Question words

With a few question words you can ask about almost anything. In Italian the question word comes first, then the verb, and the subject, if you say it at all, usually comes after the verb: Dove abita Marco? - Where does Marco live? There is no helper like "do" or "does".

Che Cosa, Cosa, Che: What

All three mean "what" and are interchangeable in questions. Cosa is the most common in speech.

• Cosa fai? - What are you doing?
• Che cosa vuoi? - What do you want?
• Che dici? - What are you saying?

Before è, cosa usually shortens: Cos’è? or Che cos’è? - What is it?

Che Before a Noun

Before a noun, use che to mean "what" or "what kind of":

• Che lavoro fai? - What do you do for a living?
• Che giorno è oggi? - What day is it today?
• Che ore sono? - What time is it?

Chi: Who

Chi asks about people. It never changes, and it usually takes a singular verb. One exception: Chi sono? - Who are they?

• Chi è? - Who is it?
• Chi ha vinto? - Who won?
• Chi viene stasera? - Who’s coming tonight?

Prepositions Come First

In Italian a question can never end with a preposition. Put it in front of the question word instead:

• Con chi esci? - Who are you going out with?
• Di chi è questo libro? - Whose book is this? (literally, of whom)
• A chi lo dai? - Who are you giving it to?

This works with other question words too: Di dove sei? - Where are you from?

Dove: Where

Dove asks about places. Before è, it usually shortens to dov’è.

• Dove abiti? - Where do you live?
• Dov’è il bagno? - Where is the bathroom?
• Dove sono le chiavi? - Where are the keys?
• Dove hai messo il telefono? - Where did you put the phone?

For "where to", dove alone is enough: Dove vai? - Where are you going? For "where from", add da: Da dove vieni? - Where are you coming from?

Quando: When

Quando asks about time.

• Quando arrivi? - When are you arriving?
• Quando apre il negozio? - When does the store open?
• Quando è il tuo compleanno? - When is your birthday?
• Da quando? - Since when?

Quando is also "when" in ordinary sentences: Ti chiamo quando arrivo. - I’ll call you when I arrive.

Perché: Why, Because

Perché means both "why" and "because", so it asks the question and gives the answer.

• Perché ridi? - Why are you laughing?
• Perché sei in ritardo? - Why are you late?
• Perché non mi hai chiamato? - Why didn’t you call me?
• Perché c’era traffico. - Because there was traffic.

Always write the accent. It shows that the stress falls on the last syllable, per-CHÉ, and it leans to the right (é), not the left.

Come: How

Come asks about the way something is done or how something is.

• Come stai? - How are you?
• Come si dice "hello" in italiano? - How do you say "hello" in Italian?
• Com’è la tua nuova casa? - What is your new house like?
• Come ti chiami? - What’s your name? (literally, how do you call yourself?)

Before è, come usually shortens to com’è. When you didn’t hear something, Come? on its own means "Sorry? What did you say?"

Quanto: How Much, How Many

Quanto asks about amounts. It matches the noun it goes with, like an adjective ending in -o.

• Quanto tempo hai? - How much time do you have?
• Quanta acqua hai bevuto? - How much water did you drink?
• Quanti anni hai? - How old are you? (literally, how many years do you have?)
• Quante persone vengono? - How many people are coming?

On its own, quanto stays masculine singular: Quanto costa? - How much is it?

Quale: Which, What

Quale asks for a choice between things. It has only two forms: quale for one and quali for more than one.

• Quale preferisci? - Which one do you prefer?
• Quali libri hai letto? - Which books have you read?
• Quale autobus devo prendere? - Which bus should I take?

Before è, it shortens to qual è, with no apostrophe:

• Qual è il tuo nome? - What is your name?
• Qual è il problema? - What’s the problem?

Use qual è for "what is" when you ask for one item from a set, like a name, a number or an address. Use che cos’è to ask what something is.