ADJECTIVES 2

plural:
"Il battello è bianco" <The boat is white>;
"La colomba ha un'ala bianca" <The dove has a white wing>;
"I miei denti sono bianchi" <My teeth are white>;
"Le mie scarpe sono bianche" <My shoes are white>.
(Note that the letter "h" inserted in bianchi and bianche is there to keep the "hard" sound of the "c".)
Regular adjectives with identical masculine and feminine forms have a singular ending "-e" and a plural ending "-i":
"un vestito verde" <a green dress>;
"una mela verde" <a green apple>;
"dei alberi verdi" <some green trees>;
"delle tartaruge verdi" <some green turtles>.
N.B. Adjectives describing colors by means of nouns do not change form to show gender or number:
"la rosa" <the rose>, "rosa" <pink>, "dei fiori rosa" <some pink flowers>;
"la viola" <the violet>, "viola" <purple>, "un vestito viola" <a purple dress>.
Other adjectives describing colors that are invariable are:
"arancione" <orange>, "marrone" <brown>, "blu" <blue>,
If an adjective follows two nouns, it takes a plural form;
if one of the nouns is masculine, the adjective must be masculine plural:
"un vestito e una camicia rossi" <a red dress and a red shirt>.
(also note the difference between rossa = red and rosa = pink.)
If the adjective precedes two nouns, however, it agrees with the closest one:
"rosse camicie e vestiti" <red shirts and dresses>.
The POSITION of adjectives follows certain rules. Generally speaking, adjectives which describe or differentiate FOLLOW the nouns they modify:
"una fontana magnifica" <a magnificent fountain>;
"la mano destra" <the right hand>.
Adjectives PRECEDE the nouns they modify when they express an essential or characteristic quality, and when they limit or quantify:
"un piccolo asino" <a small donkey>;
"le poche case" <the few houses>;
"alcuni romanzi" <some novels>.
Some adjectives change meaning when they precede the noun, taking on a figurative sense:
"un uomo povero" <a poverty-stricken man> but "un pover' uomo" <an unfortunate fellow>.