Italian Demonstrative Adjectives – Questo and Quello

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Italian demonstrative adjectives are used to indicate the position of a person or thing in space or time according to the speaker’s (or listener) point of view. In this article we will see how to use them and the main differences with English.

What Are Italian Demonstrative Adjectives

The Italian aggettivi dimostrativi are widely used and correspond to the English “this” and “that”, and their plural forms “these” and “those”. For example:

  • Questo libro è molto interessante – This book is very interesting
  • Quello zaino è nuovo – That backpack is new

As all adjectives in Italian, demonstrative adjectives must also agree in gender and number with the noun.

Questo and his variations (questa, questi, queste, quest’) are used to indicate someone or something that is close to the speaker. They are the equivalent of the English “this”.

Quello is the equivalent of the English that. It’s used for people or things far away from the speaker/listener.

English MASCULINE FEMININE
Singular Plural Singular Plural
this/these questo, quest’ questi questa, quest’ queste
that/those quello, quell’, quel quegli/quei quella, quell’ quelle

Questo and Quello are the most used Italian demonstrative adjectives, but not the only ones. We will now see all of the options you have and how to use them correctly.

Italian Demonstrative Adjective Questo

Questo is used to indicate a person or a thing close to the speaker. We’ve seen that questo is translated in English with “this”. It must agree in gender and number with the noun it refers to and has five forms: questo, questa, questi, queste and quest’.

Questo

Questo is used before singular and masculine names, which usually (but not necessarily) end with the letter “o”. It can be shortened in quest’, before names beginning with a vowel.

  • Questo cappello è nuovo?  – Is this hat new?
  • Mi piace molto questo film  – I really like this movie
  • Quest’anno andrò finalmente in Italia  – This year I will finally go to Italy

If you’re unsure about the gender of the noun, and therefore whether you need to use “questo” or not, think about the definite article you would put in front of the noun.

If the definite article of the noun is “il” or “lo”, questo is the right demonstrative article to use before it.

Il libro –> Questo libro
The book – This book

Lo pneumatico –> Questo pneumatico
The tyre –> This tyre

Questa

Questa is used before feminine, singular nouns which are close to the speaker/listener. It can be shortened in quest’, when the name it refers to begins with a vowel.

  • Questa penna è tua? – Is this pen yours?
  • Questa è mia sorella – This is my sisters
  • Quest’arancia non è molto dolce – This orange isn’t very sweet

Questi

Questi is the plural form of questo. It is therefore used before plural, masculine nouns. It is translated in English with “these”

  • Questi fiori sono freschi – These flowers are fresh
  • Questi occhiali da sole sono costosi –These sunglasses are expensive

Queste

At this point, you won’t be surprised to hear that queste is used before plural, feminine nouns. It is also translated in English with “these”.

  • Queste ragazze sono le mie cugine –These girls are my cousins
  • Queste automobili sono di seconda mano –These cars are second-hand

Quest’

The singular forms questo and questa also have a contracted form: quest’. Quest’ is used in front of words starting with a vowel.

  • Quest’anno andremo alle Hawaii – This year we’ll go to Hawaii
  • Quest’aula è vuota – This classroom is empty

When a word starts with a vowel you can use both the contracted form quest’ or questo/questa.

  • Mi piace questa idea / Mi piace quest’idea  – I like this idea
  • Questo amore / quest’amore – This love

The only exceptions are the words ultimo and ultima, which mean “last”. With these two words you must use quest’.

  • Quest’ultimo / Quest’ultima – The latter

These two expressions are used to refer to the last element of a couple or group mentioned before in the speech. For instance:

  • Luca, Francesca e Paolo sono venuti alla festa. Quest’ultimo è andato a casa alle 22.
    Luca, Francesca and Paolo came to the party. The latter went back home at 10pm.

The contracted form is never allowed with the plural adjectives, both feminine and masculine. You will use questi and queste even if the following noun starts with a vowel.

