Asking questions is one of the most useful things you'll ever do in another language — it's how you learn names, find your way, order food, and start conversations. In Italian, the basic question words are chi (who), che cosa or cosa (what), dove (where), quando (when), come (how), perché (why), and quanto (how much/many). Most of them never change form, except for quanto, which agrees in gender and number with the noun it modifies (Quanti anni hai? Quante persone?). Italian has no "do" or "does" auxiliary the way English does, which means questions are often built by simply changing intonation — Parli italiano? sounds like a statement on paper but is unmistakably a question when you raise your voice at the end.
In the exercises below you'll practice picking the right question word, building yes/no questions through intonation and word order, and handling tricky little contractions like Dov'è, Cos'è, and Com'è where the final vowel of the question word fuses with è. You'll also learn how to use prepositions before question words (Di chi è? — Whose is it?, Da dove vieni? — Where are you from?), and how perché serves double duty as both "why" and "because." Master these patterns and you'll be able to start any conversation in Italian with confidence.
Italian has a set of dedicated question words used to ask for specific information. Each one targets a different type of answer: - **Chi** — Who - **Che cosa / Cosa** — What - **Dove** — Where - **Quando** — When - **Come** — How - **Perché** — Why - **Quanto / Quanta / Quanti / Quante** — How much / How many
**Chi** asks about a person or people. It does not change form. - Chi è quella donna? — Who is that woman? - Chi parla italiano? — Who speaks Italian? - Chi viene alla festa? — Who is coming to the party? - Di chi è questo libro? — Whose book is this? (literally: Of whom is this book?)
**Che cosa** is the full form; **Cosa** and **Che** alone are also commonly used in everyday speech. All three mean 'what'. - Che cosa fai? / Cosa fai? / Che fai? — What are you doing? - Che cosa vuoi? — What do you want? - Cos'è questo? — What is this? (Cosa + è contracted) Note: In formal writing, **Che cosa** is preferred.
**Dove** asks about location or destination. Before **è** it often contracts to **Dov'è**. - Dove abiti? — Where do you live? - Dov'è la stazione? — Where is the station? - Dove andate stasera? — Where are you going tonight? - Da dove vieni? — Where are you from?
**Quando** asks about time. - Quando arrivi? — When do you arrive? - Quando è il tuo compleanno? — When is your birthday? - Da quando studi italiano? — Since when have you been studying Italian?
**Come** asks about manner, condition, or name. Before **è** it often contracts to **Com'è**. - Come stai? — How are you? - Come si chiama? — What is his/her name? (literally: How is he/she called?) - Com'è il tempo? — What is the weather like? - Come mai? — How come? / Why ever?
**Perché** serves double duty: as a question word (why?) and as a conjunction in answers (because). Note the accent — **perché** with an accent, not *perche* without. - Perché studi italiano? — Why do you study Italian? - Perché sei in ritardo? — Why are you late? The answer also uses perché: Perché mi piace l'Italia. — Because I like Italy.
**Quanto** agrees in gender and number with the noun it modifies. - Quanto costa? — How much does it cost? (masculine singular) - Quanta acqua vuoi? — How much water do you want? (feminine singular) - Quanti anni hai? — How old are you? (masculine plural) - Quante persone vengono? — How many people are coming? (feminine plural) Standalone: Quanto? = How much?
In Italian, the easiest way to form a yes/no question is simply to raise your voice at the end of a statement. The word order does not need to change. - Statement: Parli italiano. — You speak Italian. - Question: Parli italiano? — Do you speak Italian? - Statement: Maria è qui. — Maria is here. - Question: Maria è qui? — Is Maria here? This is the most common method in spoken Italian.
Italian can also invert subject and verb, though this is less common in everyday speech and more typical in formal or written Italian. - Sei stanco? — Are you tired? (subject omitted, common) - È stanca Maria? — Is Maria tired? (inversion with noun subject) - Viene Paolo alla festa? — Is Paolo coming to the party? With pronouns, the subject is usually just omitted rather than inverted, since Italian verbs already encode the subject.
