Italian Questions: Chi, Come, Dove, Quando, Perché (Question Words)
A0 · Lesson 19 · Questions
Ten little words, one simple rule, and you can ask an Italian almost anything.
Quick answer
Italian questions start with a question word. The main ones are chi (who), come (how), dove (where), di dove (from where), quando (when), quanti / quante (how many), che cosa (what), qual è (what is / which is), perché (why) and con chi (with whom). The question word goes first. For yes/no questions, keep the same words and let your voice go up: Sei italiano?
Italian questions about people and places: chi, come, dove
Start with the five you need to meet someone new.
Chi?
KEE
who
Chi è?
Who is it? / Who is he, she?
Come?
KOH-meh
how
Come ti chiami?
What’s your name? (How do you call yourself?)
Dove?
DOH-veh
where
Dove abiti?
Where do you live?
Di dove?
dee DOH-veh
from where
Di dove sei?
Where are you from?
Con chi?
kohn KEE
with whom
Con chi abiti?
Who do you live with?
Careful: chi sounds like English “key”, never like “chee”. In Italian, CH = K.
When, how many, what, why: quando, quanti, che cosa, perché
Quando?
KWAHN-doh
when
Quando è la lezione?
When is the lesson?
Quanti? Quante?
KWAHN-tee · KWAHN-teh
how many
Quanti anni hai?
How old are you? (How many years do you have?)
Che cosa?
keh KOH-zah
what
Che cos’è?
What is it?
Qual è?
kwahl EH
what is / which is
Qual è il tuo numero?
What’s your number?
Perché?
pehr-KEH
why
Perché sei in Italia?
Why are you in Italy?
💡 In simple words
Quanti goes with “-o / -i” words: quanti anni (years).
Quante goes with “-a / -e” words: quante lingue (KWAHN-teh LEEN-gweh, how many languages).
Not sure? Quanti is the one you will need most.
Question word first, and qual è (never qual’è)
Two rules for every question
- 1The question word goes first: Dove abiti? Di dove sei? Never Dove sei da? (that is English word order).
- 2Qual è has no apostrophe. Never Qual’è. Even many Italians get this wrong, so you can feel smart.
Why no apostrophe? Qual is a short form of quale that can stand on its own, like buon in buongiorno. Short forms like this never take an apostrophe. Just remember: qual è, two words, a space, done.
Yes/no questions: same words, voice up
No question word? No problem. A yes/no question in Italian uses the same words as a statement. Only your voice changes: it goes up at the end.
Sei italiano.
You are Italian. (voice flat)
Sei italiano?
Are you Italian? (voice up)
No “do”, no “are you”, no changing the order. Parli inglese? (PAHR-lee een-GLEH-zeh) · Do you speak English? Hai fame? (EYE FAH-meh) · Are you hungry?
Answer with Sì (SEE, yes) or No (NOH, no), then add one more fact.
In real life: the curious nonna
Rosa
curious nonna
Come ti chiami?
What’s your name?
you
Mi chiamo Kate.
My name is Kate.
Rosa
curious nonna
Di dove sei? Sei americana?
Where are you from? Are you American?
you
Sì, sono di Denver.
Yes, I’m from Denver.
Rosa
curious nonna
E perché sei in Italia? Con chi?
And why are you in Italy? With whom?
you
Perché sono in vacanza, con mia sorella!
Because I’m on vacation, with my sister!
Five questions in ten seconds. Welcome to Italy: everybody is curious.
Common mistakes English speakers make
Qual’è il tuo numero? → Qual è il tuo numero?
No apostrophe after qual.
Dove sei da? → Di dove sei?
“From where” = di dove, at the start.
Sei italiano. (flat voice) → Sei italiano? (voice up)
Same words: only the voice makes it a question.
💡 Tip: Cosa è il tiramisù? → Cos’è il tiramisù?
Cosa è is correct, but Italians usually glue the two words: cos’è sounds more natural. Che cos’è works too.
Quante anni hai? → Quanti anni hai?
anni is an -i word: quanti.
Did you know? Boh! is a full answer
Gli italiani dicono…
Boh!
BOH (short, with a shrug)
“I don’t know!” Say it with a shrug and a face. Very common and very informal: perfect with friends, not at a job interview!
❓ Perché, perché, perché
Perché means both why and because, so an Italian conversation can go: Perché sei in Italia? – Perché sono in vacanza!
🗣️ The voice does the work
Italians often ask yes/no questions with no special words at all. Listen for the voice going up at the end: that is your signal to answer sì or no.
Chi sono? Dove sono? Perché sono qui? …Boh!
Step 7 · Practice
🍕 Your turn
Start with a quick warm-up, then press Check. Want more? Open the extra exercises below. Mistakes are part of it. No pressure.
Warm-up · 5 questions
Choose the right question word.
1. ___ ti chiami? (What’s your name?)
2. ___ abiti? (Where do you live?)
3. ___ è? (Who is it?)
4. Write it right:
5. ___ anni hai? (How old are you?)
See more exercises · 42 questions ▾Hide the extra exercises ▴
1 · Match the question word
Choose the Italian for the English word.
1. Who?
2. Where?
3. From where?
4. When?
5. How?
6. Why?
7. With whom?
8. What?
9. How many? (anni)
10. What is…? / Which is…?
2 · Which question?
Here is the answer. Choose the question that goes with it.
1. “Sono di Chicago.”
2. “Abito a Roma.”
3. “Mi chiamo Luca.”
4. “Ho trentadue anni.”
5. “Con mia sorella.”
6. “Perché sono in vacanza.”
7. “È Marco, il mio amico.”
8. “È un dolce italiano.” (It’s an Italian dessert.)
3 · Right or wrong?
Is the question correct?
1. “Qual è il tuo numero?”
2. “Qual’è la tua email?”
3. “Dove sei da?”
4. “Di dove sei?”
5. “Parli inglese?” (voice up)
6. “Quante anni hai?”
7. “Con chi abiti?”
8. “Chi ti chiami?”
4 · Quanti or quante?
Choose the right form.
1. ___ anni hai?
2. ___ lingue parli?
3. ___ amici hai?
4. ___ sorelle hai?
5. ___ studenti?
6. ___ pizze? (pizza → pizze)
5 · Write the question
Type the question in Italian. Capital letters and punctuation don’t matter. Type è as e’ if you have no accent key.
1. Where are you from? (to a friend)
2. What’s your name? (to a friend)
3. Where do you live? (to a friend)
4. How old are you? (to a friend)
5. Who is it?
6. What is it?
7. What’s your number? (to a friend)
8. Why are you in Italy? (to a friend)
9. Who do you live with? (to a friend)
10. Are you Italian? (to a man, a friend)
New here? Try a 25-minute lesson for $25: book a trial. Not sure about your level? Take the free level test.
Ci vediamo la prossima settimana! – Sì, alla prossima lezione! Ciao!
See you next week! – Yes, see you at the next lesson! Bye!
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Written by Luciana
Native Italian teacher, CEDILS certified, 10,000+ lessons since 2020.
