Relative Pronoun: che

What Is a Relative Pronoun?

A relative pronoun connects two clauses by referring back to a noun (person or thing) already mentioned. In English you use 'who', 'that', or 'which'. In Italian the main relative pronoun is 'che', which covers all of these. It never changes form — there is no masculine, feminine, singular, or plural version of 'che'. Example: 'Il ragazzo che parla è mio fratello.' (The boy who is speaking is my brother.) Here 'che' refers back to 'il ragazzo' and introduces the relative clause 'che parla'.

Using 'che' — Subject and Direct Object

'Che' can function as either the subject or the direct object of the relative clause. As subject: the relative clause verb agrees with the antecedent. 'La ragazza che canta si chiama Sofia.' (The girl who sings is called Sofia.) — 'che' is the subject of 'canta'. As direct object: 'che' replaces the object of the relative clause verb. 'Il film che guardo è noioso.' (The film that I'm watching is boring.) — 'che' is the direct object of 'guardo'; the real subject is 'io' (implied). Important: 'che' never changes, regardless of whether the antecedent is masculine/feminine or singular/plural. 'I ragazzi che conosco sono gentili.' (The boys that I know are kind.) 'Le ragazze che conosco sono gentili.' (The girls that I know are kind.)

Using 'cui' — After Prepositions

When a relative pronoun follows a preposition (con, in, a, di, per, su, tra, fra), you must use 'cui' instead of 'che'. You cannot use 'che' after a preposition. Common patterns: con cui — with whom / with which in cui — in which / when (time) a cui — to whom / to which di cui — of whom / of which / about which per cui — for which / that is why su cui — on which Examples: 'L'amica con cui vado in vacanza si chiama Laura.' (The friend with whom I'm going on holiday is called Laura.) 'Il giorno in cui ci siamo incontrati era bellissimo.' (The day on which we met was beautiful.) 'La persona a cui ho scritto non ha risposto.' (The person to whom I wrote did not answer.) 'L'argomento di cui parla è complicato.' (The subject about which he is talking is complicated.)

• Il ragazzo che parla è mio fratello. — The boy who is speaking is my brother.
• Il libro che leggo è interessante. — The book that I'm reading is interesting.
• La città in cui vivo si chiama Roma. — The city in which I live is called Rome.
• La persona con cui parlo è la mia amica. — The person with whom I'm speaking is my friend.
• Il ristorante dove mangiamo è buono. — The restaurant where we eat is good.
• Il film che ho visto era bellissimo. — The film that I saw was beautiful.
• L'esame di cui ti parlo è difficile. — The exam that I'm telling you about is difficult.
• Chi studia, impara. — Whoever studies, learns.

Relative Clauses with Past Tenses

Relative clauses work exactly the same way with past tenses. 'Che' still does not change form. 'Il film che ho visto era bellissimo.' (The film that I saw was beautiful.) — passato prossimo inside the relative clause. 'La lettera che hai scritto era molto commovente.' (The letter that you wrote was very moving.) 'Le persone che abbiamo incontrato erano molto simpatiche.' (The people that we met were very nice.) Note on past participle agreement: When 'che' is the direct object and the verb uses 'avere' in the passato prossimo, the past participle can optionally agree with the antecedent, but in modern spoken Italian this agreement is often omitted: 'Le ragazze che ho incontrato / incontrate erano gentili.' — both forms are acceptable.