In Italian, there is no need for a helping word like English “does” or “do,” as these are already embedded in the conjugated verb and the intonation.
Italian Articles
How to form questions in Italian?
By: Miriam Muccione Fri Aug 30 2024
ItalianSentences
The way you form a question in Italian depends on the type of questions you are asking. In Italian, there are two types of questions (or “interrogatives”):
Yes/no questions → expect a “yes” or “no” answer
These generally keep the same SVO (subject+verb+object) word order as affirmative sentencesNo definition set for affirmative sentencesLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.
Open questions → ask for more substantial information.
Direct questionsNo definition set for Direct questionsLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. change the word order to VSO, but indirect or reported questions follow the normal SVO order instead.
In this post, we will talk about different types of questions and their respective word orderFor a refresher about general word order in Italian, check out the designated post. Otherwise, let’s start with yes/no questions!
Table of Contents
How to ask yes/no questions in Italian?
Unlike in English, to ask a yes/no question in Italian, you do not need to modify the normal sentence structure – just add the question mark at the end of the sentence and, when speaking, change your voice inflection.
Let’s check the difference between affirmative sentence structure and yes/no questions in Italian/English with the following examples:
Luca vive a Caserta.
Luca lives in Caserta.
Luca vive a Caserta?
Does Luca live in Caserta?
As promised, one question mark (?) at the end of an otherwise affirmative sentence does the trick.
Important
When to switch the subject and verb for emphasis in Italian?
For a dramatic effect and/or emphasis on the action in your yes/no question, you can place the verb first and the subject second.
Laura ha chiamato?
Did Laura call?
→
✨ Ha chiamato ✨ Laura?
Did Laura call?
Tip
Remember that in Italian we tend to drop the subject pronoun, so if the subject is an omitted pronoun, what we have left is only the verb.
Ha chiamato?
Did (s/he) call?
So a yes/no question can be just a verb in a couple different cases, like:
when the person/thing we are referring to has just been mentioned;
when the person we are asking the question to knows who/what we are talking about from previous conversations.
How to use tag questions in Italian?
A tag question is a short question at the end of a sentence used to ask someone to confirm something or whether they agree with you on something. Some useful question tag words are the following:
Italian | English |
|---|---|
Vero? | Right? |
Giusto? | Correct? |
Non è vero? | Isn't it true? |
No? | No? |
Sbaglio? / Mi sbaglio? | Am I wrong? |
Non pensi? | Don't you think? |
Non credi? | Don't you think? |
Examples:
Oggi è proprio una bella giornata, vero?
Today is a really nice day, right?
Ci vediamo oggi alle cinque, giusto?
We are meeting today at five, correct?
That’s really all we need to know about Italian yes/no questions!
What are open questions in Italian?
An open question (a.k.a. content question / wh-question) is a question that you ask when you expect more than a yes or no as an answer. This is why we say they are “open.” In Italian, we have two types of open questions, both using interrogative words:
Direct questions, those that usual begin with an interrogative pronoun or adverb and end with a question mark
Indirect questions, which do not end with a question mark, since the question is instead embedded in the meaning of the sentence
Let’s look now at how to form direct questions!
How to form direct questions in Italian?
For basic open questions, the interrogative word comes first. In questions without an object, then the rest of the sentence’s word order changes from SV to VS. This means that the interrogative word is in key position (at the beginning of the sentence), while the verb goes in position 2 and the subject moves to position 3.
interrogative
verb
subject
Dove vive Luca?
Where does Luca live?
If the subject of the question is a subject pronoun, it can be omitted, especially if previously mentioned in the conversation.
Dove vive?
Where does (he) live?
Important
When the interrogative is combined with a prepositionNo definition set for prepositionLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum., the preposition always goes before the interrogative: con chi(with whom), a quale(to which), etc. The preposition and the interrogative can’t be separated in Italian as they can be in English:
Con chi sei andato in campeggio questa estate?
Who did you go camping with this summer?
Exception!
If you’re asking about the subject of the sentence, this is represented by an interrogative word, so the subject will come before the verb in this case.
subject
Chi sei?
Who are (you)?
Note that, in the example above, the pronoun tu(you) is implicit in Italian, whereas the pronoun “you” is explicit in the English translation. However, if you want to emphasize the person or thing you are inquiring about, the personal pronoun would be explicit and placed at the beginning of the question.
✨ Tu ✨ chi sei?
Who are you?
Interrogatives at the end for emphasis
Imagine a friend is telling you where Luca lives while a loud motorbike passes by you, so you don’t hear it. You may want to ask them the question “Where does Luca live?” with a special emphasis on the key information, that is, “where” he lives. Well, in this case, you can place the interrogative word in key position, at the end of the sentence and say:
Scusa, non ho sentito: Luca vive ✨ dove ✨ ?
Sorry, I didn't hear: Luca lives where?
Questions with objects
When your question has an objectNo definition set for objectLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum., the interrogative still comes first, but the rest of the sentence uses SVO order:
interrogative
subject
verb
object
Da quanto tempo Jonathan studia italiano?
How long has Jonathan been studying Italian?
If you want to replace the object with a pronoun, remember that word order changes, since the object pronoun will have to go before the verb:
Da quanto tempo Jonathan lo studia?
How long has Jonathan been studying it?
And of course, if you’re asking about the object, the interrogative word will also be the object, so the object will be first.
What are indirect questions in Italian?
Indirect questions are subordinate clausesNo definition set for subordinate clausesLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. in a sentence in which the main clause has a verb expressing a doubt or a question, like domandare(to ask), chiedere(to ask), pensare(to thikn), etc. The whole sentence is, therefore, a sentence containing a question. These questions do not end with a question mark at the end because the verb of the main clause implies that a question will follow.
Both in the main clause and in the subordinate clause, word order for indirect questions stays SVO. If the subordinate clause contains a direct object or a complement, simply place it at the end.
main clause
interrogative
subject
verb
object / complement
Mi domando perché Antonio non sia arrivato.
I wonder why Antonio hasn’t arrived.
Non capisco perché tutti amano questa canzone.
I don’t understand why everyone loves this song.
Non ricordiamo a che ora i ragazzi andranno al mare.
We don’t remember what time the boys will go to the beach.
Important
Indirect questions can also be used as yes/no interrogatives. In this case, instead of an interrogative pronoun, use the word se(if) at the beginning of the subordinate clause. Also, for this type of indirect question, you don’t need to change voice inflection.
Maria mi ha chiesto se i tuoi amici vogliono venire con noi.
Maria asked me if your friends want to come with us.
To sum it up
Like in English, in Italian we have two main types of questions: yes/no and open questions, but open questions can be direct or indirect. However, in Italian you do not need to form questions by using helping words like “do/does.”
Here are your other takeaways:
For yes/no questions, follow the basic Italian SVO word order (though this is sometimes switched for emphasis). In general, the only difference between a question and a statement is the question mark / tone of voice.
There are some useful tag questions that you can place at the end of a statement, for the person you are talking to to confirm/deny it/give you their approval.
Direct open questions normally place the interrogative at the beginning followed by VSO. However, for emphasis, you can play with this order and have the interrogative word in key position at the end of the sentence.
Indirect questions are subordinate clauses, and — unlike direct questions — they tend to restore the SVO word order. Remember that they do not need question marks, as they follow verbs that imply a question.
Ready to get some training on how to form sentences and questions in Italian? Click the link!
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