Months and Days">Months and Days</a> </li></ul></div></div> <div id="coda"> <div id="rel"><div class="n5">Related Articles</div><ul> <li><a 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