  • Queste arance sono molto dolci – These oranges are very sweet
  • Chi sono questi ragazzi? – Who are these boys?

Quick Overview On The Demonstrative Adjective Questo

MASCULINE FEMININE MASCULINE / FEMININE
SINGULAR(this) questo questa quest’with nouns starting with vowels
PLURAL(these) questi queste –

Italian Demonstrative Adjective Quello

Let’s now see the demonstrative adjective quello. It is the equivalent of the English “that” and is used to express that someone or something is far away from the point of view of the speaker.

  • Quello studente seduto in ultima fila è il migliore della classe
    That student sitting in the last row is the top of the class

Quello has several different forms. Let’s have a look at the chart below.

MASCULINE FEMININE
SINGULAR(this) quello, quel, quell’ quella, quell’
PLURAL(those) quegli, quei quelle

That’s quite a lot, right? No need to worry, we will cover each case one by one. When to use which demonstrative adjective depends on the initial of the following noun.

Quello And Quegli

Quello and also its plural form quegli are used before masculine nouns beginning with: s + consonant, z, gn, ps, pn, x, i or y + another vowel.

  • Quello specchio / Quegli specchi – That mirror / Those mirrors
  • Quello zaino / Quegli zaini – That backpack / those backpack
  • Quello psicologo / Quegli psicologi – That psychologist / Those psychologist
  • Quello xilofono / Quegli xilofoni – That xylophone / Those xylophones

Quell’

The use of the demonstrative adjective quell’ (with apostrophe) is quite easy to remember, as it precedes all singular nouns, both masculine and feminine, beginning with a vowel.

  • Quell’amico / Quell’amica – That friend
  • Quell’orologio – That watch
  • Quell’arancia – That orange

Quel And Quei

The demonstratives quel and its plural form quei are used before masculine nouns beginning with consonant, except in the cases where we must use quello and quegli (that are used before s + consonant, z, gn, ps, pn, x, i or y + another vowel).

  • Quel bambino / Quei bambini – That child / those children
  • Quel cane / Quei cani – That dog / Those dogs
  • Quel muro / Quei muri – That wall / Those walls

Quella And Quelle

The demonstratives quella and quelle are used before all feminine nouns beginning with a consonant.
For feminine nouns beginning with a vowel, we’ve already seen that we use quell’.

  • Quella penna / Quelle penne  – That pen / Those pens
  • Quella casa / Quelle case – That house / Those houses

The feminine plural form quelle remains unchanged, no matter what the initial of the noun is.

  • Quelle case sono nuove – Those houses are new
  • Quelle arance sono italiane – Those oranges are from Italy

How To Choose Between Quei And Quegli

If at this point you feel overwhelmed by all the different demonstrative adjectives it is totally normal: Italian has a complex and articulated grammar that requires lots of practice (and patience).

A common mistake many people make when it comes to demonstrative adjectives is to confuse the use of quei and quegli. Both are used before nouns starting with different consonants.

  • Quegli zaini – Those backpacks
  • Quei libri – Those books

If you can’t remember which consonant requires which adjective, there is a simple method for not getting it wrong. Just isolate the following word for a moment and check which definite article it requires, whether “lo” or “il“. With “lo” (or with its shortened form l’) the form “quegli” must be used. With “il” it is necessary to write or say “quei”

Definite articlelo/il Demonstrative article(singular) Demonstrative article(plural)
lo strumento quello strumento quegli strumenti
l’amico quell’amico quegli amici
il bambino quel bambino quei bambini
il libro quel libro quei libri

It’s not that difficult, you just need to remember the combination “Quegli-Lo” and “Quei-Il“. Also, keep in mind that quei is never used before a plural noun starting with a vowel.

