How to say “Which Means” in Italian?
The expression “which means” in English is used to introduce a further comment on something. In Italian, we use the expression il che, which has the same meaning and use, as you can see in the example below:
Non mi ha detto niente, il che vuol dire che non vuole venire.
She didn’t say anything, which means she doesn’t want to come.
“Il che” in Italian
As you might know already, che in Italian means “what”. It is one of the Italian relative pronouns that are used to link two sentences together, like “which”, “who”, and “that”.
In Italian, il che is a fixed expression, and the use of the definite article il is mandatory for its structure. It does not have a grammatical function, meaning we do not use the masculine singular article because it is being used to refer to a masculine singular noun.
Instead, it must be perceived as a neutral pronoun. Therefore, il che is used to refer back to a whole idea or statement previously mentioned in the text. Remember that masculine singular is the default gender and number in Italian!
E’ arrivata in ritardo, il che non mi stupisce.
She arrived late, which doesn’t surprise me.
As you can see, il che refers to the concept, the idea, and the meaning of the whole sentence that is previously stated, just like “which” does.
Of course, since il che refers to an idea or a concept, it is followed by a verb in the third person singular:
Dovrei ottenere il massimo dei voti, il che è improbabile.
I would have to get top marks, whichis unlikely.
Let me show you some more examples:
Non è a casa, il che vuol dire che è uscito con i suoi amici.
He’s not home, which means he went out with his friends.
He doesn’t study, which is a pity.
Non studia, il che è un peccato!
Non avevano freddo, il che mi sembra incredibile.
They weren’t cold, which is unbelievable to me.
No mi ha chiamato, il che è strano.
He didn’t call me, which is strange.
Non si parlano più, il che significa che hanno litigato.
They don’t talk anymore, which means they argue.
