Italian Grammar Bank
ITALIAN RELATIVE PRONOUNS
Relative pronouns in Italian connect clauses by replacing a noun previously mentioned, making sentences more fluid and cohesive.
This lesson explores their forms and usage, including che, cui, and il quale, to help you construct clear and precise sentences.
INTRODUCTION
Relative pronouns are used to link sentences and ideas within the same syntactic structure.
They serve to refer to a noun or pronoun mentioned earlier in the sentence and to introduce a relative proposition that provides further information about that antecedent.
Among the most common relative pronouns in Italian are ‘che’, ‘cui’, ‘il quale’ (and its gender and number variations), each with its specific functions and uses.
The use of relative pronouns makes it possible to avoid excessive repetition and to create more fluent sentences, enriching the discourse with additional information that specifies or clarifies the subject being spoken about.
RELATIVE PRONOUN “CHE”
The most commonly used relative pronoun is the invariable che (that).
It can be used as subject or object complement instead of the variable forms il quale, i quali, la quale, le quali.
| La mia amica che è tornata ieri dall’Olanda si chiama Giovanna. | My friend who came back from Holland yesterday is called Giovanna (che subject). |
| I libri che ci ha consigliato la maestra erano proprio belli. | The books the teacher recommended were really good (che object). |
| Il fratello di Sonia, che abita accanto a casa mia, ha comprato una nuova motocicletta. | Sonia’s brother, who lives next door to my house, bought a new motorbike. |
Che is used in the masculine, feminine, singular and plural: the verbs and adjectives in the sentence therefore agree with the so-called antecedent of the relative pronoun, i.e. the noun to which it refers (in the sentences above amica and libri).
In some cases, the antecedent can be a pronoun ( dico quello che penso I say what I think) or a whole sentence, which wants after itself the relative pronoun preceded by the article the with the meaning of ‘and this’ ( Il treno è in forte ritardo, il che è un bel problema The train is very late, which is quite a problem).
Be careful not to confuse with the conjunction che.
In order not to make a mistake, always try to replace that with il quale, i quali, la quale, le quali.
If the substitution is possible, it is the relative pronoun ( Ho sentito Paolo che/il quale mi ha raccontato un po’ di novità I heard from Paolo that/who told me some news), otherwise with the conjunction che ( Ho sentito che Paolo ha cambiato lavoro I heard that Paolo changed jobs).
RELATIVE PRONOUN “IL QUALE”
Il quale is a relative pronoun variable in gender and number (i quali, la quale, le quali) that can be used either as subject or as complement, whether direct or indirect.
| Il maestro ci ha consigliato diversi libri da leggere, i quali si trovano in biblioteca. | The teacher has recommended several books for us to read, the which can be found in the library. |
| La torta, la quale è stata preparata dalla nonna, è buonissima. | The cake, which grandmother baked, is delicious. |
| Il ragazzo del quale ti ho parlato si chiama Aldo. | The boy whose name I told you about is called Aldo. |
➡️ In the first example, the masculine plural relative pronoun i quali has the function of subject, but it is often preferred to use which in similar cases;
➡️ In the second example, the relative feminine singular pronoun serves as the object complement, but the sentence construction is unnecessarily complicated and, especially in non-formal contexts, it is definitely better to use that;
➡️ The third example, this is precisely the case where the variable pronoun quale is most often used, when it acts as an indirect complement preceded by a preposition.
RELATIVE PRONOUN “CUI”
Cui is used for indirect complements within subordinates; it is therefore always introduced by a simple or articulated preposition.
| Ti presento Alessandro, di cui ti ho parlato tanto. | Meet Alessandro, whom I have told you so much about. |
| La palestra in cui gioco a basket è lontana da casa mia. | The gym where I play basketball is far from my home. |
View More Examples
| Gli amici con cui mi trovo al pomeriggio sono i miei compagni di classe. | The friends I hang out with in the afternoons are my classmates. |
| La persona a cui ho consegnato i documenti è il segretario. | The person to whom I handed in the documents is the secretary. |
| Il motivo per cui ho preso questa decisione è il seguente. | The reason I took this decision is as follows. |
DOUBLE RELATIVE PRONOUNS “CHI”, “QUANTO”
Double pronouns are those that contain within themselves the functions of two pronouns where the first (demonstrative or indefinite) acts as the antecedent of the second (relative):
➡️ Chi (who): invariable pronoun that can be used in place of the forms colui che (he who), colei che (she who), coloro che (those who);
➡️ Quanto (much): variable pronoun (how many, how many) that stands for quello che, ciò che (what, that).
| Chi dorme non piglia pesci. | He (who) sleeps does not catch fish. |
| Per quanto mi riguarda, sono soddisfatto. | As far as (what) concerns me, I am satisfied. |
Chi can only be used in the singular and, when used as an indirect complement, the complement must be the same in the regent and relative sentences.
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FAQs
What are the main relative pronouns in Italian?
The most common relative pronouns are che (who, which, that), cui (whom, which), il quale/la quale/i quali/le quali (which, who, that), and chi (who, those who).
What is the difference between che and cui?
Che is used as a subject or direct object:
Il libro che leggo è interessante
– The book that I’m reading is interesting
While cui is used with prepositions:
La città in cui vivo è bellissima
– The city in which I live is beautiful.
When do you use il quale instead of che or cui?
Il quale and its variations (la quale, i quali, le quali) are more formal and help clarify gender and number
La ragazza, la quale è mia amica, è simpatica
– The girl, who is my friend, is nice.
Can chi be used as a relative pronoun?
No, chi is not a relative pronoun but an indefinite pronoun meaning “those who” or “whoever”
Chi studia impara
– Those who study learn.
How to use prepositions with relative pronouns?
Prepositions always precede cui
La persona di cui ti parlavo
– The person I was talking to you about).
With il quale, the preposition comes before or after
La ragione per la quale… or … per la quale la ragione.
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