Here are some good-to-know Italian adjectives that describe size and strength:
21) grande (big, large, tall, adult, great, grand)
This is a basic adjective that covers several bases, which means there is also room for doubt about what someone means. Hand gestures help, of course. Generally speaking, grande is a very positive adjective.
22) grosso (big, large, major, coarse, arduous)
As you can see, grande and grosso are equivalents in some cases, but not all. If you say someone is grande, that’s fine. You might mean “tall” or you might mean “adult.” If you use grosso, you are talking about size, and might be implying they are also grasso (fat). Reading and watching Italian language videos will help you develop a sense for which adjective to use.
il sale grosso (coarse salt). Sale grosso is what most Italians use to salt the water for cooking pasta or vegetables. Good to know! We also need to consider the figurative meanings of both grande and grosso.
È stato un grande lavoro can imply the positive quality of a job. Grande also means “great.”
È stato un grosso lavoro implies that there was a lot of work to do.
Sometimes we describe someone as grande e grosso. In this case, it’s (often) a big, tall man with broad shoulders and possibly also a paunch. Grosso might give the impression of strength too.
È un omone grande e grosso, però è come un bambino,
He's a tall and big man, but he's like a child,
Caption 70, Il Commissario Manara S1EP4 - Le Lettere Di Leopardi - Part 2
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23) grasso (fat, fatty, greasy, oily)
We use this adjective to describe a person or animal, but also to describe the fat content of food. Even oily or greasy hair can be described with grasso — Capelli grassi (oily hair). Boldface letters are called in grassetto because the letters are thicker than normal ones.
24) robusto (strong, sturdy, hardy, robust, heavyset)
Here’s a word to use when you don’t want to call someone grasso (fat).
Era una donna robusta. (She was a heavyset woman.)
25) forte (strong, loud, intense, gifted)
This adjective is important to know, but it can also be ambiguous sometimes. See this Yabla lesson about this ambiguity.
In estate qui il sole è molto forte.
In summer, the sun here is very strong.
Caption 40, Adriano Le stagioni dell'anno
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Forte can also be the opposite of negato, therefore describing someone who is very good at something. Here are two examples with forte, but where it means something different in either example.
Abbassa la musica; è troppo forte. (Lower the volume of the music. It’s too loud.)
Certo che se vai tantissimo [tanto] forte, devi saper frenare per tempo!
For sure, if you go super fast, you have to know how to brake in time!
Caption 11, Dixiland In bicicletta
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26) piccolo (small, little)
If you are ordering a beer, the waiter might ask you grande o piccola? large or small?
Una birra piccola, per cortesia (a small beer, please).
Piccola can also mean very young, just as grande, especially when used comparatively, can describe someone older, like an older brother.
Mio fratello è più piccolo di me (my brother is younger than me).
27) debole (weak)
Sono troppo debole per sollevare questo peso. I’m too weak to lift this weight.
28) sottile (thin, subtle, fine)
The cognate for sottile is “subtle,” but sottile also means "thin," as when you want thin slices of something like cheese or prosciutto.
La nostra cipolla va affettata in modo molto sottile.
Our onion is to be sliced very thinly.
Caption 6, L'Italia a tavola Penne alla Toma Piemontese - Part 2
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29) basso (low, short, shallow, soft [in volume])
Here’s another adjective with different meanings that can lead us astray, so consequently, we have to pay careful attention to context. Sometimes it’s hard to know!
Ha il fondo piatto cosicché può navigare anche sui canali più bassi e sui fondali anche di pochi centimetri.
It has a flat bottom so it can navigate even the shallowest canals and over depths of even just a few centimeters.
Captions 20-21, In giro per l'Italia Venezia - Part 5
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30) alto (high, loud, tall)
The same ambiguity applies to this adjective. If you know all the meanings, you can try to figure out which meaning is intended, according to context. As with basso and forte, sometimes it’s hard to be 100% sure of the meaning.
Il sole doveva già essere alto in cielo, e invece era scomparso.
The sun should have already been high in the sky, but instead it had disappeared.
Captions 14-15, Dixiland Sole dormiglione
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Learn more!
Practical examples of these adjectives can be found throughout Yabla videos available here. Yabla offers you the possibility of learning at your own pace and through videos pertaining to your interests. Expand your horizons by learning one of the most romantic languages in the world.
