Professor Dave here, let’s talk about relative pronouns.
We’ve learned about pronouns in Italian, so it’s time to look at relative pronouns,
or pronomi relativi.
Just like the other pronouns we know, relative pronouns will replace a noun in a sentence.
The word “relative” comes from Latin words RE and LATUS, which mean “that brings back”,
and for this reason, a relative pronoun is closely connected with the word that it precedes,
called the antecedent.
This construction conveniently avoids the repetition of the same word, and is a nice
way to link two sentences that would otherwise be independent.
For example, we could say: The cake is on the table.
I love the cake.
But instead, we can turn this into one sentence by saying: I love the cake which is on the table.
The relative pronoun “which” links the two clauses.
Similarly, we could say: You are driving the car.
I love the car.
Or more simply, I love the car which you are driving.
Again, “which”, has allowed us to express this in one sentence.
The thing we must be aware of is that in English, relative pronouns are often omitted.
Instead of saying: The girl that you know is tall, we could just say: The girl you know is tall.
But in Italian, relative pronouns must always be expressed.
Let’s identify these pronouns now, and then learn exactly how to use them.
The first one we must know is “che”.
The second one will be “cui” which is only used with prepositions.
First let’s learn about “che”.
This is the most common relative pronoun, and it is invariable, so it won’t change,
regardless of number or gender.
Also, this word can refer to both people and things.
First, notice here that che is invariable.
It may refer to both a person and a thing.
In addition, che is a direct pronoun, which means that it may act as a subject or an object.
It can describe the main subject, or introduce a totally new one.
And we must note that no prepositions are allowed with che.
But let’s see some examples, and take note as to whether che is describing the main subject
or introducing a new one.
In the first one, the subject in both clauses is the girl herself.
The girl entered, and the girl is beautiful.
In the second one, the subject of the main clause is the girl, but the subject of the
relative clause is you, as can be seen from the ending of of vedere.
Let’s do another.
Same thing here, the students are the subject in the first, but an object in the second,
with the new subject now being tu, which is implied in the form of the verb.
Again, same idea as the other examples.
Now let’s move on to the second relative pronoun, cui.
This is used every time we need a relative pronoun to follow a preposition.
For example, “parlare di” means to talk about.
The preposition “di” adds to the meaning of the infinitive “parlare”.
If used with a relative pronoun, that would give us something like:
Here are some more examples with other prepositions.
As we can see, it is extremely important to know whether the verb in the relative clause
requires a preposition or not, and if so, which one.
Another usage of cui can be found when combined with articles to form “il cui”, “la
cui”, and “ i cui”.
These phrases mean “whose”.
So we now understand how to use the relative pronouns “che” and “cui”.
Let’s move forward and learn one more important one, but first, let’s check comprehension.