Posts tagged ‘relative pronouns/pronomi relativi’

#202: Expressing “whose” in Italian | Il, la, i, le cui o del/della/dei/delle quale/i

23 April 2010, 6:16 PM

Cui, as we have seen in a previous post, is a relative pronoun in Italian and is often combined with simple prepositions and can mean that, which, whom depending upon the context.  Cui can also means, whose:

In Italian, the definite article + cui is used to form the genitive, or, in English, the relative pronoun, whose.

Let’s look at some sentences in English where whose is used as a relative pronoun:

Your brother, whose car never starts, wants to buy a new one next week.
John, whose daughter studies at La Spienza in Rome, also teaches there.
I don’t want to go visit John, whose parents hate me!

Now let’s translate the first example into Italian:

Tuo fratello, la cui macchina non parte mai, vuole comprarne una la prossima settimana.

Notice immediately how the definite article agrees with the noun that follows it and not with the antecedent (tuo fratello). Whose can also be formed with del quale, della quale, dei quali, delle quali since one of the preposition’s (di) roles is possession (la matita di Marco = Marco’s pencil). In the examples below, both methods will be shown.

In Italian, whose can be formed with:

definite article + cui (agrees in gender and number with the thing/person possessed)

il quale (agrees in gender and number with the antecedent)

When il quale, del quale and its variants are used in this way, they follow the noun that they depend upon. Unlike il cui/la cui/i cui/le cui, il quale must agree in gender and number with the antecedent (as we learned in Lesson 201):

definite article + cui: Giovanni, la cui figlia studia alla “Sapienza” a Roma, insegna lì.
il quale: Giovanni, la figlia del quale studia alla Sapienza a Roma, insegna lì.

definite article + cui: Non voglio andare a trovare Marianna, i cui genitori mi odiano!
il quale: Non voglio andare a trovare Marianna, i genitori della quale mi odiano!

Using this construction might seem confusing, and you might be asking yourself why we don’t just use the possessive adjectives. This construction can become staid and repetitive, and Italian, especially when written, is better expressed without needless repetition.

In order to understand how to use il cui, it’s often best to look at combining two phrases. Below are two sentences that stand well on their own, but what if you wanted to combine them?

Rome has great public transport.
Its traffic problems are among the worst in Europe.

The first thing that you need to look for is finding a common element between the two sentences. The common element between them is the city, Rome. In the second sentence, Rome is expressed with the possessive adjective, its. While Rome is not stated in the second sentence, we know from the context that we are talking about Rome. Whose is a relative pronoun that can be used to combine phrases when the common element between two phrases is expressed via possession.

If we combine the two sentences about Rome, we come up with:

Rome, whose traffic problems are among the worst in Europe, also has great public transport.

and translated into Italian:

definite article + cui: Roma, i cui problemi di traffico sono tra i più peggiori in Europa, possiede anche buoni mezzi pubblici.

or

il quale: Roma, i problemi di traffico della quale sono tra i più peggiori in Europa, possiede anche buoni mezzi pubblici.

In interrogatives, whose is expressed with di chi:

Di chi è la macchina?
Whose car is it?

As we stated before, the preposition, di, is used to express possession (la macchina di Giovanni = John’s car).  Di chi can also be used as a relative pronoun when there’s no antecedent present:

Non so di chi sia quel portafoglio.
I don’t know whose wallet it is.

Downloads:
Download a copy of a lesson as a pdf by clicking here.

Tags: , , , ,
Category: Italian Grammar  |  2 Comments

#201: Use of il quale

19 April 2010, 8:36 PM

Il quale can be used as a relative pronoun when it is combined with the definite article, il, la, i, le or when it is articulated with a simple preposition (alla, dalle, dei, sul, for example). When used in the plural, quale becomes quali. It is a variable relative pronoun — meaning that it changes form depending on the antecedent, which it must agree with in number and in gender.

REMEMBER:

The antecedent is the noun (or pronoun, in some cases) which the pronoun refers back to.

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:

Ho visto la figlia di Alessandro che abita a Roma.

I saw Alessandro’s daughter who lives in Rome.

