Question Words
Italian uses specific words to ask questions. The most common are chi (who), che/cosa (what), quale (which), and quanto (how much/many).
How It Works
Italian interrogatives are categorized by whether they replace a noun (pronouns) or modify one (adjectives):
- Chi (Who/Whom): Used only as a pronoun for people or animate beings. It is invariable.
Example: Chi abbaia? (Who/What is barking?) - Che / Cosa / Che cosa (What): Used for things or ideas. Che can be an adjective (Che libro leggi?) or a pronoun (Che fai?). Cosa and Che cosa are pronouns.
Example: Cosa mangi? (What are you eating?) - Quale / Quali (Which/What): Can be an adjective or a pronoun. It is used to identify a specific item from a group. It changes for number (quali) but is gender-invariant (e.g., Quale ragazzo / Quale ragazza).
Example: Quale preferisci? (Which [one] do you prefer?) - Quanto / -a / -i / -e (How much/many): Can be an adjective or a pronoun. It asks about quantity and must agree in gender and number with the noun.
Example: Quanti libri hai? (How many books do you have?)
Interrogative Spelling Rules:
1. Qual è: When quale comes before è, it drops the 'e'. Crucially, this is troncamento, so no apostrophe is used. Writing qual'è is a common error.
2. Elision: While dove (where) and come (how) are interrogative adverbs rather than pronouns, they follow the same rule of elisione before è (e.g., Dov'è? Com'è?). The pronoun cosa also does this: Cos'è?.
Examples (5)
- Chi viene alla festa stasera?
Who is coming to the party tonight?
Word by Word: Who comes to the party tonight?
'Chi' is used here as a pronoun referring to people.
- Qual è il tuo numero di telefono?
What is your telephone number?
Word by Word: Which is the your number of telephone?
Note the spelling of 'qual è' without an apostrophe.
- Con chi vai al cinema?
Who are you going to the cinema with?
Word by Word: With whom go-you to-the cinema?
The preposition 'con' must come before the question word 'chi'.
- Quanti caffè bevi al giorno?
How many coffees do you drink per day?
Word by Word: How-many coffees drink-you at-the day?
'Quanti' is an adjective here and agrees with the masculine plural noun 'caffè'.
- Che cosa desidera da bere?
What would you like to drink?
Word by Word: What thing desire-you to drink?
'Che cosa' is the formal/complete way to ask 'what'.
Common Mistakes
Using an apostrophe with 'qual è'.
Qual'è il tuo nome?Qual è il tuo nome?'Quale' undergoes truncation (troncamento), not elision, before 'è'. Therefore, it never takes an apostrophe.
Stranding a preposition at the end of the sentence.
Chi parli con?Con chi parli?In Italian, prepositions must always precede the interrogative word.
Using 'cosa' as an adjective before a noun.
Cosa libro leggi?Che libro leggi?'Cosa' is only a pronoun. To ask 'what [noun]', you must use 'che' or 'quale' as an adjective.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To use interrogative pronouns effectively, learners should first understand basic sentence structure and subject pronouns, as these question words often replace or inquire about the subject or object of a sentence.
Related Patterns
- Elision
Explains why 'dove è' becomes 'dov'è' and 'cosa è' becomes 'cos'è'.
Level 1 - Truncation
Explains why 'quale' becomes 'qual' before 'è' without an apostrophe.
Level 1 - quale / cheInterrogative Adjectives (Quale/che)
Focuses specifically on using these words as adjectives to describe nouns.
Level 1 - Yes/No Questions
The basic way to form questions without using specific interrogative words.
Level 1 - Adjective Agreement
Explains how 'quanto' changes its ending to match the noun it describes.
Level 1
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Sources
Practice Question Words in Bubblegum
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