Relative Pronouns

Relative pronouns are words that connect two sentences, linking an element from one sentence to an element in the other. In Italian, the most common relative pronouns are che, cui, dove, and quale (and its forms il quale, la quale, i quali, le quali). Let’s see how they are used.

1. Che

Che is the most commonly used relative pronoun and it refers to both people and things. It can be translated into English as “that,” “which,” or “who.”

Examples:

• La ragazza che ho visto ieri è mia cugina.

• The girl who I saw yesterday is my cousin.

• Il libro che stai leggendo è interessante.

• The book that you are reading is interesting.

2. Cui

Cui is mainly used after a preposition and can be translated as “whom,” “which,” or “that.”

Examples:

• L’uomo a cui ho dato il libro è mio amico.

• The man to whom I gave the book is my friend.

• La casa in cui viviamo è molto grande.

• The house in which we live is very large.

3. Dove

Dove is a relative pronoun used to indicate a place. It can replace “in cui” or “nel/nella quale.”

Examples:

• La piscina in cui/dove vado è davanti casa.

• The pool where I go is in front of the house.

• La città dove sono nato è molto piccola.

• The city where I was born is very small.

4. Il quale, la quale, i quali, le quali

These relative pronouns are used less frequently and are often employed to avoid ambiguity. They agree in gender and number with the noun they refer to.

Examples:

• Il professore il quale ha scritto il libro è molto famoso.

• The professor who wrote the book is very famous.

• Le città le quali abbiamo visitato erano bellissime.

• The cities which we visited were beautiful.