Le domande: chi, che cosa, dove, quando, come, perché, quanto

Le domande: chi, che cosa, dove, quando, come, perché, quanto means “Question words; yes/no questions need no word order change, only intonation”. The main question words are chi (who), che/che cosa/cosa (what), dove (where), quando (when), come (how), perché (why), quanto (how much), quale (which). Formation: interrogativo + verbo + (soggetto) — domande sì/no: stessa frase, intonazione ascendente

Question words; yes/no questions need no word order change, only intonation

A1

Formation

interrogativo + verbo + (soggetto) — domande sì/no: stessa frase, intonazione ascendente

Explanation

The main question words are chi (who), che/che cosa/cosa (what), dove (where), quando (when), come (how), perché (why), quanto (how much), quale (which). For yes/no questions Italian does nothing at all to the sentence — no auxiliary, no inversion: Parli italiano. becomes Parli italiano? with rising intonation. This is far simpler than English. Note perché answers itself: it means both 'why' and 'because'. Dove and come elide before è: dov'è, com'è. When a subject is expressed with a question word it usually goes after the verb: Dove abita Marco?

Examples

Dove abita la tua famiglia?
Where does your family live?
Perché non sei venuto alla festa?
Why didn't you come to the party?
Quanto costa questo formaggio?
How much does this cheese cost?

Note

Italian writes no opening question mark (unlike Spanish) and needs no do-support (unlike English) — the sentence stays exactly as it is.

FAQ

Le domande: chi, che cosa, dove, quando, come, perché, quanto — what does it mean and how is it used?

Question words; yes/no questions need no word order change, only intonation. The main question words are chi (who), che/che cosa/cosa (what), dove (where), quando (when), come (how), perché (why), quanto (how much), quale (which). For yes/no questions Italian does nothing at all to the sentence — no auxiliary, no inversion: Parli italiano. becomes Parli italiano? with rising intonation. This is far simpler than English. Note perché answers itself: it means both 'why' and 'because'. Dove and come elide before è: dov'è, com'è. When a subject is expressed with a question word it usually goes after the verb: Dove abita Marco?

Le domande: chi, che cosa, dove, quando, come, perché, quanto — how do you form it?

interrogativo + verbo + (soggetto) — domande sì/no: stessa frase, intonazione ascendente

Le domande: chi, che cosa, dove, quando, come, perché, quanto — any usage notes?

Italian writes no opening question mark (unlike Spanish) and needs no do-support (unlike English) — the sentence stays exactly as it is.

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