Learn about modified nouns
Get this lesson’s key vocab, their translations and pronunciations. Sign up for your Free Lifetime Account Now and get 7 Days of Premium Access including this feature.
Unlock Lesson Notes and Transcripts for every single lesson. Sign Up for a Free Lifetime Account and Get 7 Days of Premium Access.
Intro |
|---|
| Hi everybody! Marika here. Welcome to Ask a Teacher, where I’ll answer some of your most common Italian questions. |
| The Question |
| The question for this lesson is: What are modified nouns? |
| Explanation |
| In Italian, you can modify nouns. That allows you to convey feelings, such as love, hate, or irony, in a concise and effective way. |
| “Modified nouns,” called nomi alterati, can take different endings that convey different feelings. |
| They’re usually divided into categories. Let’s see which ones. |
| To describe something positively or negatively, you can use vezzeggiativi and dispregiativi. |
| Vezzeggiativi express endearment. Some common suffixes are -uccio and -ino. For example: tesoruccio (“sweetheart”), gattino (“kitten”). |
| Dispregiativi express dislike: common suffixes are -accio and -astro. For example: Scarpaccia (“ugly shoe”), giovinastro (“lout”). |
| To describe the aspect of something, you can use accrescitivi and diminutivi: |
| Accrescitivi indicate a big size: the most common suffix is -one. For example: ragazzone (“big boy”), nasone (“big nose”). |
| Diminutivi indicate smallness: common suffixes are -ino, -etto, -otto, -ello. For example: topino (“little mouse”), bacetto (“small kiss”), leprotto (“small hare”), alberello (“little tree”). |
Outro |
| Beware of “fake modified nouns,” or falsi alterati. These are words that look like modified nouns but mean a totally different thing. |
| Matto means “crazy person,” but mattone is not a big, crazy man; it’s a “brick”! And mulino means “mill,” not a small mule. That’s mulo. |
| Italian children often learn funny nursery rhymes in school about these “false modified nouns.” Here’s one I just invented, ready? Take note! |
| La gomma per cancellare, |
| Il gommone per andare al mare. |
| Col burro puoi cucinare, |
| Ma nel burrone non scivolare! |
| Se vedi un lampo, c’è il temporale, |
| Se vedi un lampone, lo puoi mangiare! |
| Which means: |
| “The eraser to erase, |
| The raft to go out to the sea. |
| With butter you can cook, |
| But don’t slip down the ravine! |
| If you see lightning, that’s a storm, |
| If you see a raspberry, you can eat it!” |
| Pretty fun, right? Do you know any other “false modified noun”? |
| Let us know in the comments! |
| A presto! “See you soon!” |
Comments
Hide