Question tags are added at the end of a statement to seek confirmation, like English 'right?' or 'isn't it?'. - **Vero?** — True? / Right? - **No?** — No? / Isn't it? - **Dai?** — Come on, right? (informal) - **Giusto?** — Correct? / Right? Examples: - Parli inglese, vero? — You speak English, right? - È bello, no? — It's nice, isn't it? - Vieni anche tu, giusto? — You're coming too, right?
To form a negative question, place **non** before the verb. - Non parli italiano? — Don't you speak Italian? - Non sei stanco? — Aren't you tired? - Perché non vieni? — Why aren't you coming? Negative questions often imply surprise or expectation.
Italian distinguishes between informal (tu) and formal (Lei) address. In questions: - Informal: Come ti chiami? — What's your name? - Formal: Come si chiama? — What is your name? (also used for he/she) - Informal: Dove abiti? — Where do you live? - Formal: Dove abita? — Where do you live? (formal) The formal Lei uses third-person singular verb forms.
Learn these essential question phrases: - Come si dice...? — How do you say...? - Cosa significa...? — What does ... mean? - Puoi ripetere? — Can you repeat? - Puoi parlare più lentamente? — Can you speak more slowly? - Scusa, dove si trova...? — Excuse me, where is...? - Quanto viene? — How much is it? (colloquial for price) - A che ora...? — At what time...?
10 exercises · 0 completed
Basic Question Words
10 questions
Chi — Who
10 questions
Cosa — What
10 questions
Dove — Where
10 questions
Quando — When
10 questions
Come — How
10 questions
Perché — Why
10 questions
Quanto — How Much / How Many
10 questions
Fill in the Question Word
10 questions
Mixed Review — Question Words
10 questions
10 exercises · 0 completed
Quanti/Quante — How Many
10 questions
Come — Asking About State and Description
10 questions
Question or Statement?
10 questions
Yes/No Questions
10 questions
Intonation Questions — Fill the Answer
10 questions
Match Question to Answer
10 questions
Personal Information Questions
10 questions
Daily Routine Questions
10 questions
Fill in: Come or Perché?
10 questions
Mixed Review — Group 2
10 questions
10 exercises · 0 completed
Question Tags — vero? no? giusto?
10 questions
Negative Questions
10 questions
Polite Questions
10 questions
Formal vs. Informal Questions
10 questions
Choose the Right Question Word
10 questions
Shopping Questions
10 questions
Asking for Directions
10 questions
Questions About Time
10 questions
Fill in the Answer: Sì or No
10 questions
Mixed Review — Group 3
10 questions
10 exercises · 0 completed
Match the Question to the Answer
10 questions
Interview-Style Questions
10 questions
Classroom Questions
10 questions
Restaurant Questions
10 questions
Phone Call Questions
10 questions
Complex Questions — Chi and Cosa
10 questions
Complex Questions — Dove and Quando
10 questions
Complex Questions — Come and Perché
10 questions
Fill in: Complex Question Words
10 questions
Mixed Review — Group 4
10 questions
10 exercises · 0 completed
Indirect Questions
10 questions
Embedded Questions
10 questions
Real Conversation 1 — At the Hotel
10 questions
Real Conversation 2 — Meeting Someone New
10 questions
Formal Question Mastery
10 questions
Complete Review — All Question Words
10 questions
Complete the Dialogue
10 questions
Questions from a Paragraph
10 questions
Comprehensive Review 1
10 questions
Comprehensive Review 2
10 questions
Stuck on Asking Questions in Italian? Get 25 minutes with a native speaker — €1.
Pasqualino Ferrari (Super Squalo) teaches you 1-on-1 via video call. No commitment, no package.
Use the same word order as a statement and just raise your intonation at the end: "Parli italiano?" (Do you speak Italian?). In writing, the question mark signals it. Italian has no equivalent of "do/does" auxiliary — you simply ask the verb directly.
Chi (who), che/che cosa/cosa (what), dove (where), quando (when), perché (why/because), come (how), quale/quali (which), quanto (how much/many). Example: "Dove vai?" (Where are you going?), "Quanto costa?" (How much does it cost?).
Perché means both "why" and "because". "Perché non vieni?" (Why don’t you come?) — "Perché sono stanco" (Because I’m tired). Context and intonation distinguish them. In formal writing, "poiché" or "siccome" can replace the causal "because".
A1 Topics