In the example above, are we referring to the daughter or to Alessandro? Which one lives in Rome? While in English it might seem obvious that we are referring to the daughter, in Italian, if there is confusion created by the context within the sentence, Italian clears up this dilemma by using il quale or its variants in place of che:

Ho visto la figlia di Alessandro la quale abita a Roma.

La quale is a clear reference to la figlia. This does not apply only to people but can be used with ‘things’, too:

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:

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

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?

This relative pronoun, con cui, can be replaced with con la quale:

Oggi ho visto la ragazza con la quale abbiamo parlato durante la nostra passeggiata. È ancora 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.

In summary:

  • Il quale can be used in place of che when the relative pronoun is the subject of the relative clause. Generally, when the relative pronoun functions as the direct object, che, is preferred.
  • Il quale is generally used only when there is ambiguity in the phrase and when using che or cui would create confusion about as to what the relative pronoun relates back to in the phrase (i.e the antecedent).
  • If the relative pronoun is the direct object, then che is preferred unless a more formal register is required.
  • Il quale can be used in place of preposition + cui. The relative pronoun then functions as a complement indiretto (indirect object). Remember that, in Italian, prepositions finish a sentence.
  • Whereas che and cui are invariable (they do not agree with the antecedents in gender or number), il quale agrees in gender and in number with the antecedent.

Downloads:
You can download a pdf of this lesson by clicking here.

Tags: , , ,
Category: Italian Grammar  |  3 Comments

#172: Il pronome relativo, cui / The relative pronoun, cui

3 March 2009, 5:00 AM

Cui is a relative pronoun. If you’ve ever studied Italian grammar, you’ll find that almost no one ever writes anything about the usage of cui except for a few glib phrases that it is a relative pronoun with barely any examples. This didn’t satisfy me, so I’ve been researching (since Chrismas) how this pronoun is used. It’s important to learn because it’s quite common in Italian literature and writing. My teacher advised that I try to use it in my writing and in conversation where I can so that its usage becomes second nature.

I hope that my research which culminated in this blog post is helpful to you. If you have questions or notice inaccuracies, please leave a comment as I want this post to be clear and concise and free of errors where possible (plus, I don’t want to confuse people on the issue).

Below are some rules and examples using cui.

Cui is almost always preceded by a simple preposition:

  • a (is optional — typically the preposition, a, is omitted)
  • di
  • da
  • in
  • con
  • su
  • per
  • tra/fra (usage differs slightly when using this preposition — see below)

Cui is a relative pronoun that replaces indirect objects (complemento indiretto). Like che, cui requies an antecedent when used as a relative pronoun. Cui can mean whom (with people), which, and that, and in some cases, it can mean where.

Let’s look at the following examples involving our friend, Mario:
  • Mario è l’amico (a) cui telefono spesso.
    (Mario è l’amico. Telefono spesso a Mario. a Mario = a cui)
    NB: With “a cui” the use of the “a” is optional and is often omitted

  • Mario è l’amico di cui ti ho detto alla festa.
  • Mario è l’amico da cui sono andato spesso.
  • Mario è l’amico in cui ho molta fiducia.
  • Mario è l’amico con cui viaggio per le vacanze.

  • Mario è l’amico su cui posso di solito contare.
  • Mario è l’amico per cui ho lavorato dieci anni.

Remember, that many verbs in Italian take indirect objects (that is, they are followed by prepositions + object). Because of this, che cannot be used as a relative pronoun because che can only be the subject or direct object . Also, cui is used when these prepositions cannot be left dangling — prepositions in Italian can never end a sentence. Notice that the preposition + cui constructions all refer back to the noun, l’amico – the antecedent!

Below I’ve outlined some examples using cui with various prepositions, showing you how you can combine phrases with cui to make your Italian more like that of a native speaker. I’ve designed the examples below to help you think through the grammar as well as explanations.

With each preposition + cui example, there were will two phrases. Before you read my explanation, try to combine the two phrases using cui. Prepositions are not allowed “to dangle” in Italian!
  • Mario lavora per il primo ministro.
    Ti ho parlato dell’amico, Mario.

    In the example above, you have two independent clauses. A native speaker of Italian would probably combine the two sentences. So how do you go about doing this? A good way of approaching this is to find the common element in both sentences.

