The Position of Adjectives within Italian Sentences

Italian adjectives can stand before or after the noun.
Adjectives that describe colours, shapes, nationalities, political or religious affiliations are placed after the noun.

⚠ Please, pay attention here: this is the opposite to how the English language works.

Even if several adjectives describe a noun in more detail, they are placed after the word they refer to.

💬 Examples:
il ragazzo americano – the American boy
il ministro democratico – the democratic minister
la suora cattolica – the catholic nun
la macchina bianca, bella e veloce – the white, beautiful and fast car

Some adjectives change their meaning depending on whether they come before or after the noun.

💬 Examples:
una macchina cara – an expensive car
un caro amico – a dear friend
una casa grande – a big house
una grande donna – a great woman

The adjective has a distinctive function before the noun and a descriptive function after the noun.

➠ The Comparative Form