Relative pronouns are used to connect two sentences that share a common element, allowing you to avoid repeating the same word. For example:
I saw a movie yesterday. The movie was funny. → The movie that I saw yesterday was funny.
That / Who / Which
The most commonly used relative pronoun in Italian is che, which can be translated as that, who, or which in English. Here are some examples:
Ho mangiato del cibo che era molto buono.
I ate some food that was very good.
Il ragazzo che ho incontrato l'altro giorno era molto simpatico.
The boy I met the other day was very nice.
Ieri ho visto un film che era divertente.
Yesterday, I saw a movie that was funny.
Il sogno che ho fatto stanotte era strano.
The dream I had last night was strange.
Whom / Which
When a preposition is required, you cannot use che alone; instead, you use cui in combination with the appropriate preposition. Here are some examples:
La cosa a cui tengo di più è la mia famiglia.
The thing I care about most is my family.
Le uniche persone a cui lo ho detto siete voi due.
The only people I told are you two.
Ho visto il film di cui tutti parlano.
I saw the movie everyone is talking about.
Tu sei la persona di cui mi fido di più.
You are the person I trust the most.
The word che is also used in exclamatory sentences. It can be translated as "what a..." and is often placed at the beginning of the sentence. Examples include:
Che bella giornata!
What a beautiful day!
Ma che bella giornata!
But what a beautiful day!
Non posso venire giovedì, ma che peccato.
I can't come on Thursday—what a pity.
Another word used in exclamations is quanto, which is often translated as how. Here are some examples:
Quanto sei bello.
How handsome you are.
Quanto è buono questo cibo.
How good this food is.
Where
Dove means where and is used when referring to a place:
L'appartamento dove abito è in centro.
The apartment where I live is downtown.
Il ristorante dove sono stata ieri era costoso.
The restaurant where I was yesterday was expensive.
Which
When referring to an entire sentence or situation, you use il che, which translates as which. Here are some examples:
Luca è arrivato in ritardo, il che mi ha fatto arrabbiare.
Luca arrived late, which made me angry.
Giacomo ha ottenuto il lavoro, il che lo ha reso molto felice.
Giacomo got the job, which made him very happy.
In everyday conversation, il che is often replaced by more informal expressions like e questo and e ciò. Here are some examples:
Luca è arrivato in ritardo, e questo mi ha fatto arrabbiare.
Luca arrived late, and this made me angry.
Giacomo ha ottenuto il lavoro, e ciò lo ha reso molto felice.
Giacomo got the job, and that made him very happy.
The Which
The formal equivalent of che is il quale, which must agree in gender and number with the noun it replaces. Here are some examples:
Ieri ho visto un film, il quale era divertente.
Yesterday I saw a movie, which was funny.
L'altro giorno ho incontrato una ragazza, la quale era molto simpatica.
The other day I met a girl, who was very nice.
