The two relative pronouns, che and cui, are invariable, which means that they do not change according to the subjects or objects they replace in the relative clause. We will cover each in turn.
- Che
As a relative pronoun, che has a variety of English equivalents. Che means that and which when it replaces things and who or whom when it replaces people.
Che can be used to replace a noun that functions as both subject or object. This distinction is not terribly important for you to think about while using che, but it can be interesting to consider as you focus on grammatical studies.
In English, we often omit the relative pronoun that: The course (that) I’m taking. In Italian, however, it must be used.Le finestre che avevamo visto erano aperte.
The windows that we had seen were open.
È necessaria tutta questa roba che hai portato?
Is all that stuff which you brought necessary?
La donna che è venuta non aveva abbastanza esperienza per la posizione.
The woman who came didn’t have enough experience for the position.
Mio fratello ha consultato un astrologo che aveva conosciuto a Parma.
My brother consulted an astrologer whom he had met in Parma.