Relative pronouns in simple clauses - Italian Grammar

What are relative pronouns and what do they do?

A relative pronoun (pronome relativo) links a noun in the main clause (the antecedent) to a subordinate clause that gives more information about that noun. In Italian, relative pronouns introduce relative clauses (frasi relative) and tell the listener which person, thing, time, place or idea you are talking about.

Example:
La donna che parla è mia sorella. (The woman who is speaking is my sister.)
Here 'che' links 'la donna' (the antecedent) to the clause 'parla'.

What is an antecedent?

The antecedent is the word or phrase to which the relative pronoun refers (people, things, places, times, or whole ideas). In "Il libro che ho letto", 'il libro' is the antecedent.

When do I use the different relative pronouns?

1) 'che' — the most common relative pronoun

Use 'che' for both subject and direct object of the relative clause. It is invariable (no gender or number change).

Examples:
Il ragazzo che studia è sveglio. (The boy who studies is clever.) — 'che' = subject
Il film che ho visto era bello. (The film that I saw was nice.) — 'che' = direct object

Notes:
- 'che' translates to 'who', 'which', or 'that' in English depending on the sentence.
- Do not place a preposition before 'che'. If the relative pronoun is the object of a preposition, use 'cui' or 'il quale' forms instead (see below).
Wrong: *La persona a che ho parlato.
Correct: La persona a cui ho parlato. / La persona con cui ho parlato.

2) 'cui' — the prepositional relative pronoun

Use 'cui' when the relative pronoun is the object of a preposition (di, a, con, per, su, in, da, tra/fra, ecc.). The preposition stays before 'cui' (or is contracted with articles as explained later).

Examples:
La città in cui sono nato. (The city in which I was born.)
La ragazza con cui esco. (The girl I am going out with.)
L'uomo a cui ho scritto non ha risposto. (The man I wrote to has not answered.)

Notes:
- 'cui' itself does not change for gender or number.
- For many everyday uses Italians prefer 'a cui' or 'di cui'; both forms are common: "il libro di cui ti ho parlato" = "the book I told you about".

3) 'il quale / la quale / i quali / le quali' — agreement and clarity

These agree in gender and number with the antecedent and are often used:
when a preposition must appear and you want the preposition to combine with an article (del quale, sulla quale, ai quali...), or
to avoid ambiguity when the antecedent is long or when 'cui' might be unclear.

Examples:
La porta attraverso la quale siamo entrati è rossa. (The door through which we entered is red.)
Gli amici dei quali ti ho parlato verranno domani. (The friends I told you about will come tomorrow.)
Questo è il professore al quale ho fatto la domanda. (This is the professor to whom I asked the question.)

Notes:
- 'del quale' = di + il quale (or della quale, dei quali, delle quali) — a useful alternative to 'di cui'.
- 'il quale' is more formal than 'che' and often appears in written language.

4) 'il cui / la cui / i cui / le cui' — the possessive relative pronoun

'Il cui' and its forms mean 'whose'. They agree in gender and number with the thing possessed (not with the possessor).

Examples:
Ho incontrato una donna il cui figlio è famoso. (I met a woman whose son is famous.) — 'figlio' = masculine singular → 'il cui'
Questa è la casa la cui porta è rotta. (This is the house whose door is broken.) — 'porta' = feminine singular → 'la cui'

Notes:
- 'Il cui' is slightly more formal; in spoken Italian people often use 'di cui' instead when the verb or phrase naturally takes 'di':
La città di cui ti ho parlato. (The city I told you about.) — here 'di cui' is preferred to 'la città la cui…' unless you want to show possession explicitly.

5) 'chi' — indefinite relative pronoun (whoever, those who)

'Chi' is used without an explicit antecedent and means 'whoever' or 'the person(s) who'. It usually takes a verb in the singular.

Examples:
Chi dorme non piglia pesci. (Whoever sleeps catches no fish.)
Chi ama impara. (Those who love learn.)

6) 'quello che', 'ciò che', 'quel che' — neutral or general relative pronouns

Use these when the relative clause refers to a whole idea, an unspecified thing, or no clear noun antecedent.

Examples:
Quello che dici non è vero. (What you are saying is not true.)
Ciò che conta è la sincerità. (What matters is honesty.)
Quel che resta è da pulire. (What remains must be cleaned.)

7) Relative adverbs: 'dove', 'quando', 'come'

These replace combinations like 'in cui', 'nel quale', 'in cui' (for place), and 'in cui' or 'nel quale' (for time) and are used for place, time, and manner.