Quick Overview On The Demonstrative Adjective Quello

that/those SINGULAR PLURAL
MASCULINE(noun starts with s + consonant, z, gn, ps, pn, x, i or y + another vowel) quello quegli
MASCULINE(noun starts with a consonant, except the cases mentioned above) quel quei
MASCULINE(noun starts with a vowel) quell’ quegli
FEMININE(noun starts with a consonant) quella quelle
FEMININE(noun starts with a vowel) quell’ quelle

Italian Demonstrative Adjectives Codesto, Stesso, Medesimo, Tale

There are four more demonstrative adjectives in Italian: codesto, stesso, medesimo and tale.

Codesto

Codesto is used for things or people which are far away from the speaker, but close to the listener. However, it is not used anymore in spoken language, and you will hardly hear it. In most cases, Italian speakers will use quello instead of codesto.

  • Passami codesto giornale – Give me that newspaper
  • È interessante, codesto libro che stai leggendo? – Is it interesting, that book that you’re reading?

The term is in disuse and used almost exclusively in Tuscany (a region in central Italy) and in commercial and bureaucratic language.

  • Il sottoscritto chiede a codesta amministrazione la seguente autorizzazione
    I hereby request the following authorization from this administration

Codesto also must be adapted to the gender and number of the following noun. It therefore has four forms: codesto, codesta, codesti, codeste.

Stesso And Medesimo

Stesso and medesimo mean “same” and are used to indicate identity:

  • Prenderemo lo stesso treno – We will take the same train
  • Abbiamo prenotato il medesimo albergo – We booked the same hotel

They also agree in gender and number with the noun they precede

  • Se fossi stato in te, avrei fatto la medesima scelta
    If I were you, I would have done the same choice
  • Io e mia sorella abbiamo comprato la stessa maglietta
    My sister and I have bought the same T-shirt

Stesso can be used to emphasize the name it refers to:

  • Io stesso sono rimasto sorpreso delle sue parole.
    I myself (even I) was surprised to hear his words
  • L’allenatore stesso (l’allenatore in persona) si è congratulato con la squadra
    The coach himself congratulated the team

Tale

Tale means “such” or “such a” and can be used as an aggettivo dimostrativo.

  • Non ho mai detto tali parole – I’ve never said such words

It is often used to highlight that something is particularly important or big.

  • Tali errori sono imperdonabili – Such (big) mistakes are hard to forgive
  • Un tale comportamento è inaccettabile  – Such behavior is unacceptable

Tale only has two forms: tale (before singular, masculine or feminine nouns) and tali (before plural, masculine or feminine nouns). The indefinite article (un, una, etc) often precedes it.

  • Un tale successo va festeggiato! – Such a success has to be celebrated!

Finally, tale can also be used instead of questo or quello, when the person or thing it refers to has been already mentioned in your sentence:

  • Il Colosseo è il luogo più famoso di Roma: una tale opera richiese otto anni di lavori
    The Colosseo is the most famous place in Rome. Such a monument required 8 years to be built

Position Of The Demonstrative Adjectives

Before going, there are still a few things to keep in mind about how to use demonstrative adjectives. When there is a demonstrative adjective in the sentence, qualifying adjectives are placed after the noun they refer to:

  • Voglio comprare quel cappotto verde – I want to buy that green coat
  • Quella penna nuova è di Sara – That new pen is Sara’s

If the sentence contains a demonstrative adjective and a possessive adjective, the latter is placed between the demonstrative and the noun.

  • Questo tuo libro è molto noioso – That book of yours is very boring
  • Quella tua idea mi è sembrata molto interessante – That idea of yours sounded quite interesting to me

Italian Demonstrative Adjectives – Summary Table

Demonstrative adjectives can be of two types: those indicating closeness and those expressing remoteness. Italian gives you quite a few options; let’s put everything together to review all the aggettivi dimostrativi:

English MASCULINE FEMININE
Singular Plural Singular Plural
this/these questo, quest’ questi questa, quest’ queste
that/those codesto codesti codesta codeste
that/those quello, quel, quell’ quegli, quei quella, quell’ quelle
same stesso stessi stessa stesse
same medesimo medesimi medesima medesime
such tale tali tale tali

Conclusion

The use of different demonstrative adjectives requires a lot of practice. If you use the wrong aggettivo dimostrativo, Italian people will still be able to understand you, but it’s important to master them to speak Italian properly.

