A2 · Joining sentences
Relative pronouns: che, cui
One word for almost everything, and no way to drop it.
At a glance
- Remember
- che is never optional.
- Form
- l’uomo che parlathe man who is speaking
- Signal words
- che
- cui
- in cui
- con cui
- chi
- Trap
- Wrong:La torta hai fatto era ottima.Right:La torta che hai fatto era ottima.
Your turn
5 exercises on this topic. Your answers are checked in the browser; none of them leaves your device.
Now write it yourself4 sentences on this topic, typed and checked instantly.
The form
The forms and what they mean
Each row gives the meaning first, then the form in Italian.
| the man who is speaking | l’uomo che parla |
| the book I am reading | il libro che leggo |
| the person I am talking to | la persona con cui parlo |
| the city I live in | la città in cui vivo |
| the house whose roof is red | la casa il cui tetto è rosso |
| whoever arrives late | chi arriva tardi |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is aboutThe word that calls for it
che covers subject and object alike.
È il treno che parte a mezzogiorno.That is the train that leaves at midday.
After a preposition it is cui.
Ecco l’amico di cui ti ho parlato.There is the friend I told you about.
With possession the article agrees with the thing possessed.
Conosco una donna il cui figlio è medico.I know a woman whose son is a doctor.
che may never be left out.
Il film che abbiamo visto era bello.The film we saw was good.
Example sentences
Cerco qualcuno che parli tedesco.I am looking for somebody who speaks German.
La torta che hai fatto era ottima.The cake you made was excellent.
Questa è la ragione per cui non sono venuto.That is the reason I did not come.
Ecco le chiavi che avevate perso.Here are the keys you had lost.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
English drops the relative word whenever it is the object — « the cake you made », « the keys you lost » — and the habit is so automatic that the gap is invisible. In Italian there is no gap to leave: la torta che hai fatto, le chiavi che avevate perso. The sentence without che is not informal but unfinished.
The full explanation
Read it all · about 1 min
che stands for subject and object, masculine and feminine, singular and plural: l'uomo che parla, il libro che leggo, le donne che aspettano. Four English words in one.
After a preposition it is cui: la persona con cui parlo, la città in cui vivo, il motivo per cui sono venuto. The preposition stands in front of it and not at the end of the clause.
Possession: il cui, la cui — and the article agrees with the thing possessed, not with the owner: la casa il cui tetto è rosso.
che may never be dropped. « The book I read » has no Italian equivalent: il libro che leggo is the only way to say it, and leaving the word out does not sound casual, it stops the sentence from working.
Instead of in cui, a place often takes dove: la città dove vivo. A time takes in cui, or che in conversation, but not quando: il giorno in cui (che) ci siamo conosciuti.
chi is a different word. It means « who » in a question or « the one who », and it stands with no noun in front of it: Chi dorme non piglia pesci.
How well do you know this topic?
This is filled in automatically after you practise. You can change it here at any time.
Next on the path: 41 · When to use tuBack to the learning path
The verbs on this page, in every form: essere · avere · parlare · fare · venire · perdere · cercare · conoscere