Examples:
La casa dove sono cresciuto. (The house where I grew up.) — 'dove' = 'in cui'
Il giorno in cui sono nato / Il giorno quando sono nato. (The day when I was born.)
Fai come ti ho detto. (Do as I told you.) — 'come' = in the way that

Note: 'in cui' and 'nel quale' are often more formal than 'dove' and 'quando'.

How to form simple relative clauses (structure and word order)

Basic pattern
Main clause + relative pronoun + relative clause.

Examples:
Ho un amico che vive a Roma. (I have a friend who lives in Rome.)
Cerco il documento che ho perso. (I'm looking for the document that I lost.)

Prepositions and verbs that require prepositions
If the verb in the relative clause requires a preposition, keep it before the relative pronoun:
Scrivo a Marco → Il ragazzo a cui scrivo. (I write to Marco → The boy I write to.)
Vado in Italia → La città in cui vado. (I go to Italy → The city where I go.)

Formal vs. colloquial choices
- Formal/written: prefer 'il quale' with preposition + article, and 'il cui' for possession.
- Colloquial/spoken: prefer 'che' and 'cui' (with preposition), and 'di cui' often replaces 'il cui' in speech.

Common mistakes and how to avoid them

- Wrong preposition placement with 'che':
Wrong: *La persona a che ho parlato.
Correct: La persona a cui ho parlato. / La persona con cui ho parlato.

- Missing necessary preposition before 'cui':
Wrong: *La casa cui vivo.
Correct: La casa in cui vivo.

- Confusing 'il cui' agreement:
Wrong: *La donna il cui cani sono malati.
Correct: La donna i cui cani sono malati. (Because 'cani' is plural → 'i cui')

- Using 'che' where a preposition is required (formal writing):
Colloquial: La persona che ho parlato con.
Formal: La persona con cui ho parlato.

- Expecting 'whom' distinctions: English separates 'who'/'whom', but Italian usually uses 'che' or 'cui' without a 'whom' equivalent. Focus on role (preposition required or not), not on 'whom'.

- Using 'dove' for people or events rather than places:
Wrong: *La persona dove siamo andati.
Correct: La persona con cui siamo andati. (if speaking about a person)

Quick reference and lots of examples

- 'che' (subject or direct object)
La studentessa che parla è preparata. (The student who is speaking is prepared.)
Il libro che ho comprato è interessante. (The book that I bought is interesting.)

- 'cui' (object of preposition)
L'amico di cui ti ho parlato è qui. (The friend I told you about is here.)
Il posto in cui lavoro è vicino. (The place where I work is nearby.)

- 'il quale / la quale / i quali / le quali' (agreeing forms; used after prepositions or for clarity)
Le regole alle quali dobbiamo attenerci sono chiare. (The rules to which we must adhere are clear.)
I documenti, i quali erano firmati, scomparvero. (The documents, which were signed, disappeared.)

- 'il cui / la cui / i cui / le cui' (possession — agree with possessed noun)
Conobbi una donna la cui voce era bellissima. (I met a woman whose voice was beautiful.)

- 'chi' (whoever / those who)
Chi studia riuscirà. (Whoever studies will succeed.)

- 'quello che / ciò che / quel che' (that which / what)
Ciò che voglio è chiarezza. (What I want is clarity.)

- Relative adverbs:
La scuola dove studiavo era piccola. (The school where I used to study was small.)
Il momento in cui arrivò fu decisivo. (The moment when he arrived was decisive.)
Fai come dico. (Do as I say.)

Tips for English speakers (useful contrasts)

English uses 'who/whom/which/that/whose' and may allow prepositions at the end. Italian prefers:
'che' for who/that/which (subject or object)
'cui' or 'preposition + il quale' when a preposition is required
'il cui' to show 'whose' (agreement follows the possessed noun)
Example: "The book that I told you about" → "Il libro di cui ti ho parlato" (not *"il libro che ti ho parlato di").

Glossary

Antecedent: the noun the relative pronoun refers back to (e.g. 'il libro' in 'il libro che leggo').
Relative pronoun (pronome relativo): word that introduces a relative clause (che, cui, il quale, il cui...).
Relative clause (frase relativa): the subordinate clause giving extra information about the antecedent.
Preposition: words like di, a, con, per, su, in, da; Italian often keeps these before the relative pronoun.
Possessive relative ('il cui'): expresses possession and agrees with the possessed noun, not the possessor.

If you want, I can give a short printable cheat-sheet with the most common forms and one-sentence examples for each.