Questions

What these question words do (and when to choose which)

• Che? = “What?” when you ask about a thing (often with a noun right after it).
• Che cosa? (often also Cosa?) = “What?” when you ask about the action/object more generally.
• Quale? / Quali? = “Which?” when there is a choice (one / many).
• Chi? = “Who?” (person).
• Quando? = “When?” (time).
• Dove? = “Where?” (place).
• Come? = “How?” (method / way).
• Perché? = “Why?” (reason).
• Come mai? = “How come?” (often more conversational; asks for an explanation).
• Quanto/a? Quanti/e? = “How much / how many?” (quantity).

Che vs. Che cosa: the practical difference

• Use Che + noun when you ask which thing (similar to “what kind/which” in English).
• Use Che cosa when you ask what (in general)—often without naming the noun.

Tip: In daily speech you will also hear Cosa fai? (= What are you doing?). It works like Che cosa.

Quale / Quali: “which” + agreement (one vs many)

Quale and quali change with number (singular/plural). They do not change for gender.

Meaning check: Quale usually implies a choice: “this one or that one?”

Quanto/a, quanti/e: “how much / how many” + agreement

• Quanto = masculine singular (often with masculine uncountable or general amount)
• Quanta = feminine singular
• Quanti = masculine plural
• Quante = feminine plural

Fast rule: much = singular amount; many = plural count. Then match gender/number of the noun.

Perché vs. Come mai: both mean “why”, but feel different

• Perché? = neutral, standard “why?”
• Come mai? = “how come?” Often sounds more informal and can express surprise.

Word order: keep it simple at A1

• Most of the time: Question word + verb + rest.
• Italian usually does not need “do/does”.

Also common: You can keep normal word order and use intonation: Vai in ufficio oggi? (You’re going to the office today?)

Self-check: pick the right question word

1. Am I asking about a person? → Chi
2. About a time? → Quando
3. About a place? → Dove
4. About a method / way? → Come
5. About a reason? → Perché / Come mai
6. About a quantity? → Quanto/a or Quanti/e (match the noun)
7. About a choice among options? → Quale / Quali
8. About a thing without a clear choice? → Che (+ noun) or Che cosa

Common pitfalls to avoid

• Agreement matters with quale/quali and quanto/a, quanti/e.
  • Quante tempo hai? → Quanto tempo hai?
  • Quali giorno preferisci? → Quale giorno preferisci?
• Don’t translate “do/does”:
  • Dove fai lavori? → Dove lavori?
• Che is not the same as Chi:
  • Che viene alla riunione? → Chi viene alla riunione?