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<\/figure>\n\n\n\n1. What are relative pronouns for?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Relative pronouns connect two clauses that share a common element \u2014 a person, a thing or a place. Instead of repeating the same word twice, you use a relative pronoun to combine the two sentences into one smoother whole.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here’s an example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
La sorella di Carla \u00e8 arrivata proprio ieri.<\/em> + La sorella di Carla ha deciso di non ripartire pi\u00f9.<\/em><\/mark><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2192 La sorella di Carla, che<\/strong> \u00e8 arrivata proprio ieri, ha deciso di non ripartire pi\u00f9.<\/em><\/mark><\/p>\n\n\n\n Simple enough in principle \u2014 but how do you know which pronoun to use? It all comes down to the grammatical function<\/strong> the pronoun plays in the relative clause.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When the relative pronoun stands in for the subject<\/strong> of the clause, Italian uses che<\/strong>. In this case, it can be replaced by il quale \/ la quale \/ i quali \/ le quali<\/em>, which agree in gender and number with the noun they refer to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n – La persona che<\/strong> \/ la quale<\/strong> parla con Serena \u00e8 il professore di Storia dell’arte.<\/em><\/mark><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n And in the plural:<\/p>\n\n\n\n – I turisti che<\/strong> \/ i quali<\/strong> preferiscono visitare le citt\u00e0 d’arte sono la maggior parte.<\/em><\/mark><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The form il quale \/ la quale<\/em> is more formal and more precise. It’s especially useful when there’s ambiguity about which noun the pronoun refers to \u2014 the gender and number agreement helps clarify things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When the relative pronoun stands in for the object<\/strong> of the clause, Italian again uses che<\/strong> \u2014 and in this case, it cannot be replaced by any other form.<\/p>\n\n\n\n – Chiara ha ordinato dei libri che<\/strong> deve studiare per l’esame.<\/em> In short: che<\/strong> covers both the subject and the object, and it never changes form. It’s the simplest and most frequently used relative pronoun in Italian.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is where many learners get stuck \u2014 and yet the logic is straightforward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When the relative pronoun refers to the object of a preposition<\/strong> (introduced by di, a, da, in, con, su, per, tra\u2026<\/em>), Italian uses cui<\/strong>, preceded by the relevant preposition. This corresponds to English structures like “about which”, “with whom”, “in which”, and so on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n – Questi sono i documenti di cui<\/strong> ti ho parlato tempo fa.<\/em> When cui<\/em> is preceded by a preposition, it can be replaced by il quale \/ la quale \/ i quali \/ le quali<\/em>, merging the preposition with the article. Here are the same examples in this form:<\/p>\n\n\n\n – Questi sono i documenti dei quali<\/strong> vi ho parlato tempo fa.<\/em> Important exception:<\/strong> The preposition a<\/em> before cui<\/em> can be omitted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n – Rosanna \u00e8 la persona (a) cui <\/strong>pensavo di scrivere.<\/em><\/mark><\/p>\n\n\n\n Both forms are correct: with or without a<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There is a fourth relative pronoun, less common but very useful: chi<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Chi<\/strong> always refers to people<\/strong> and works as a double-function pronoun: it is equivalent to quelli che<\/em>, la persona \/ le persone che<\/em>, la gente che<\/em>. It is always singular<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n – Chi <\/strong>pratica sport sta meglio anche mentalmente.<\/em> Watch out:<\/strong> Chi<\/em> is never used for things or animals. For those, use che<\/em> or cui<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you’re coming from English, there are a few key differences worth keeping in mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Italian che<\/em> covers both who<\/em> and that\/which<\/em>.<\/strong> In English, you distinguish between who<\/em> (for people) and that<\/em> or which<\/em> (for things). Italian doesn’t make that distinction \u2014 che<\/em> works for people and things alike, whether it’s the subject or the object.<\/p>\n\n\n\n – La ragazza che<\/strong> parla\u2026<\/em> (the girl who<\/strong> is talking\u2026) Italian never drops the relative pronoun.<\/strong> In English, you can say “the book I bought” or “the book that I bought” \u2014 both are fine. In Italian, leaving out the relative pronoun is not an option. You must always include che<\/em>, cui<\/em> or the appropriate form.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2714 Il libro che<\/strong> ho comprato\u2026<\/em> For objects of a preposition, Italian uses preposition + cui<\/em>.<\/strong> English handles these with “whose”, “of which”, “with whom” and similar forms. Italian is more systematic: preposition + cui<\/em> (or preposition + il quale \/ la quale<\/em>) covers all of these cases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n – L’amico con cui<\/strong> viaggio\u2026<\/em> (the friend with whom<\/strong> I’m travelling\u2026) Here are a few sentences to test your knowledge. Choose the correct relative pronoun:<\/p>\n\n\n\n (Answers: 1. che \/ la quale \u2014 2. cui \u2014 3. di cui \/ dei quali \u2014 4. Chi \u2014 5. che)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Relative pronouns are a cornerstone of Italian grammar. Mastering them means being able to build precise, expressive sentences \u2014 just like a native speaker. They’re also the key to understanding authentic Italian texts and conversations more easily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Check out the complete grammar sheet on Pronomi relativi<\/a> from the Sillabi resources to review the rules, examples and summary tables at a glance. It’s the perfect tool to have on hand whenever you’re studying or doing exercises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Understanding the rules is just the beginning. To use relative pronouns spontaneously \u2014 without stopping to think, in speech and in writing \u2014 you need guided practice in real context.<\/p>\n\n\n\n2. The pronoun che<\/em>: subject or object<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
2.1 When che<\/em> is the subject<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
2.2 When che<\/em> is the object<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
– Paola ha comprato la camicia che<\/strong> aveva visto ieri.<\/em><\/mark><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
3. The pronoun cui<\/em>: for objects of a preposition<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
– La signora con cui<\/strong> \u00e8 venuto il Presidente \u00e8 sua moglie.<\/em>
– Questo \u00e8 il sito in cui<\/strong> si possono trovare le informazioni necessarie.<\/em><\/mark><\/p>\n\n\n\n
– La signora con la quale<\/strong> \u00e8 venuto il Presidente \u00e8 sua moglie.<\/em>
– Questo \u00e8 il sito nel quale<\/strong> si possono trovare le informazioni necessarie.<\/em><\/mark><\/p>\n\n\n\n4. The pronoun chi<\/em>: a special case<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
– Amo chi <\/strong>ascolta musica classica.<\/em><\/mark><\/p>\n\n\n\n5. How Italian relative pronouns compare to English<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
– Il film che<\/strong> guardo\u2026<\/em> (the film that<\/strong> I’m watching\u2026)<\/mark><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u274c Il libro ho comprato\u2026<\/em><\/mark><\/p>\n\n\n\n
– I documenti di cui<\/strong> ti ho parlato\u2026<\/em> (the documents I told you about<\/strong>\u2026)<\/mark><\/p>\n\n\n\n6. Practise with these sentences<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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7. Want to go deeper?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
8. Ready to speak more fluent, natural Italian?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n