Italian Questions

Forming Basic Questions

Italian questions are often indicated by intonation: rising at the end of the question. When writing, this is indicated with a question mark.
Questions can be formed by simply raising the intonation at the end of a statement: ‘La pizza è buona?’ (Is the pizza good?).
Alternatively, word order can be reversed. This is more formal, and more likely in writing, than in spoken Italian: ‘È buona la pizza?’ (Is the pizza good?).

Interrogative Pronouns

For questions that cannot be answered by ‘yes’ or ‘no’, Italian uses interrogative pronouns: ‘chi’ (who), ‘che cosa’ or ‘cosa’ (what), ‘quale’ (which), ‘quanto’ (how much), and ‘dove’ (where).
‘Chi’ can be used for both subjects and objects: ‘Chi ha fatto questo?’ (Who did this?), ‘Chi hai visto?’ (Who did you see?).
‘Cosa’ or ‘che cosa’ can be used interchangeably: ‘Cosa stai facendo?’ (What are you doing?), ‘Che cosa hai detto?’ (What did you say?).
Both ‘quale’ and ‘quali’ mean ‘which’. The difference is ‘quale’ is used for singular and ‘quali’ for plural: ‘Quale libro preferisci?’ (Which book do you prefer?), ‘Quali sono i tuoi libri preferiti?’ (Which are your favourite books?).
‘Quanto’ can be used to ask ‘how much’ or ‘how many’. Note that it changes to agree with the noun it modifies: ‘Quanto zucchero vuoi?’ (How much sugar do you want?), ‘Quanti anni hai?’ (How many years do you have?, i.e. How old are you?).

Yes or No Questions

To ask a question that can be answered by ‘yes’ or ‘no’, you can simply raise your intonation at the end of a statement: ‘Stai bene?’ (Are you well?).
Alternatively, ‘do’ forms can be used: ‘Dove vai?’ (Where are you going?), ‘Dov’è la biblioteca?’ (Where is the library?).

Indirect Questions

Indirect questions are used when the question is not being asked directly. For example, ‘Vuoi sapere se Giulia viene alla festa?’ (Do you want to know if Giulia is coming to the party?).
In indirect questions, the word order often remains the same as in a statement.

Practise forming different types of questions in Italian and try to use them in context. Make note of the word order and the changes in words due to gender and singular/plural. Remember to revise frequently to ensure you remember these important grammatical rules.