If you’re looking for a way to put all this knowledge into practice, we suggest that when learning new nouns, you also try to identify the right demonstrative adjective that should be used with it.

This way, you’ll be able to memorize and use the correct combination in no time.

Periodo Ipotetico Italian – How To Make Hypothesis In Italian

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What Is The Periodo Ipotetico In Italian?

The periodo ipotetico in Italian is the conditional sentence used to make hypothesis about the past, present, future or to predict the consequences of an action.
There are three types of conditional clauses, which are used to express certain hypothesis, possible hypothesis or impossible hypothesis. Let’s see some examples:

1. Real, certain hypothesis
Se costa troppo non lo compro. 
If it’s too expensive, I will not buy it.

2. Possible hypothesis
Se avessi i soldi, viaggerei più spesso.
If I had the money, I would travel more.

3. Impossibile hypothesis
Se avessi studiato, avresti passato l’esame.
If you had studied, you would have passed the test.

The difference among these sentences is the tense used, which defines the condition of reality (certainty), possibility or impossibility.

The periodo ipotetico Italian is a structure which is always formed by a main clause and a subordinate clause and is the equivalent of the English “If sentences”.

A conditional sentence contains both a hypothesis, introduced by the preposition se (if), and a statement of consequence.

Now let’s have a look at how to construct the three of them and which tense to use in each situation.

Periodo Ipotetico Italian – Certain Hypothesis

Before seeing how to construct the conditional clause for certain hypothesis, let’s see how to distinguish the subordinate from the main clause. The sentence introduced by “se” (if) is the subordinate clause, while the other is the main clause.

Example:

Se non piove (Subordinate), uscirò (Main).
If it doesn’t rain (Subordinate), I will go out (Main).

This type of conditional clause is called in Italian: “periodo ipotetico della realtà” (conditional clause of reality) and is used when we are certain (or quite certain) of the consequences of an action or fact.

  • Se vieni con me, ti divertirai
    If you come with me, you’ll have fun
  • Se non capisci, te lo spiego di nuovo
    If you don’t understand, I will explain it again

The basic rule for conditional clauses is that the tenses in the two sentences must be conjugated according to the type of conditional used (reality, possibility or unreality). The conditional clause for reality expresses a situation that can happen for sure in the present or in the future.

TIME OF THE HYPOTESIS VERBSUBORDINATE VERBMAIN CLAUSE
Present time Indicative mood –
Present Simple
Se hai bisogno,
If you need help,		 Indicative mood –
Present Simple
chiamami
call me
Future time Present Simple
Se non ti sbrighi,
If you don’t hurry		 Future Simple
faremo tardi
we’ll be late
Future time Future Simple
Se non pioverà,
If it will not rain		 Future Simple
usciremo
we will go out

This 1st Conditional is used to discuss something which is happening in the present or will take place very soon in the future. As you can see, there are three possibilities:

  1. Present Simple (Indicative mood) + Present Simple (Indicative mood)
  2. Present Simple (Indicative mood) + Future Simple (Indicative mood)
  3. Future Simple (Indicative mood) + Future Simple (Indicative mood)

The important thing to remember is that this 1st Conditional is always used to talk about something that will surely happen, or that has a high chance of happening. There is also a fourth case, where Imperative mood is used in the main clause:

  • Se vuoi avere successo, fa’ come ti dico
    If you want to be successful, do as I say
  • Se ti senti solo, chiamami!
    If you feel lonely, call me!

Periodo Ipotetico Italian – Possible Hypothesis

The second conditional is the one used to express a possible hypothesis, something that could happen in the future, but might as well not happen.

