Italian Interrogatives
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In questions beginning with an interrogative word, the subject is usually placed at the end of the sentence.

Quando guarda la TV Michele? (When does Michael watch TV?)

Prepositions such as a, di, con, and per always precede the interrogative chi. In Italian, a question never ends with a preposition.

A chi scrivono? (To whom are they writing?)
Di chi è questa chiave? (Whose key is this?)
Con chi uscite stasera? (Who(m) are you going out with tonight?)

Che and cosa are abbreviated forms of che cosa. The forms are interchangeable.

Che cosa bevi? (What are you drinking?)
Che dici? (What are you saying?)
Cosa fanno i bambini? (What are the children doing?)

As with all adjectives, the interrogative adjectives agree in gender and number with the nouns they modify, except for che, which is invariable.

Quali parole ricordi? (Which words do you remember?)
Che libri leggi? (What books do you read?)
Quante ragazze vengono? (How many girls are coming?)

Che cos’è...? (Che cosa è, cos’è) expresses English What is...? in a request for a definition or an explanation.

Che cos’è la semiotica? (What is semiotics?)

Qual è expresses What is...? when the answer involves a choice, or when one requests information such as a name, telephone number, or address.

Qual è la tua materia preferita? (What’s your favorite subject?)
Qual è il numero di Roberto? (What is Roberto’s number?)

Interrogative Pronouns