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'Roma è bellissima': why city names take feminine adjectives

When you describe a city in Italian, the adjective is normally feminine: Roma è bellissima, Parigi è famosa, Londra è cambiata. This works even when the name does not look feminine at all, as with Pechino or Bruxelles. The reason is that Italians think of the word città (city), which is feminine, behind every city name.

English speakers often get this wrong. English adjectives never change, so there is no habit to rely on. Many learners also guess the gender from the last letter, and a name like Pechino ends in -o, so it looks masculine. The safe move is to forget the ending and think la città.

Word list
LondrafB1 London Londra è cambiata = London has changed ParigifB1 Paris Parigi è famosa = Paris is famous PechinofB2 Beijing Pechino è cambiata = Beijing has changed RomafB2 Rome Roma è antica = Rome is ancient SingaporemB2 Singapore Singapore è pulitissima = Singapore is very clean ViennafB2 Vienna Vienna è cambiata = Vienna has changed FirenzefC1 Florence Firenze è bellissima = Florence is very beautiful MoscafC1 Moscow Mosca è fredda = Moscow is cold VeneziafC1 Venice Venezia è affollata = Venice is crowded BruxellesfC2 Brussels Bruxelles è affollata = Brussels is crowded
How it works

Picture the hidden word: Roma means la città di Roma. Anything that agrees with the name agrees with città. That includes adjectives, past participles after essere (è cambiata, è stata) and object pronouns (la, l'ho vista).

Roma è bellissima, ma oggi è molto affollata.
(Rome is beautiful, but today it is very crowded.)
Pechino è cambiata molto.
(Beijing has changed a lot.)

Adjectives ending in -e, like elegante or grande, have the same form for both genders, so you will not see the agreement there. It shows up with -o/-a adjectives and with past participles.

The words
Names ending in -a

With Londra, Roma, Mosca, Venezia and Vienna the feminine form feels natural, because the names already look feminine.

Londra è molto grande e un po' cara.
(London is very big and a bit expensive.)
Mosca è fredda in inverno.
(Moscow is cold in winter.)
D'estate Venezia è sempre affollata.
(In summer Venice is always crowded.)
Vienna è elegante ed è cambiata poco negli anni.
(Vienna is elegant and has changed little over the years.)
Names with other endings

This is where learners slip. Parigi, Firenze, Pechino and Bruxelles are still feminine. So are other big Italian cities such as Milano, Torino and Napoli: Milano è cara, Torino è tranquilla.

Parigi è famosa per i suoi musei.
(Paris is famous for its museums.)
Ho visitato Firenze l'anno scorso e l'ho trovata bellissima.
(I visited Florence last year and found it very beautiful.)
Pechino è molto inquinata, ma è affascinante.
(Beijing is very polluted, but it is fascinating.)
Il lunedì mattina Bruxelles è piena di traffico.
(On Monday mornings Brussels is full of traffic.)
Watch out

Remember that this is the usual pattern, not an absolute law. A few cases work differently:

  • Il Cairo has a masculine article built into its name, so it takes masculine agreement: Il Cairo è caotico.
  • Football clubs named after cities follow their own tradition. Many are masculine: il Napoli ha vinto, il Torino ha perso. Others are feminine, like la Roma. Here you are talking about the team, not the city.
  • Singapore is both a city and a country, and Italians often treat it as masculine: Singapore è molto caro. You will hear both genders, so do not use it as a model for other cities.
  • For ordinary cities, you may sometimes hear a masculine adjective in casual speech, especially with names ending in -o. The feminine is still the standard choice and always correct.
Il Cairo è enorme e molto caotico.
(Cairo is huge and very chaotic.)
Summary

When you describe a city, think of the hidden word la città and make everything feminine: Roma è antica, Pechino è cambiata, Firenze? L'ho vista. Ignore the ending of the name. Only names with a built-in masculine article, like il Cairo, and football teams break the pattern.