In the case of a possible hypothesis, we use the imperfect subjunctive in the clause expressing the condition (subordinate clause), and the present conditional in the clause expressing the consequence (main clause):

  • Se fossi ricco, comprerei una casa a New York
    If I was rich, I’d buy a house in New York
  • Se ci fosse il sole, andrei al parco
    If it was sunny, I would go to the park

This type of conditional is called periodo ipotetico della possibilità (conditional clause of possibility), because it presents situations which are unreal at present, but could possibly happen, even if it’s unlikely. For this reason, the mood used is the subjunctive + conditional tenses.

If you studied the subjunctive and conditional mood you already know that these are the ones used to talk about possibilities and uncertain situations. The imperfect subjunctive is used to formulate a hypothesis, while the conditional present expresses the possible outcome.

  • Se facessi sport, non ti ammaleresti così spesso
    If you did some sport, you wouldn’t be sick so often
  • Se avessi delle uova, farei una torta
    If I had some eggs, I would bake a cake

In few cases, however, you can find that this 2nd conditional may use the imperfect subjunctive + indicative future simple. This happens when you want to talk about a possible, but future hypothesis. The indicative Future is used in the main clause:

  • Se domani il tempo dovesse essere brutto, resteremo a casa
    If tomorrow the weather is bad, we will stay at home
    If the weather has to be bad, we will stay at home (literally)
  • Se dovesse venire, lo accoglieremo calorosamente
    If he has to come (if he happens to come), we will welcome him warmly

In the subordinate clause, the possibility of the hypothesis is signaled by the modal verb dovere (to have to), conjugated in the Imperfect Subjunctive. Here, dovere has a different use than in English, so don’t worry too much if you think it sounds weird, as this form is not very common in spoken language.

TIME OF THE HYPOTESIS VERBSUBORDINATE VERBMAIN CLAUSE
Present time Imperfect Subjunctive
Se potessi,
If I could		 Conditional Present
verrei a trovarti
I would come visit you
Future time Imperfect Subjunctive
Se dovessi ammalarmi
If I’ll get sick (If I have to get sick)		 Future Simple (Indicative)
andrò dal medico
I’ll go see a doctor


Periodo Ipotetico Italian – Impossible Hypothesis

When there is the impossibility for a certain condition to happen, the third type of hypothetical sentence must be used. This is called the periodo ipotetico dell’irrealtà, (unreal conditional clause). It is used to express the impossibility of something, because we already know it didn’t happen (and there’s no chance to go back in time and change it) or because the circumstances are impossible. For instance:

  • Se fossi nato in Italia, parlerei italiano
    If I was born in Italy, I would speak Italian
  • Se fossi uscito in tempo, non avresti fatto tardi
    If you had left on time, you wouldn’t have been late

The impossible hypothesis in the past is created by using the pluperfect or imperfect subjunctive in the subordinate clause and with the conditional present or past in the main clause. When forming this conditional always remember that the action that you’re talking about is impossible, and there’s no way that it can happen.

The 3rd type conditional can also be used to express regret:

  • Se solo avessi studiato di più, ora sarei un avvocato famoso
    If only I had studied more, I would now be a famous lawyer

It’s important to remember that the assumption that we make with the 3rd conditional will never have a chance to happen. The subordinate clause introduced by “se” can indicate both a present or past situation:

  • Se fossi un animale, quale vorresti essere?
    If you were an animal, which one would you be?

In this case we are referring to a present situation, because we are asking something to someone in the present. Therefore, in this particular case, we use the imperfect subjunctive in the subordinate clause, and the conditional present in the main sentence.

  • Se avessi avuto i soldi, sarei andato in vacanza
    If I have had the money, I would have gone on holidays

This second situation, however, is set in the past, so we use the pluperfect subjunctive in the subordinate and the conditional past in the main clause.

