13.2. Interrogatives

Interrogatives, espressioni interrogative

A. Chi (“who/whom”) is an interrogative pronoun used to ask about people; it can be used for both singular and plural. It is invariable. E.g.,

Chi suona il piano?  - Riccardo.

Who is playing the piano? –Riccardo.

Chi sono i tuoi amici? -Degli studenti francesi.

Who are your friends? –Some French students.

B. Quanto/a/i/e (“how much” or “how many”) agrees with the object it is modifying. E.g.,

Quanti studenti ci sono?

How many students are there?

Per quante settimane viene?

How many weeks is he coming for?

Quanto costa?*

How much does it cost?

Quanto nevicherà?*

How much will it snow?

*For uncountable or unknowable things, use the masculine singular form, quanto.

C. Quale/i (“which” or “which ones”) has two forms: quale for singular (regardless of the gender of the object) and quali for plural, e.g.,

In quale macchina vuoi andare?

In which car do you want to go?

Quale panino hai ordinato?

Which sandwich did you order?

Quali borse hai comprato?

Which handbags did you buy?

Quali panini avete mangiato?

Which sandwiches did you eat?

D. Che/cosa/che cosa (“what”) are interchangeable and invariable.

Cosa facciamo? = What are we doing?

Che cosa dice? = What is he/she/you saying?

Che (cosa) succede? = What’s happening?