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-Quanti esami sono rimasti a tuo fratello per laurearsi? -Gliene sono rimasti due = -How many exams does
your brother have left to graduate? -He has two left.
Combined pronouns always precede the verb. Nevertheless, the pronoun usually follows the verb when the verb
is in the imperative, the gerund, the past participle or the infinitive.
In compound tenses, the past participle agrees in gender and number with the direct pronouns lo, la, li, le and
the pronominal particle ne, even when these are part of a combined pronoun which precedes the verb:
-Mi hai portato i giornali? -Sì, te li ho portati = -Did you bring the newspapers? -Yes, I brought them to you.
-Quante e-mail ti ha spedito Maria? -Me ne ha spedite tante = -How many e-mails has Maria sent you? -She
has sent me many.
With the modal verbs potere, dovere, volere and sapere, always followed by an infinitive, combined pronouns
can either precede the verb or follow it, joining the infinitive and forming a single word: in both cases the meaning does not change: Glielo devo dire/Devo dirglielo = I must tell him/her/them.
AGGETTIVI E PRONOMI INTERROGATIVI
INTERROGATIVE ADJECTIVES AND PRONOUNS
Chi (who, whom): is only a pronoun. It is invariable and refers to a person:
Con chi andrai al cinema? = Who will you go to the cinema with?
Chi sono questi ragazzi? = Who are these guys?
Che, Che cosa, Cosa (which, what): che is both an adjective and a pronoun; che cosa and cosa are only pronouns. They are invariable and they refer to things:
Che fretta c’era di andare via? = What rush was there to leave?
Che (Che cosa, Cosa) è successo? = What’s happened?
Quale/i (which, what, who, whom): is both an adjective and a pronoun. It is variable only in number, that is, it
has singular and plural, but it has only one form for masculine and feminine. It refers to various people or things.
Before a vowel, quale is shortened into qual and never takes an apostrophe:
Quali sono i libri che hai scelto? = Which are the books you have chosen?
Qual è il film che ti è piaciuto di più? = Which was the film you liked the most?
Quanto/a/i/e (how much, many, how long): is both an adjective and a pronoun. It is variable in both gender and
number. It introduces a question about quantity and it refers to people and things:
Quante volte sei stato in Italia? = How many times have you been to Italy?
Da quanto non ci vediamo? = How long has it been since we saw each other?
Interrogative adjectives and pronouns also have an exclamatory function:
Ma che dici! = What are you saying!
Quanti libri! = What a lot of books!
AVVERBI INTERROGATIVI - INTERROGATIVE ADVERBS
Interrogative adverbs are always invariable. They are:
Dove (where): Dov’è la mia borsa? = Where is my purse?
Quando (where): Quando verrai a trovarmi? = When will you come to see me?
Come (how): Ma come mi hai trovato? = But how did you find me?
Quanto (how much): Quanto hai speso per il viaggio? = How much did you spend on the trip?
Perché (why): Perché piangi? = Why are you crying?
Interrogative adverbs also have an exclamatory function:
Com’è piccolo il mondo! = Oh, how small the world is!
Dove sono capitato! = Where have I ended up!
UNITÀ 2 Soldi e lavoro
I PRONOMI RELATIVI - RELATIVE PRONOUNS
Che (who, which, that): is a relative pronoun, it is invariable, and it is never preceded by a preposition. It introduces a subordinate clause, where it can substitute:
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a. both the subject of the subordinate clause:
Il signore, che parla in tv, è un mio professore = The man who is speaking on TV is a professor of mine.
b. both the direct object and the complement of the subordinate clause:
Le scarpe che vorrei comprare sono troppo care = The shoes (which) I’d like to buy are too expensive.
In compound tenses with the auxiliary avere, even when the relative pronouns precede the verb as for example
with unstressed direct object pronouns the past participle never changes:
Questi ragazzi li ho incontrati ieri = I met these people yesterday.
Questi sono i ragazzi che ho incontrato ieri = These are the guys I met yesterday.
Il quale (which): is a relative pronoun that is variable in gender (il quale/la quale) and in number (i quali/le
quali). It can very well substitute the invariable relative pronoun che only when it functions as the subject, not
the direct object of the sentence:
Io ho comprato un paio di scarpe, che sono molto belle ma molto care = I bought a pair of shoes which/that
are very nice but very expensive. (che - subject)
Io ho comprato un paio di scarpe, le quali sono molto belle ma molto care = I bought a pair of shoes which/that
are very nice but very expensive.
Le scarpe, che vorrei comprare, sono molto care = The shoes which I’d like to buy are very expensive. (che direct object)
Le scarpe, le quali vorrei comprare, sono molto care.
In general, the relative pronoun il quale substitutes the relative pronoun che when a sentence casts doubts:
Ho incontrato la ragazza di Michele che lavora in banca = I met Michele’s girlfriend who works in a bank.
Who works in a bank? Michele or his girlfriend? In these cases the variable relative pronoun il quale helps to
clarify: Ho incontrato la ragazza di Michele, la quale lavora in banca = I met Michele’s girlfriend who works
in a bank. (the girl works in a bank)
Ho incontrato la ragazza di Michele, il quale lavora in banca = I met Michele’s girlfriend who works in a bank.
(Michele himself works in a bank)
Cui (whose, who, whom): is an invariable relative pronoun that only performs the function of indirect object,
and as such it is always preceded by a simple preposition:
I ragazzi con cui uscirò domani sono i miei vecchi compagni di scuola = The guys with whom I’m going out
tomorrow are old classmates.