TIME OF THE HYPOTESIS VERBSUBORDINATE VERBMAIN CLAUSE
Present time Imperfect Subjunctive
Se fossi un astronauta,
If I was an astronaut		 Conditional Present
andrei sulla Luna
I would go to the Moon
Past time Pluperfect Subjunctive
Se avessi corso,
If I had run,		 Conditional Past
avrei raggiunto l’autobus
I would have caught the bus

Common Mistakes

The periodo ipotetico in Italian is a sentence used to express a condition and a consequence. It’s not easy to immediately understand and use it, so you might want to be aware of two common mistakes people often make (even natives!) The first mistake is to use the conditional present tense both in the subordinate clause and in the main clause:

  • Se potrei, verrei
    If I could, I woud come

You should instead use the subjunctive present in the subordinate clause:

  • Se potessi, verrei

This sentence expresses a possibility, so it’s classified as second type conditional. Another common mistake, which often occurs in spoken language, is the use of the imperfect indicative in both clauses:

  • Se potevo, venivo

This sentence means “If I could, I would have come”, and it refers to a past event which didn’t happen and is therefore an impossible hypothesis. So, we need to form the 3rd type conditional by using the pluperfect subjunctive + conditional past:

  • Se avessi potuto, sarei venuto
    If I could, I would have come

To avoid mistakes, remember the general rule: “se” is always set before indicative and subjunctive tenses, never before conditional ones.

Italian Periodo Ipotetico: A Quick Overview

We have seen the three types of Conditional tenses that are used in Italian to talk about real, possible and unreal hypothesis. Now let’s put everything together, so you have a clear overview of the Italian periodo ipotetico.

Hypothesis Type of hypothesis Subordinate clause Main clause
In the present REAL(something is very

likely to happen)

 Present IndicativeSe hai bisogno,
If you need me,		 Present Indicative
chiamami
call me
POSSIBLE
(something can happen, but not for sure)		 Imperfect SubjunctiveSe ti sposassi,

If you’ll get married

 Conditional Presentsarei felice
I’d be happy
IMPOSSIBLE(cannot happen,
unreal situations)		 Imperfect Subjunctive
Se fossi un uccello,If I were a bird		 Conditional Present
volerei
I would fly
In the past IMPOSSIBLE-
UNREAL		 Pluperfect SubjunctiveSe avessi studiato,

If I had studied

 Conditional Past
mi sarei laureato
I would have graduated
In the future REAL – POSSIBLE Indicative Future SimpleSe sarò libero,

If I’ll be free,

 Indicative Future Simple
verrò in spiaggia con te
I will come to the beach with you

If you’ve studied the Italian conditional clauses and think they’re too difficult, well… they are, even for Italian native speakers (who also get them wrong!). It’s an advanced Italian grammar topic, but you can master it with practice and time.

Our advice is to first determine whether the hypothesis is set in the present, past or future. Then, you can choose whether the assumption is real, possible or impossible, and finally pick the appropriate tense.

Sometimes, you can also find mixed conditional clauses, where past and present can be combined together:

  • Se ieri avessi lavorato, oggi potrei riposarmi
    If I had worked yesterday, I could rest today

Another thing to remember, is that main clause and subordinate can change their order, which means you don’t necessarily have to start a conditional clause with “se”:

  • Se hai tempo, telefonami = Telefonami, se hai tempo
    If you have time, call me = Call me, if you have time

Finally, remember that sometimes the subordinate clause with “se” is used as an independent sentence with exclamatory or interrogative intonation, to express desire, regret or blame.

  • Se tu mi avessi ascoltato!
    If you had listened to me!
  • Se riuscissi a capirci qualcosa!
    If only I could understand anything!
  • Se solo fossi ricco!
    If I were rich!

Conclusion

The Italian periodo ipotetico is a complicated and very elegant use of the congiuntivo and condizionale. If you want to speak Italian to an advanced level, you must learn how to use the Italian period ipotetico! Once you master it, you’ll be able to make hypothesis about any situation, be it real, possible or impossible.

If clauses are widely used in everyday language, so this gives you a great opportunity to practice and show off your skills with your Italian friends! What are you waiting for? Go out and try!