ILGUR: Italian Language, Grammar and Usage Resource

Throughout this post, when we say il quale, it also means il quale or one of its variants below, depending upon what role it plays (that is, what part of speech) in the relative clause:

Il quale can generally be used instead of che, but generally only when the relative pronoun functions as the subject of the relative clause. When the relative pronoun functions as a direct object (un complement oggetto), then che is generally preferred (although il quale can be used in formal writing situations):

CORRECT:

Adesso mio padre deve comprare una nuova macchina la quale purtroppo costa troppo!

Now my father has to buy a new car that unfortunately costs too much!

Helpful hint: Some people get confused as to the function of the relative pronoun. A quick way to determine whether your relative pronoun is the subject of your clause is to replace the relative clause with the antecedent. Also, the verb of the relative clause must be of the same number as that of the antecedent.

MORE FORMAL:

Adesso mio padre deve comprare una nuova macchina la quale Marco e Julia non vogliono guidare.

Why the example is wrong: The subject of the relative clause is Marco e Julia, not la quale (that is, la macchina). Che is preferred.

It’s better to write:

Adesso mio padre deve comprare una nuova macchina che Marco e Julia non vogliono guidare.

Now my father has to buy a car that Marco and Julia do not want to drive.

Usually, il quale is used when the use of che might create ambiguities:

Devo andare in centro all’ambasciata italiana che ha appena riaperto.

I have to go downtown to the Italian embassy that just re-opened.

While it might seem obvious , this is not always the case. Perhaps downtown has been closed because of excess smog? Or perhaps there was a traffic accident earlier? Using il quale can help to clarify the meaning of the sentence by zeroing in one which noun is functioning as the antecedent:

Since che and cui are invariable and don’t agree in number or gender, this can often lead reader to wonder as to whom or what the antecedent is.

Il quale is also used when the antecedent and relative pronoun are separated from each other:

Mia madre ha comprato quella macchina di cui mio padre le ha detto che parte sempre e non viene troppo.

Mia madre ha comprato quella macchina di cui mio padre le ha detto la quale parte sempre e non viene troppo.

Il quale is also used at times to avoid repeating che:

Non sapevo che Giulio, che è andato in Spagna un mese fa, parla spagnolo correntemente.

Non sapevo che Giulio, il quale è andato in Spagna un mese fa, parla spagnolo correntemente.

I didn’t know that Giulio, who went to Spain a month ago, speaks Spanish fluently.

Remember that repetitions of the same word in Italian is best avoided, and you will often see in writing, especially, where an author will vary his words and avoiding repeating the same ones. This is an aspect of Italian that is often missed by learners but one that comes with practice of reading and speaking.

The use of il quale is more often seen in writing when ambiguities wish to be avoided or in a court of law setting or bureaucratic setting when it is vitally important that ambiguities be avoided. It is important to understand its use as it is common in writing, and these rules should certainly be applied when writing. In spoken Italian, it will probably be rare to hear il quale spoken.

Il quale can also be combined with articulated prepositions (just as cui is combined with simple prepositions: a, di, da, in, su, fra, tra, per, con) as a substitute for simple preposition + cui (as seen in the chart above). While cui remains invariable, the prepositions used with il quale combine with the appropriate definite article and quale changes according to the number of the antecedent that it relates to. Like cui, il quale or its variants open the relative clause.

See the example below:

Oggi ho visto la ragazza con cui avevamo parlato durante la nostra passeggiata ieri. È ancora single?

Today I saw the girl with who we had talked with during our stroll yesterday. Is she still single?

It should be mentioned that dei quali and delle quali are preferred over di cui when the antecedent is a number:

Ho comprato quattro libri oggi, tre dei quali in inglese.

I bought four books today, three of which are in English.

and not:

Ho comprato quattro libro oggi, di cui tre in inglese.

The use of the full form of the relative pronoun is synonymous with di cui. If you’re unsure of when to use che or cui, it might be helpful to review their respective lessons.