Relative Pronouns (I pronomi relativi)
Practice:Relative Pronouns
A relative pronoun initiates a relative or dependent clause, a part of a sentence that describes further qualities of a noun. Examples in English include:
- The book that I read last week was really depressing.
- The friends who are coming to visit next week are from Ireland.
- The professor to whom I was talking is very engaging.
The most common relative pronouns in Italian are che, cui, quello che, and chi. One, by one, let's see how these are used.
CHE
Che means that and which (replacing things) as well as who and whom (replacing people).
Examples:
| Lo studente che ha ricevuto il voto piu' alto non e' il piu' intelligente. | The student who got the highest grade is not the smartest one. |
| Gli amici che ho incontrato ieri seri erano i miei compagni al liceo. | The friends whom I met last night were my highschool classmates. |
| La lettera che c'e' sul tavolo e' da mio zio. | The letter that's on the table is from my uncle. |
| E' vero la cosa che ci hai raccontato? | Is the thing that you told us true? |
As you may note from the examples, che can be used to take the place of a noun that functions as both a subject (lo studente, la lettera) or an object (gli amici, la cosa).
Whereas in English, the relative pronoun that may often be omitted (e.g. "The book (that) you are reading," the che is required in Italian.
Alternatives to che include a form of quale or quali, together with the appropriate definite article. For example:
- Lo studente il quale ha ricevuto il voto piu' alto
- Gli amici i quali ho incontrato ieri sera
CUI
Cui is used instead of che when it appears with a preposition.
Examples:
| Conosci l'uomo con cui parlavo? | Do you know the man I was talking with? |
| Ecco il documento di cui hai bisogno. | Here is the document that you need. |
| Chi e' l'amcia a cui hai dato l'anello? | Who is the friend you gave the ring to? |
| Qual'e' la ragione per cui hai deciso di cambiare la tua specializzazione? | What is the reason for which you decided to change majors? |
This might be easier to conceptualize if you think of English sentences written according to the traditional (and now outdated) rule: Don't end a sentence with a preposition! For example:
- Who is the friend to whom you gave the ring?
- Do you know the man with whom I was talking?
In these examples, the sentence structure in English is identical to that in Italian.
Sometimes the preposition a is left out when used with cui. (e.g. La ragazza (a) cui abbiamo parlato e' la fidanzata di Matteo). No other prepositions can be omitted.
Alternatives to cui are il quale, la quale, i quali, and le quali, together with the appropriate prepositions and contracted, where appropriate. For example:
- Gli amici con i quali sono andato alla festa
- L'anno nel quale sono nato
When cui appears with only the definite article before it (il, la, i, etc.), it takes on the special meaning whose. For example:
- Lo studente i cui genitori sono senatori
The student whose parents are senators - Il professore il cui nome ho dimenticato
The professor whose name I've forgotten
Quello che
Quello che is used in cases in which there is no noun in the sentence to which the relative pronoun can refer. For example:
| Non ho capito quello che hai detto. | I didn't understand what (that which) you said. |
| Mi piace quello che studio. | I like what I'm studying. |
| Quello che fate non e' giusto. | What you all are doing is not right. |
Alternatives to quello che include quel che and cio' che. These are completely interchangeable, and it is fine if you always use quello che. It just helps to recognize all of them.
Chi
Chi, when used as a relative pronoun, means he who, those who, whoever, etc. For example:
| Chi lavora duro, avra' successi. | He who works hard, will be successful. |
| Devo sentire da chi vuole venire al concerto. | I need to hear from those who want to go to the concert. |
Remember, that chi is also used at the beginning of a question. For example:
- Chi viene alla festa stasera?
Who is coming to the party tonight? - Per chi hai comprato i fiori?
For whom did you buy the flowers?