Sometimes the challenge is understanding what someone tells you in Italian, but sometimes it's about coming up with the right Italian word for what we are trying to say (when we happen to be thinking English). So let's start with an English word this time. Let's start out with the English noun "way." We can translate it into Italian in a few different ways.
the way - la via
the way - il modo
the way - la maniera
What's the best way to solve this problem or get out of the situation? We're pretty much talking about a direction here, either literal or figurative. Which way? What route or path do we take?
Sembra che non ci sia più via d'uscita.
It looks like there won't be any way out.
Caption 31, Anna e Marika in La Gazza Ladra - Part 2
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We can often use the word "pathway" for via. Via, being more about "by what means," and also meaning "road," stands out from the other words we will be talking about, which are more about "how": the way to do something.
If we are talking about the way someone does something, then we will likely use il modo (the way, the manner).
Ma questo modo di conservare gli alimenti, paradossalmente, è un po' più rispettoso della natura...
But this way of conserving food, paradoxically, is a bit more respectful of nature...
Captions 28-29, L'arte della cucina La Prima Identitá - Part 4
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Le stagioni hanno specifici colori, clima, temperatura, e influenzano il nostro modo di vivere.
The seasons have specific colors, weather, temperatures, and influence the way we live.
Captions 5-6, Adriano Le stagioni dell'anno
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Infatti, parliamo allo stesso modo... e facciamo le stesse cose.
In fact, we talk the same way... and do the same things.
Captions 5-6, Amiche sulla spiaggia
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A question to ask with modo is: in che modo (in what way, how)? It often goes hand in hand with the question come (how)?
We can use modo when we ask for or give instructions, such as in cooking. How should we slice the onion?
La nostra cipolla va affettata in modo molto sottile.
Our onion is to be sliced very thinly.
Caption 6, L'Italia a tavola Penne alla Toma Piemontese - Part 2
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Keep in mind that in many cases in which we might likely use an adverb in English (in this case "thinly"), an adjective after modo seems to work better in Italian (in modo sottile).
Here are a few more examples of this:
a roughly chopped onion - una cipolla tagliata in modo grossolano
uniformly - in modo uniforme
strangely - in modo strano
unusually - in modo insolito
messily - in modo disordinato
When you don't like someone's manner, you don't like the way they go about doing things, you can use modo.
Non mi piace il suo modo di fare (I don't like the way he does things).
The cognate for maniera is "manner," which often means "way." So that's easy.
In questa maniera, usando la pasta all'uovo la stessa ricetta, lasagna se ne vende a profusione qui da noi.
This way, the same recipe using egg pasta, lasagna sells profusely here at our place.
Captions 49-50, Anna e Marika Hostaria Antica Roma - Part 2
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Modo and maniera are very similar, and are pretty interchangeable, but keep in mind that modo is masculine and maniera is feminine.
Ha una maniera strana di parlare (he has a strange way of talking).
Parla in modo strano (he has a strange way of talking).
We have one more translation for "way," and that is senso.
Strangely enough, in the dictionary, we don't immediately see il senso as an Italian translation of "the way." Yet, when we look up il senso, "the way" turns up as the fourth choice as a translation.
Senso is a great word, and one Italians use all the time. Let's talk about 2 popular ways it is used to mean "way." When used in a statement, it's common to find the adjective certo (certain) before it. We have translated it, but you could also leave it out: "In a way..."
e in un certo senso, l'abbiamo anche conquistata
in a certain way, we even conquered it
Caption 22, Fratelli Taviani La passione e l'utopia - Part 3
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The other way Italians use senso is when they want a more complete explanation of something they didn't quite understand.
They'll ask, In che senso?
Perché? -Perché così nessuno avrebbe saputo che erano false. False? -False? -False in che senso, scusi? -Falsissime.
Why? -Because that way no one would have known they were fakes. Fakes? -Fakes? -Fakes in what way, sorry? -Very fake.
Captions 54-55, Il Commissario Manara S1EP4 - Le Lettere Di Leopardi - Part 16
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They are asking, "In what way?" but they might also be asking, "What do you mean by "fake"?" or "How do you mean?"
We might want to keep in mind that another meaning of il senso is "meaning."
il senso della vita (the meaning of life)
Check out these lessons that explore the noun, il senso.
A common expression: nel senso...
Here's how we generally put these different ways of saying "way" into context:
in un certo senso (in a way)
in che senso (how do you mean, what do you mean by that)?
in qualche modo (in some way, somehow)
in qualche maniera (in some way, somehow)
ad ogni modo (anyway, anyhow)
per quale via (by what means)?
