Question pronouns

Question pronouns introduce an open question, like Dove abiti? Where do you live? Let’s ask questions and learn the question pronouns in Italian!

Question pronouns in Italian

Question pronouns (it. pronomi interrogativi) introduce an open question. Here you’ll find an overview of question pronouns in Italian:

ComeCome stai?How are you?
ChiChi sei?Who are you?
DoveDove abiti?Where do you live?
Di dove
Da dove
Di dove sei?
Da dove vieni?
Where are you from?
Che cosa | CosaChe cosa | Cosa mangi per colazione?What do you eat for breakfast?
CheChe sport fai?What sport do you do?
QualeQual è il tuo numero di telefono?What is your phone number?
QuantoQuanti anni hai?How old are you?
lit. How many years do you have?
PerchéPerché impari l’italiano?Why do you learn Italian?
QuandoQuando vai in vacanza?When do you go on holiday?

Di dove o da dove?

Di dove and da dove both mean from where and the choice depends on the verb. They are especially used for the question Where are you from?

di dove+ essereDi dove sei?
da dove+ venireDa dove vieni?

Learn more about this topic in the lesson Sono di vengo da – Where are you from in Italian.

Cosa, che o quale?

Che cosa, or simply cosa, means what and is followed by a verb. Che means what and is followed by a noun. Quale means what or which (one), expresses a limited choice and is also used in connection with the verb essere, for example to ask for the address, the phone number or the favorite thing. Before è quale becomes qual.

Cosa fai domani?What do you do tomorrow?
Che sport fai?What sport do you do?
Quale vino preferisci, rosso o bianco?Which wine do you prefer, red or white?
Qual è il tuo numero di telefono?What’s your phone number?
Qual è il tuo sport preferito?What’s your favorite sport?

Learn more about this topic in our lesson the difference between quale, che and cosa.

Quanto

The question pronoun quanto how much, e.g. in the question Quanti anni hai?, adapts to gender and number and has four forms, like an adjective.

SingularPlural
MasculineQuantoQuanti
FeminineQuantaQuante

We use the basic form quanto always with verbs:

Quanto costa?How much does it cost?

Note: In exclamations quanto and its forms mean so much/many:

Quanto zucchero! So much sugar!
ItalianoBello pronomi interrogativi 1 | Question pronouns

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