HOW TO SAY “THIS” & “THAT” IN ITALIAN

“This” and “that” (as well as “these” and “those“) are essential words to point out people and things close or far from you. Keep reading to see how to say them in Italian. 

To better understand today’s lesson, make sure you review the following topics:

• WORD GENDER IN ITALIAN: A SIMPLE GUIDE 
• THE ITALIAN ARTICLES: 7 WAYS TO SAY “THE” IN ITALIAN

And now watch the video below or just keep reading!   

HOW TO SAY “THIS” & “THESE” (IN ITALIAN)

Let’s start to see the way you can point out people or objects that are close to you.

In English you use the words “this” in the singular and “these” in the plural.

However in Italian things are a bit more complex as you need to consider the word gender.

In other words, if you’re referring to a masculine noun, you’ll need to use a specific version of “this” which is different from the feminine one.

But let’s do a step at a time: we’ll start with how to say “this” in the singular form and then we’ll move on to the plural (“these”).

“THIS” IN ITALIAN

The word “this” in Italian has two versions based on the gender of the name you’re pointing.

If the name is masculine, you’ll need to say “questo” while if it’s feminine, “questa” is the correct form.

So for example: the word “book” in Italian is masculine and hence this book is: “questo libro”.

Whereas the name “cup” is feminine and hence it’s translated as “questa tazza”. 

Pronoun or Adjective?

You can use “questo” and “questa” either as a pronoun or as an adjective.

What does it means?

Look at the following example.

• Questa penna e’ mia = this pen is mine
• Questa e’ tua? = is this yours?

In the first sentence, “questa” plays the role of an adjective and precede the name “penna”.

However I don’t repeat the word “penna” in the second phrase, since it’s clear from the context that I’m referring to a pen. Therefore “questa” is used as a pronoun here.

“THESE” IN ITALIAN

Let’s now move on to the plural of “this”; same as before, there are two versions of “these” depending on the gender of the word. 

If the name is masculine, “these” will be “questi” while it’s “queste” in case of a feminine noun.

So for example:

• Questi libri sono miei = these books are mine
• Queste tazze sono mie = these cups are mine

By the way, if you don’t remember the possessive adjectives and pronouns in Italian, you can check out the following lesson: how to say “my”, “mine”, “yours”, “their”, etc…

HOW TO SAY “THAT” & “THOSE” (IN ITALIAN)

Okay, now you know how to point out someone or something close to you.

But what if that person or object is far?

Then you should use the Italian words for “that” and “those“, right? Pretty obvious … 

However, things get more complicated than before.

In fact, we don’t only have different versions based on the gender of the name.

Now you also need to see if “that”/”those” play the role of an adjective or a pronoun.

It’s actually less complicated than it looks… keep reading and all will be clear.

“THAT” IN ITALIAN

When is a Pronoun

When “that” has the role of a pronoun in a sentence, things are pretty straight forward.

Indeed, you’ll say: “quello” for masculine nouns and “quella” for the feminine ones. 

And what if it’s an adjective?

In case “that” is an adjective, instead, you need to look at following noun and at its gender. 

If it’s a masculine word, you have three options:

• quel – for nouns starting with a consonant (exceptions: S+consonant, Z, Y, GN, PN, PS)
• quello – when the name begins with one of the following letters: S+consonant, Z, Y, GN, PN, PS
• quell’ – in front of a vowel (note that here you need an apostrophe)

If you’ve seen my lesson on the Italian articles, you’ll see that they follow the same rule – if you didn’t then you can check it here: 7 ways of saying “the” in Italian

Examples: 

Here you are some examples:

• quel gatto (= cat)
• quel vestito (= dress)
• quel medico (= doctor)
• quello squalo (= shark)
• quello zaino (= backpack)
• quello psicologo (= psychologist)
• quell’orso (= bear)
• quell’armadio (= wardrobe)
• quell’amico (= male friend)

Let’s move on to the feminine…

Good news here … with feminine nouns it’s easier!

You only have two options to choose from.

• quella – for nouns starting with a consonant 
• quell’ – in front of a vowel 

Examples: 

Look at the following examples:

• quella papera (= duck)
• quella sedia (= chair)
• quella casa (= house)
• quell’ape (= bee)
• quell’ala (= wing)
• quell’amica (= female friend)

“THOSE” IN ITALIAN

When it’s a Pronoun

If “those” is used as a pronoun in a sentence, here is how you translate it in Italian: “quelli” for masculine names and “quelle” in the feminine. 

Check out the lesson to learn some basic terminology around the family:

HOW TO CALL YOUR FAMILY MEMBERS IN ITALIAN 

“Quelli” as an adjective

When you use “quelli” as an adjective, the same rule will apply but now you only have two options for masculine words:

• quei – when the name begins with a consonant (exceptions: S+consonant, Z, Y, GN, PN, PS)
• quegli – in front of a vowel or one of the following letters: S+consonant, Z, Y, GN, PN, PS

Examples: 

Below you can see some examples:

• quei gatti (= cats)
• quei vestiti (= dresses)
• quei medici (= doctors)
• quegli squali (= sharks)
• quegli zaini (= backpacks)
• quegli psicologi (= psychologists)
• quegli orsi (= bears)
• quegli armadi (= wardrobes)
• quegli amici (= friends)

“Those” for feminine nouns?

In the feminine, “those” will always be quelle, regardless if it’s used as an adjective or as a pronoun. It’s simple as that!

Examples: 

Here you go some examples:

• quelle papere (= ducks)
• quelle sedie (= chairs)
• quelle case (= houses)
• quelle api (= bees)
• quelle ali (= wings)
• quelle amiche (= female friends)