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. - Cui
Cui is an indirect pronoun that is used with a preposition which precedes it.
In English, we no longer adhere to the grammatical rule which says do not end a sentence with a preposition, but in Italian the rule must be followed. The translations for the following example sentences may seem antiquated, but they are helpful for understanding the necessary Italian sentence structure.
In the following example sentences, all of the Italian prepositions are used with cui.Non sono capace di fare le cose di cui tu parli.
I’m not able to do the things of which you speak.
Non c’è nessuno a cui puoi dare le chiavi?
There isn’t anyone to whom you can give the keys?
Lui è l’uomo da cui Claudio ha ricevuto la notizia.
He is the man from whom Claudio got the news.
Ecco la casa in cui mio padre è nato.
Here’s the house in which my dad was born.
Andiamo in Francia con degli amici con cui siamo anche stati in Germania.
We’re going to France with friends with whom we were also in Germany.
Questo è il tavolo su cui avevi messo i soldi?
This is the table on which you had put the money?
Qual era la ragione per cui hanno deciso di cancellare il programma?
What was the reason for which they decided to cancel the program?
Ci sono vari motivi per questa decisione, tra cui la partecipazione della gente.
There are various reasons for this decision, among which the people’s participation.