Italian 2.4. Demonstrative Adjectives & Pronouns

In this lesson, we will cover demonstrative pronouns and adjectives in Italian, and we will learn how to use them in the context of some examples.

Demonstrative adjectives (this, that, these, those) come before a noun, e.g., “I want this book.”

On the other hand, possessive pronouns (same as demonstrative adjectives: this, that, these, those) replace a noun and its possessive adjective, e.g., “I want this.”

Demonstrative pronouns and adjectives in Italian must agree in gender and number with the noun being described.

Demonstrative Pronouns

Let us start with the Italian demonstrative pronouns:

	Masc. Singular	Feminine Singular	Masc. Plural	Feminine Plural
this (one)/these (ones)	questo	questa	questi	queste
that (one)/those (ones)	quello	quella	quelli	quelle

In general, “questo,” “questa,” “questi,” and “queste” are used to refer to nouns close to the speaker.

On the other hand, “quello,” “quella,” “quelli,” and “quelle” are used to refer to nouns far away from the speaker.

Examples

Let us take some examples:

A: Which chair do you want? B: That one.	A: Quale sediaf vuoi? B: Quella.
A: Which language do you prefer? B: This one.	A: Quale linguaf preferisci? B: Questa.
A: Which books did you read? B: These ones.	A: Quali librim hai letto? B: Questi.
A: Which cell phone do you use? B: This one.	A: Quale cellularem utilizzi? B: Questo.
A: Which schools are the best? B: Those ones.	A: Quali scuolef sono le migliori? B: Quelle.

The demonstrative pronouns “questo” and “quello” can also be used to refer to a whole sentence or concept, e.g., “Questo non è accettabile” (This is not acceptable), or to point at something without mentioning it, e.g., “Deve essere quello” (It has to be that).

Demonstrative Adjectives

Let us now examine the demonstrative adjectives.

In the case of the demonstrative adjectives of nearness, i.e., “this” and “these,” the demonstrative adjectives are identical to the demonstrative pronouns, that is, “questo,” “questa,” “questi,” and “queste.”

For example, “questo ragazzo” (this boy), “questa macchina” (this car).

Notice that it is optional to use the form “quest’” instead of “questo” or “questa” before a noun that begins with a vowel, e.g., “quest’amica” (this friend) is short for “questa amica.”

In the case of the demonstrative adjectives of farness, i.e., “that” and “those,” recall from Level I, Lesson 7 that “quello” is one of two common adjectives that change form like the definite articles, depending on the number and gender of the following noun and whether the noun begins with a vowel or certain consonants.

	l’	lo	il	la	i	gli	le
quello	quell’	quello	quel	quella	quei	quegli	quelle

To summarize, the following are the demonstrative adjectives in Italian:

	Masc. Singular	Feminine Singular	Masc. Plural	Feminine Plural
this/these	questo	questa	questi	queste
that/those	quell’(V) quello(Z) quel	quell’(V) quella	quegli(V)(Z) quei	quelle

^(V) before a noun (or preceding adjective) that begins with a vowel

^(Z) before a noun (or preceding adjective) that begins with “z,” “gn,” “ps,” or “s” + consonant

Examples

Let us take some examples:

A: Which chair do you want? B: That chair.	A: Quale sediaf vuoi? B: Quella sedia.
A: Which language do you prefer? B: This language.	A: Quale linguaf preferisci? B: Questa lingua.
A: Which books did you read? B: These books.	A: Quali librim hai letto? B: Questi libri.
A: Which cell phone do you use? B: This cell phone.	A: Quale cellularem utilizzi? B: Questo cellulare.
A: Which schools are the best? B: Those schools.	A: Quali scuolef sono le migliori? B: Quelle scuole.
A: Which of your uncles lives here? B: That uncle.	A: Quale dei tuoi ziim abita qui? B: Quello zio.
A: Which lawyers have you contacted? B: Those lawyers.	A: Quali avvocatim hai contattato? B: Quegli avvocati.
A: Which pants should I wear? B: Those pants.	A: Quali pantalonim dovrei indossare? B: Quei pantaloni.
A: Which of your friends works here? B: That friend.	A: Quale dei tuoi amicim lavora qui? B: Quell’ amico.

Next: Object Personal Pronouns

Back to: Italian Lessons

Other lessons in Level II: