Adjectives 3

NOTES

(by DuoItalian)

There are some adjectives here that have the same or similar meaning as other Italian words you may have already encountered. The basic differences are explained below, but there are deeper meanings and differences to these words that you will learn with experience.

Sottile o Magro? (thin)
Magro is most commonly used to describe people, while sottile can be used to describe objects.

• Quel ragazzo è troppo magro. (That boy is too thin.)
• Ho scritto su un sottile foglio di carta. (I wrote on a thin sheet of paper.)

Soffice o Morbido? (soft)
Considered synonyms, but there are subtle differences.  Soffice means soft an in fluffy or without air, whereas morbido means soft as easily pliable to pressure, smooth, pleasant on contact.

• Il mio cuscino è molto soffice. (My pillow is very soft.)
• Lei ha la pelle morbida. (She has soft skin.)

Morbido can also be used to express something with a figurative meaning or that passed unhindered.

• L’aereo fece un atterraggio morbido. (The airplane made a soft landing.)
• Il governatore ha preso una linea morbida sul crimine. (The governor has taken a soft line on crime.)

Corretto o Giusto? (correct)
While both can be translated to “correct”, giusto is a bit more flexible and can mean “fair”, “right”, ‘just”.

• La risposta corretta. (The correct answer.)
• La mia traduzione della frase è corretta. (My translation of the sentence is correct.)
• Il giusto prezzo. (The right price.)
• Non mi sembra giusto. (It doesn’t seem fair to me.)

Impegnato o Occupato? (busy)
These two are a little more difficult to differentiate.  While occupato is essentially anything or anyone which isn’t available at that particular moment, impegnato references someone who is busy doing something. In other words, someone who is “engaged” or  “committed”.

• Il telefono è occupato. (The phone line is busy.)
• Sono occupato al momento. (I am busy at the moment.)
• È impegnato a lavorare oggi. (He is busy working today.)
• Sono impegnato a giocare a tennis domani. (I’m busy playing tennis tomorrow.)

VOCABULARY

(from Duolingo)

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