The Relative Pronoun Che
Relative pronouns are words that connect two parts of a sentence and give more information about a person or thing. In English, common relative pronouns include who, that, and which. Italian uses relative pronouns in a similar way, allowing us to combine simple sentences without repeating the same noun. The most important Italian relative pronoun is che, which can refer to both people and things. It can mean who, that, or which, depending on the sentence, and it does not change according to gender or number. For example, il ragazzo che parla (the boy who is speaking) and la ragazza che parla (the girl who is speaking) both use che, even though the nouns have different genders. The same form is also used with plural nouns.
Che connects a noun to information that describes or identifies it. It can introduce information about what a person does or about something that happens to a person or thing. For example, in La ragazza che parla è italiana (The girl who is speaking is Italian), che connects ragazza to the action of speaking. In Il libro che leggo è interessante (The book that I'm reading is interesting), che connects libro to the action of reading. The important point is that che allows us to add information about a person or thing without repeating the noun.
La ragazza che parla è italiana. — The girl who is speaking is Italian.
Il libro che leggo è interessante. — The book that I'm reading is interesting.
The Relative Pronoun Cui
The relative pronoun cui is used when the verb or expression requires a preposition. Two useful combinations are con cui (with whom or with which) and in cui (in which or where). Like che, cui does not change according to gender or number and can refer to both people and things. In the basic constructions presented here, che is used without a preposition, while cui follows a preposition. For example, Italian uses parlare con qualcuno (to speak with someone), so we say la persona con cui parlo (the person I'm speaking with). Similarly, in cui can describe a place, as in la casa in cui vivo (the house where I live). In English, the preposition may appear in a different position or may not appear in the translation at all.
La ragazza con cui parlo è mia sorella. — The girl I'm speaking with is my sister.
Questa è la casa in cui vivo. — This is the house where I live.
Summary of Italian Relative Pronouns
| Pronoun | English meaning | Main use | Example |
| che | who, that, which | Adds information about a person or thing | Ho un amico che vive a Roma. — I have a friend who lives in Rome. |
| con cui | with whom, with which | Connects a person or thing using con | Questo è l'amico con cui studio. — This is the friend I study with. |
| in cui | in which, where | Connects a place to additional information | Roma è la città in cui lavoro. — Rome is the city where I work. |