Often when cui is preceded by the preposition a, this becomes optional.
La persona della mia famiglia (a) cui sono più legato è mia madre = The person in my family who(m) I’m closest to is my mother.
The relative pronoun cui can never be substituted by the relative pronoun che, but only by the relative pronoun
il quale preceded by the corresponding articulated preposition:
La persona con cui ho parlato = The person with whom I have spoken.
La persona che ho parlato.
La persona con la quale ho parlato.
The relative pronoun cui functions as a complement of specification (di chi? di che cosa?) when it is between
a definite article (il/la/i/le) and a noun. The article agrees with the noun that follows:
Italo Svevo, il cui vero nome era Ettore Schmitz, è nato a Trieste nel 1861 = Italo Svevo, whose real name was
Ettore Schmitz, was born in Trieste in 1861. (il nome del quale = whose real name)
If the relative pronoun cui is substituted by the relative pronoun il quale preceded by a preposition di, as can be
seen, the compound preposition agrees in gender and number with the subject of the sentence:
Italo Svevo, il nome del quale era Ettore Schmitz, è nato a Trieste nel 1861 = Italo Svevo, whose name was
Ettore Schmitz, was born in Trieste in 1861.
Here are two examples of peculiar forms with the use of the relative cui:
Alberto, alla cui festa c’ero anch’io, ha compiuto cinquant’anni = Alberto, whose party I also went to, turned
fifty years old. (alla festa del quale = whose party)
Perché la frutta, sulle cui proprietà tanto si è parlato, non la mangia nessuno? = Why is the fruit, whose properties have been so widely discussed, not eaten by anyone? (sulle proprietà della quale = whose properties)
Among relative pronouns other pronouns, the so-called double pronouns, must also be remembered (relative
demonstrative and relative indefinite):
Chi (who, whom): is only used in the singular as both a subject and an object, even though it can indicate a plural.
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It is invariable and can be substituted by a demonstrative pronoun + a relative pronoun: quello che (the one
who) / colui che (he who) / la persona che (the person who), quella che (that woman who) / colei che (she who)
/ la persona che (the person who), quelli/e che (those who) / coloro che (those who) / le persone che (the people who):
Chi cerca, trova / Colui/Colei che cerca, trova = He who looks finds; Coloro che cercano, trovano = Those
who look find.
Chi pratica uno sport si sente meglio di chi non lo pratica = Whoever does sports feels better than those who
don’t.
Quanto (all that, what): in singular it has a neutral value and can be substituted by (tutto) quello/ciò che = all
that what:
Ti comprerò quanto desideri / Ti comprerò (tutto) quello/ciò che desideri = I’ll buy you whatever you wish /
I’ll buy you (all) that you desire / what you desire.
Quanti/e (those): the plural indicates people and can be substituted by (tutti/e) quelli/e che = (all) those who:
Quanti/e desiderano maggiori informazioni possono visitare il nostro sito = Those who wish further information can contact our website.
(Tutti/e) Quelli/e che desiderano maggiori informazioni possono visitare il nostro sito = Those who / Anyone
who wish further information can contact our website.
The relative pronoun che, preceded by the definite article il (il che) refers to neither a person nor an object. It
is a “neutral” relative pronoun in that it functions as a substitute for a previous sentence which has not gender.
Il che means cosa che, e ciò (which, and that):
La poca neve sull’asfalto si è ghiacciata subito, il che ha causato numerosi incidenti sulle strade = The little
snow on the asphalt froze immediately, which has caused numerous road accidents.
STARE + GERUNDIO E STARE PER + INFINITO
STARE + GERUND AND STARE PER + INFINITIVE
These are circumlocutions/multi-word expressions, also called phraseology, and they highlight a specific aspect of
the action.
Stare + gerund: highlights the progressive aspect of an action, in other words the action as it occurs. It is a form
that can only be used in simple tenses: the verb stare is conjugated in the desired tense and mood + the present
of the gerund. For the present of the gerund see The Italian Project 2b, page 88:
- verbs of the first conjugation in -are > -ando: lavorare - lavorando
- verbs in the second conjugation -ere > -endo: leggere - leggendo
- verbs of the third conjugation in -ire > -endo: uscire - uscendo
Ieri, quando hai telefonato, stavo lavorando, per questo non potevo parlare molto = I was working when you
called yesterday, that’s why I couldn’t talk long.
Sto leggendo un bel libro, appena lo finisco te lo presto = I’m reading a good book; as soon as I’m done I’ll
lend it to you.
Stare per + infinitive: highlights the proximity of the action, indicates a future action that should happen within
a brief amount of time:
-Cosa fai? -Sto per uscire, vuoi venire con me? = -What are you doing? -I’m about to leave; do you want to
come with me?
UNITÀ 3 In viaggio per l’Italia
I VERBI FARCELA E ANDARSENE - THE VERBS FARCELA AND ANDARSENE
The verbs farcela and andarsene are the so-called pronominal verbs.
The verb farcela has the meaning of:
a. succeeding in something, in the sense of achieving something: Andrea ce l’ha fatta a vincere il concorso =
Andrea managed to win the contest.
b. succeed in finishing something: Ce la devo fare a finire questo libro oggi! Da domani riprendo il lavoro = I
must be able to finish this book today! As of tomorrow I’ll start working again.
c. indicating that a situation has become unbearable: Se non ce la fai più a vivere nella stessa casa con Marina,
vai via! = If you can’t handle living in the same house as Marina, leave!
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