Now when you watch Yabla videos, maybe you will be a bit more tuned in to how people use via, modo, maniera and senso. They all mean "way."
We recently talked about the preposition in: what it means and how to use it. While we don't always use an article with the noun following it, we often do. And when we do use in with a definite article, we combine the preposition and the article to form what we call una preposizione articolata (an "articled" preposition).
Basically, the n, instead of being at the end of the preposition in, gets moved to the beginning of the word and is followed by an e. After that, the ending will change according to the gender and number of the definite article, as well as whether the word following it starts with a vowel.
Here's the list:
(in + il) nel
(in + lo) nello
(in + l') nell'
(in + la) nella
(in + i) nei
(in + le) nelle
Nel frattempo, riempiamo una pentola d'acqua.
In the meantime, we'll fill a pot with water.
Caption 21, L'Italia a tavola - Penne alla Toma Piemontese
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We say nel because it's il frattempo. But here's a tip. Actually, we rarely say il frattempo. Most of the time you will find the noun frattempo together with the preposition nel. It's curious because the noun frattempo already comes from another preposition fra (between) and the noun tempo (time). In English we can say "in the meantime" or "meanwhile," which mean almost the same thing. But we need to translate both of these as nel frattempo or, alternatively, nel mentre, which means the same thing.
Questo è fondamentale quando ci si trova
This is fundamental when you find yourself,
appunto nello studio di doppiaggio
in fact, in the dubbing studio
a dover affrontare un, un testo oppure un personaggio.
and need to deal with a script or a character.
Captions 16-17, Arianna e Marika - Il lavoro di doppiatrice
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We say nello because we say lo studio (the studio). So here, you have to pay attention to the first letter of the word following the preposition. It will start with an S plus a consonant, or a Z, and sometimes Y.
Quanti libri hai nello zaino?
How many books do you have in your backpack?
Caption 9, Marika spiega - La particella NE
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Oppure nello yogurt, la mela sciolta diciam'...
Or else in some yogurt, an apple dissolved, let's say...
ridotta a polpa nello yogurt, sempre sul viso, è idratante.
reduced to a pulp in some yogurt, again on the face, is moisturising.
Caption 22, Enea - Mela Part 2
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Il tasto "play" e "pause"
The "play" and "pause" button
si trova esattamente nello stesso punto del pannello di controllo.
is located in exactly the same spot on the control panel.
Captions 15-16, Italian Intro - Serena
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We use l' when the first letter of the word following the article starts with a vowel. We double the L and add an apostrophe.
Nell'ultimo ventennio,
In the last twenty years,
i coronavirus si sono imposti all'attenzione del mondo
coronaviruses have caught the attention of the entire world
in tre momenti precisi.
in three precise moments.
Captions 27-29, COVID-19 - Domande frequenti
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Allora, può intagliare così,
So, they can make an incision like this,
può intagliare un pomodoro così,
they can cut a notch in a tomato like so,
mettere una pentola d'acqua a bollire
put up a pot of water to boil,
e tenere i pomodori
and keep the tomatoes
nell'acqua bollente per dieci minuti.
in the boiling water for ten minutes.
Captions 10-14, L'Italia a tavola - La pappa al pomodoro
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È da circa otto minuti che i nostri spaghetti
It's been about eight minutes that our spaghetti
stanno cuocendo nella pentola.
has been cooking in the pot.
Caption 38, Adriano - Spaghetti pomodoro e aglio
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E due luoghi sacri si trovano proprio nei punti più alti della città.
And two sacred places are found right at the highest points of the city.
Caption 12, Meraviglie - EP. 1 - Part 10
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Leonardo, molto spesso, nelle sue opere,
Leonardo, very often in his works,
faceva le figure centrali
made the central figures
quasi fossero delle piramidi
almost as if they were pyramids
e poi i dodici apostoli sono suddivisi in gruppi di tre.
and then, the twelve apostles are divided into groups of three.
Captions 10-13, Meraviglie - EP. 3 - Part 12
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Olivetti è sempre riuscito nelle cose che ha intrapreso.
Olivetti has always succeeded in the things he has undertaken.
Caption 46, Adriano Olivetti - La forza di un sogno Ep.2
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In future lessons, we will talk about other preposizioni articolate that follow these same principles.
See this lesson about di (of):
See this lesson about in (to, in, at).
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