“Quale” in Italian
Quale in Italian has two main functions: on the one hand, it is an interrogative adjective or pronoun that translates to “which” or “what” in English, depending on the context. On the other hand, it is a relative pronoun, and is used to refer to a noun that has been previously mentioned, substituting “che“.
Just like in English, we use “quale” to ask questions about one or more items from a defined set or to specify them. Grammatically speaking, it has no gender distinction, resulting in a unique singular form and a unique plural form:
- Singular: Quale (both masculine and feminine)
- Plural: Quali (both masculine and feminine)
Here is an example of quale used as a question:
Quale città Italiana preferisci?
Which Italian city do you prefer?
And here is an example used as a relative pronoun:
La decisione, la quale ho presto ieri, era difficile.
The decision, which I took yesterday, was difficult.
Notice that the use of “quale” as a relative pronoun like in the second sentence is way less used than its synonym che. I will explain further in this article its more common use with prepositions.
Today we’re going to focus on the use of quale and quali as relative pronouns.
How to use “Quale” in Italian
“Quale” as Interrogative Adjective or Pronoun
Let’s start by defining what an interrogative adjective is and why it is different from a pronoun. Have a look at the two sentences below:
Quali libri hai scelto alla fine?
Which books did you choose in the end?
Quali hai scelto?
Which ones did you choose?
In the first sentence, “quale” is an adjective because it refers to an explicit noun, while in the second sentence, it is a pronoun because it refers to a noun that is not elicited but has rather been mentioned before in the conversation.
When used this way, “quale” is easily translated with “which” or “what” in English.
“Quale” as Relative Pronoun
When used as a relative pronoun, quale can either stand for “che” meaning which, who, that, or it can take on the meaning that is expressed by the preposition it is linked to.
“Quale” as “Che”
You can use quale as the relative pronoun “che” when you have transitive verbs.
Ho incontrato un ragazzo che mi ha aiutato a portare le cose.
I bumped into a guy who helped me carry my stuff.
Ho incontrato un ragazzo il quale mi ha aiutato a portare le cose.
I bumped into a guy who helped me carry my stuff.
As I mentioned before, the second option is not that common, and is usually found in written texts.
“Quale” with Prepositions
Let me show you the structure first, and then its use:
Preposition + definite article + quale or quali…
The article changes depending on the gender and number of the word it’s referring to. As you might know already, some of the prepositions change their form when directly linked to definite articles. I will write their forms below before I put them in use to show some examples:
- a: al, allo, alla, all’, ai, agli, alle
- di: del, dello, della, dell’, dei, degli, delle
- da: dal, dallo, dalla, dall’, dai, dagli, dalle
- in: nel, nello, nella, nell’, nei, negli, nelle
- su: sul, sullo, sulla, sull’, sui, sugli, sulle
Ho letto gli articoli dei quali mi avevi parlato.
I read the articles about which you talked.
I read the articles you talked about.
La ragazza con la quale sei uscito è la mia ex.
The girl with whom you went out is my ex.
The girl you went out with is my ex.
“Cui”: An Easier Substitution
Cui is a synonym for quale and quali.It is much simpler to use because it doesn’t change depending on the number and gender of what it’s referring to. Also, it does not require a definite article. The structure is always just:
Preposition + cui…
So, if you still don’t feel comfortable using quale or quali, just use cui.
You can say both sentences below:
Io ho una sorella alla quale voglio bene.
I have a sister who I love.
Io ho una sorella a cui voglio bene.
I have a sister who I love.
More Examples
I want to give you more context to understand how and when you can use quale and quali.
First of all, let me tell you that “quale” is appropriate in both formal and informal contexts as it is a fundamental part of the Italian language used in everyday conversation.
However, its use as relative pronoun “che” is very limited to formal or written circumstances. As all new topics, understanding its correct use is crucial to enhance your Italian language skills, in order to participate in conversations that involve choices and preferences in Italian.
Here, I will list you some sentences to see its contextual use, and meanwhile, do not forget to practice!
I bambini con i quali stavo giocando sono i miei cugini.
The children with whom I was playing are my cousins.
The children I was playing with are my cousins.
Sono delle persone sulle quali si può contare.
They’re people on whom you can count.
They’re people you can count on.
Voglio una casa dalla quale poter vedere il mare.
I want a house from which I can see the sea.
I want a house I can see the sea from.
Ho perso la scatola nella quale avevo messo i documenti.
I lost the box in which I had put the documents.
I lost the box I had put the documents in.
