Italiano — Bello, buono, grande before nouns
When they come before the noun, bello, buono, grande and santo drop or shorten their ending to match the following sound — just like the definite article does: un bel ragazzo, un buon lavoro, un grand'uomo, San Marco.
How it works
Masculine bello follows the article pattern: bel + consonant (bel ragazzo), bello before s+consonant/z/gn/ps (bello studente), bell' before a vowel (bell'albero); plural bei (bei libri) or begli (begli amici). Buono shortens to buon before almost any masculine noun (buon lavoro, buon amico), but keeps buono before s+consonant/z (buono studente). Grande becomes gran before a consonant (gran film) and grand' before a vowel (grand'uomo). Santo gives san before a consonant (San Marco) and sant' before a vowel (Sant'Anna).
Forms and examples
| Form | Example | Used before |
|---|---|---|
| bel | bel ragazzo | most consonants |
| bello | bello studente | s+consonant, z, gn, ps, x, y |
| bell' | bell'albero | a vowel |
| bei / begli | bei libri / begli amici | plural: bei + consonant, begli + vowel/s+cons/z |
| buon / buono | buon lavoro / buono studente | buon before most; buono before s+cons, z |
| gran / grand' | gran film / grand'uomo | gran before consonant, grand' before vowel |
| san / sant' / santo | San Marco / Sant'Anna / Santo Stefano | san + consonant, sant' + vowel, santo before s+cons/z |
Good to know
The shortening happens only before the noun. After the noun the full form returns: un ragazzo bello, un lavoro buono. The feminine of buono keeps buona but may elide to buon' before a vowel (buon'idea), while bella and grande simply drop to bell' / grand' before a vowel (bell'idea, grand'occasione).