Demonstrative adjectives: Questo, quello

1. What are questo and quello for?

• Questo = this / these → something near you (physically or in time).
• Quello = that / those → something a bit farther away (physically or in time).

They are adjectives, so they always stand before a noun and change with it.

• Gender: masculine / feminine.
• Number: singular / plural.

2. Step 1 – Is it near or far?

First question in your head:

• Object near me → choose a form of questo.
• Object far (or on another poster, another room, another day) → choose a form of quello / quel.

Examples:

• Questo tavolo è comodo. → the table near you.
• Quel tavolo è comodo. → the table on the other side of the room.

3. Step 2 – Which form of questo?

For “this / these”, the pattern is regular:

• The apostrophe quest' is only for singular before a vowel.
• Plural is always questi (m.) and queste (f.).

4. Step 3 – Which form of quello?

This is the part most learners struggle with.

Good news: the forms of quello follow the same pattern as the definite article il / lo / l' / i / gli.

Feminine is simpler:

5. Quick decision guide (self-check)

1. Near or far?
   • Near → use a form of questo.
   • Far → use a form of quello.
2. Masculine or feminine?
   • Look at the noun: libro (m), sedia (f), spazio (m), forma (f)...
3. Singular or plural?
   • -o / -a → usually singular.
   • -i / -e → usually plural.
4. First letter of the noun?
   • For questo: only check if there is a vowel → use quest' in singular.
   • For quello (masc.): check if it is vowel / normal consonant / s+consonant, z, ps, gn.

Try to say these aloud and check yourself:

• (near, m. sg., normal consonant) … tavolo → questo tavolo
• (far, m. sg., s+consonant) … spazio → quello spazio
• (far, m. sg., vowel) … edificio → quell'edificio
• (near, f. pl.) … sedie → queste sedie
• (far, m. pl., s+consonant) … spazi → quegli spazi
• (far, f. pl.) … finestre → quelle finestre

6. Typical mistakes to avoid

• Using the wrong plural for distant objects
  • quelli spazi → quegli spazi
  • quei zaini → quegli zaini
• Forget the apostrophe before a vowel
  • quella edificio → quell'edificio
  • questa area → quest'area
• Mixing near and far in the same phrase by accident
  • Mi piacciono questi triangoli ma non mi piacciono questi quadrati (both near)
  • Better contrast: Mi piacciono questi triangoli ma non mi piacciono quei quadrati.

7. Mini drill: connect with the article

Use this quick equivalence to check yourself:

If you know which article the noun takes, you can normally find the correct form of quello.

8. What you should now be able to do

• Decide quickly between questo (near) and quello (far).
• Choose the correct form according to gender, number and the first letter of the noun.
• Notice and correct typical mistakes (wrong plural, missing apostrophe).
• Use these forms actively when you talk about objects in a room, on a plan, in an office or on a poster.

If one combination still feels unclear, pick 3–4 nouns of that type and make short examples, for instance:

• quegli spazi, quegli zaini, quegli scaffali (s+consonant).

Repeat them aloud until they sound natural.