Italian Grammar Bank
ITALIAN INTERROGATIVE ADJECTIVES
In Italian, questions and exclamations can have something in common.
For example, the adjectives che, quale and quanto are interrogatives if they introduce a question, but become exclamatory if they express an exclamation.
Let’s have a look!
INTERROGATIVE ADJECTIVES
Interrogative adjectives, which are part of the group of determinative adjectives, are used to ask a question – direct or indirect – about the noun they refer to.
PATTERN
Interrogative Adjective + Noun + Verb + ?
Interrogative adjectives, like analogous pronouns, are used in particular to ask for information or clarifications regarding:
· The quantity of a certain person, animal, thing or abstract entity; in this case the variable in gender and number adjective quanto.
· The quality or identity of a thing, an animal, a person or an abstract entity; in these cases quale (variable only in number) and che (invariable) are the ones to be used, as in the sentences:
Look at the following table:
| SINGULAR | PLURAL | |||
| masculine | feminine | masculine | feminine | |
| quality–identity | che | che | che | che |
| quality– identity | quale | quale | quali | quali |
| quantity | quanto | quanta | quanti | quante |
| identity | chi | chi | chi | chi |
Interrogative adjectives can also have the value of pronouns.
Adjectives always precede a noun and agree with it in gender (masculine-feminine) and number (plural-singular), for example: quanti anni hai? (how old are you?).
Pronouns, on the other hand, replace the noun, for example: chi è quel ragazzo? (who is that boy?).
The first three (che, quale, quanto) have in fact the function of both adjective and pronoun; chi only has the function of pronoun. Let’s look at them one by one:
CHE
Che does not change in gender (masculine-feminine) and number (plural-singular).
As an adjective it is equivalent to quale, but it is more common in spoken language, for example: che ora è? (what time is it?); non so che libro leggere (I don’t know what book to read).
As a pronoun it is only used in reference to things (for people we use chi) for example: che fai? (what are you doing); che dici? (what are you saying): a che pensi? (what are you thinking about).
To express the interrogative pronoun referring to things, Italian has three equivalent possibilities available: che; che cosa; cosa.
For example: “What happened?”
Che è successo?
Che cosa è successo?
Cosa è successo?
QUALE
Quale is used to ask questions about:
–quality: quali progetti hai? , “what plans do you have?”;
– or about identity: in quale negozio vuoi andare? , “which shop do you want to go to?”, it is the same for the masculine and feminine forms, but it changes in the plural (quali).
– in written language it is better to use quale and not che. It is possible to find the form qual before a vowel ( qual è? , “Which one is it”) and sometimes also before a consonant (“qual buon vento”).
QUANTO
Quanto is used to ask questions about quantity, it varies in gender and number.
For example:
quanta neve è caduta? , how much has it snown?
quante persone ci sono? , how many people are there?
quanto zucchero vuoi nel caffè? , how much sugar do you want in your coffee?
quanti giorni avete di vacanza? , how many days of vacation do you have?
CHI
Chi is used exclusively to indicate people or living beings, it is the same for the masculine and feminine forms and also for the singular and plural.
It can be used as a subject: chi ha parlato? , who spoke?;
direct object: dimmi chi hai incontrato , tell me who you met;
or indirect object: con chi vai al cinema? , who are you going to the cinema with?.
Che, quale and quanto, and their respective plural and feminine forms, can be used both in direct questions (= ending with a question mark “?” or, in oral language, with an interrogative intonation) and in indirect questions (= requests but in the form of a statement, often used instead of direct questions for greater courtesy).
Examples of use in direct questions:
| Che tempo farà domani? | What will the weather be like tomorrow? |
| Quale vestito preferisci? | Which dress do you prefer? |
| Quanto tempo ci resta? | How much time do we have left? |
Examples of use in indirect questions:
| Vorrei sapere che tempo farà domani | I would like to know what the weather will be like tomorrow. |
| Dimmi quale vestito preferisci | I would like to know what the weather will be like tomorrow. |
| Mi piacerebbe essere informata su quanto tempo ci resta | Tell me which dress you prefer. |
EXCLAMATIVE ADJECTIVES
The same forms also constitute exclamative adjectives, useful for introducing an exclamation of wonder or amazement at the quantity (quanto) or quality (che, quale) of the noun being referred to.
PATTERN
Exclamation Adjective + Noun + Exclamation + !
If in exclamative form, che, quale and quanto are placed in sentences that generally end with the exclamation mark “!” in writing, in speaking they can be pronounced with greater emphasis on the voice.
Examples of use in exclamative form:
| Quanto freddo fa oggi! | How cold it is today! |
| Che bugiardo che sei! | What a liar you are! |
| Quale onore parlare con lei! | What an honor to talk to her! |
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FAQs
What are interrogative adjectives in Italian?
Interrogative adjectives (aggettivi interrogativi) are used to ask questions about a noun. The most common interrogative adjectives in Italian are “che” (what/which), “quale” (which), and “quanto” (how much/how many).
How do interrogative adjectives agree with nouns?
Interrogative adjectives must agree in gender and number with the noun they modify. For example, “quale” becomes “quali” for plural (e.g., “Quale libro?” – Which book?; “Quali libri?” – Which books?), and “quanto” changes to “quanta”, “quanti”, and “quante” depending on the noun (e.g., “Quanta acqua?” – How much water?).
What are exclamative adjectives in Italian?
Exclamative adjectives (aggettivi esclamativi) express strong emotions or surprise about a noun.
The most common ones are “che” (what), “quanto” (how much/how many), and “quale” (which). For example: “Che bella giornata!” (What a beautiful day!).
Can interrogative adjectives be used without a noun in Italian?
Yes, interrogative adjectives can sometimes stand alone when the noun is implied by the context. For example: “Quale preferisci?” (Which one do you prefer?) assumes the noun is understood from the conversation.
What’s the difference between “che” and “quale”?
“Che” is often used more generally, while “quale” is more specific when selecting between options.
For instance, “Che libro leggi?” (What book are you reading?) vs. “Quale libro preferisci?” (Which book do you prefer?).
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