Italian Language Lessons: Bello e Quello

Grammar, Spelling and Usage

By
Michael San Filippo
Michael San Filippo
Italian Expert
  • M.A., Italian Studies, Middlebury College
  • B.A., Biology, Northeastern University
Michael San Filippo co-wrote The Complete Idiot's Guide to Italian History and Culture. He is a tutor of Italian language and culture.
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Updated on February 14, 2020

Bello e Quello

Workbook Exercises About This Topic

The adjectives bello (beautiful, handsome, nice, fine) and quello (that) have shortened forms when they precede the nouns they modify. Note that the shortened forms are similar to those of the definite article.

MASCHILE

Singolare Plurale
bello/quello begli/quegli (before s + consonant or z)
bel/quel bei/quei (before other consonants)
bell'/quell' begli/quegli (before vowels)

FEMMINILE

Singolare Plurale
bella/quella belle/quelle (before all consonants)
bell'/quell' belle/quelle (before vowels)

Chi è quel bell’uomo? (Who’s that handsome man?)
Che bei capelli e che begli occhi! (What beautiful hair and eyes!)
Quell’americana è di Boston. (That America woman is from Boston.)
Quelle case sono vecchie. (Those houses are old.)

Bello retains its full form when it follows the noun it modifies or the verb essere.

Un ragazzo bello non è sempre simpatico. (A handsome boy is not always a likable boy.)
Quel ragazzo è bello. (That boy is handsome.)

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Filippo, Michael San. "Italian Language Lessons: Bello e Quello." ThoughtCo, Apr. 5, 2023, thoughtco.com/italian-language-lessons-bello-e-quello-4083436. Filippo, Michael San. (2023, April 5). Italian Language Lessons: Bello e Quello. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/italian-language-lessons-bello-e-quello-4083436 Filippo, Michael San. "Italian Language Lessons: Bello e Quello." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/italian-language-lessons-bello-e-quello-4083436 (accessed June 4, 2023).