    In the examples above, the common element is Mario. In the first sentence, he is the subject. In the second one, he is the object of the preposition (complemento indiretto). Remember, that in order to replace a complement indiretto (which Mario is in the second example), we have to use cui:

    Mario, l’amico di cui ti ho parlato, lavora per il primo ministro.
    Mario, the friend about whom I told you, works for the prime minister.
    Mario, the friend that I told you about, works for the prime minister.

  • Il Dottor Giambattista ha studiato a Milano con mio padre.
    Sono andato ieri dal Dottor Giambattista.

    In the example above, the common element is Dottore Giambattista. In the first sentence he is the subject of the sentence. In the second, he is a complemento indiretto or the object of the prepositional phrase that starts with da. How do we combine them?

    Dottore Giambattista, da cui sono andato ieri, ha studiato a Milano con mio padre.
    Dr. Giambattista, to whom I went yesterday, studied in Milan with my father.

    You cannot use che because Dottore Giambattista is not the subject nor the direct object.

  • La casa è molto spaziosa.
    Vivo nella casa spaziosa.

    Are you seeing a pattern yet? In the two phrases above, the common element is la casa. So how can you combine the phrases? Notice that in the second phrase, nella casa spaziosa is the object of the prepositional phrase, so you can’t use che. You must account for the preposition, in, to make the sentence grammatically correct:

    La casa, in cui vivo, è molto spaziosa.
    The house that I live in is very spacious.
    The house where I live is very spacious.
    The house in which I live is very spacious    .

  • Ti ricordi la spiaggia?
    Siamo andati alla spiagga l’anno scorso.

    In the two phrases above, the common element is la spiaggia. In the first phrase, it is the direct object. In the second it is a complement indiretto (in English it would be the object of the preposition). To combine them, we can’t leave any prepositions “dangling”:

    Ti ricordi la spiaggia a cui siamo andati l’anno scorso?
    Do you remember the beach that we went to last year?
    Do you remember the beach to which we went last year?

  • Qual è stata la macchina?
    Hai imparato a guidare con una Fiat.

    This example is a li
    ttle trickier. The common element is la macchina or the make of the vehicle, this case, la Fiat. In the second example, the make of the car is specified, but it is still the common element. So how can you combine the two phrases to form a more specific and intelligible question:

    Qual è stata la macchina con cui hai imparato a guidare?
    What was the car make with which you learned to drive?
    What was the car make that you learned to drive with?

  • Ci sono tanti alberghi nel mio paesino.
    Uno degli alberghi (tra tanti altri alberghi) è a cinque stelle.

    The common element in both examples are the numerous hotels (gli alberghi). With fra/tra you must be referring to a single entity among a group in order to use it in this way, using the English translation of among (notice in the example below how there’s no verb — it is common to omit):

    Ci sono tanti alberghi nel mio paesino tra cui uno a cinque stelle.
    There are so many hotels in my town among which one is five stars.

  • Oggi la neve ha ricoperto tutte le strade.
    Non potremo partire per le strade.

    Oggi la neve ha ricoperto tutte le strade per cui non potremo partire.
    Today the snow covered all the roads through which we could not leave.
    Today the snow covered all the roads that we could not leave.

    The common element in the sentence above is le strade. Because le strade is part of the prepositional phrase, we can’t leave per by itself.

    Take note that per cui can also mean perciò (therefore, so) or per questo motivo (for this reason), as in this example below (with this usage, per cui functions more as a conjuction than as a relative pronoun):

    Il tuo comportamento è stato deplorevole per cui non hai il permesso di uscire.
    Your behavior was deplorable therefore you do not have permission to go out.

  • Ho passato una vacanza indimenticable in Francia.
    La Francia è il mio paese preferito.

    The common element in the two sentences above is the country, La Francia. So how would this sentence look?

    La Francia è il mio paese preferito in cui ho passato una vacanza indimenticabile.
    France is my favorite country in which I spent an unfortgettable vacation.
    France is my favorite country that I spent an unforgettable vacation in.

last updated: 8 April 2010

Tags: ,
Category: Italian Grammar  |  7 Comments