chi, che cosa, quando, dove, perché
/ki ˈke ˈkɔ.za ˈkwan.do ˈdo.ve perˈke/word by word
The English phrase "who, what, when, where, why" is translated into Italian as chi, che cosa, quando, dove, perché.
These words form the set of interrogative pronouns and adverbs used to ask for basic information about a situation.
Which one should you use?
The word perché is versatile and is used both to ask the question "why" and to provide the answer "because".
How does it change in a sentence?
The pronoun chi is used to refer to people and remains unchanged regardless of the gender or number of the person being discussed. In many contexts, the phrase che cosa (meaning "what") can be shortened to just che or cosa.
How do you pronounce it?
/ki ˈke ˈkɔ.za ˈkwan.do ˈdo.ve perˈke/. The phrase has 9 syllables and the stress is on the 2nd syllable.
Did you know?
Examples in context
- Chi è il tuo capo?Who is your boss?
- Che cosa fai nel tempo libero?What do you do in your free time?
- Cosa vuoi mangiare stasera?What do you want to eat tonight?
- Quando arriva il treno?When does the train arrive?
- Quando ci vediamo?When are we meeting?
- Dove si trova il bagno?Where is the restroom?
- Dove vai stasera?Where are you going tonight?
- Perché hai scelto questo lavoro?Why did you choose this job?
- Perché non vieni con noi?Why don't you come with us?
Example conversation
Chiara and Francesco are trying to solve a mystery.
- ChiaraDobbiamo scoprire tutto: chi, che cosa, quando, dove, perché.We need to find out everything: who, what, when, where, why.
- FrancescoHai ragione, iniziamo dalle domande più semplici.You are right, let's start with the simplest questions.
- ChiaraAllora, chi è stato l'ultimo a vederlo?So, who was the last person to see it?
- FrancescoNon lo so, dobbiamo chiedere a tutti.I don't know, we have to ask everyone.
