Interrogative Adverbs

Italian interrogative adverbs
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Avverbi interrogativi

When, where, why, how? Use interrogative adverbs to ask these informational questions.

Per esempio…

Dove lavora?   Where does he work?
Quando esci?   When are you leaving?

Characteristics of Interrogative Adverbs

  1. Ask for specific information
  2. Can be used in indirect questions
  3. Are invariable (no plural or feminine forms)

Italian Interrogative Adverbs

Italian has five interrogative adverbs.

1) Come

Come usually means "how?"

Come va?   How is he doing?
Come hai fatto?   How did you do that?

In certain contexts, come means "what?"

Come ti chiami?   What’s your name?
Come sono i tuoi amici?   What are your friends like?

2) Dove

Dove means "where?"

Dove vivi?   Where do you live?
Dove sono?   Where are they?

3) Perché

Perché means "why?"

Perché stai piangendo?   Why are you crying?
Perché sta andando in banca?   Why is he going to the bank?

4) Quando

Quando means "when?"

Quando vuoi uscire?   When do you want to leave?
Quando chiamerà?   When is he going to call?

 To be more specific, you can ask A che ora? meaning “(At) what time?”

5) Quanto

Quanto means "how much?"

Quanto costa la casa?   How much does the house cost?
Quanto ne hai fatto?   How much did you do?

Indirect Questions

Interrogative adverbs can also be used in indirect questions, where the desire for information is found within a statement or command.

Per esempio…

Voglio sapere come sta.   I want to know how he’s doing.
Ho dimenticato dove stai andando.   I forgot where you’re going.
Mi chiedo perché ha mentito.   I wonder why he lied.
Diteci quando vuoi cominciare.   Tell us when you want to start.
Non so quanto lavora.   I don’t know how much he works.

 Related lesson

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Avverbi interrogativi

Laura K Lawless
Laura K Lawless
Virtual Italian Teacher at Lawless Languages | Website | + posts

Ciao! I’m Laura K Lawless, creator, writer, editor, and CLO (Chief Lawless Officer) of this free online Italian learning site. Lawless Italian is an official Lawless Languages site.